Olympic Torch Madness

[Possum]

I just read a travel piece on Syria and one part made me think of the olympics.....
"...Perhaps this was a case where travel could bypass politics, and contact between countries made people to people could make just the tiniest contribution to international harmony. God knows, it was worth a try."

[Aliya]

OY I sent you that article, dont come across all cutured and brainy .

Why are the goons in blue (or "thugs" as Seb Coe calls them) still travelling with the torch???? WHY WHY WHY WHY??

[Possum]

You were just looking for a holiday destination for a dirty weekend...I read the article with true interest

[Aliya]

Bali is for dirty weekends, Syria is for the brave

[baloo]

Why are the goons in blue (or "thugs" as Seb Coe calls them) still travelling with the torch???? WHY WHY WHY WHY??

Because it's common practice for the host nation to supply torch support staff during the relays. The only difference this time is that China wisely sent para military types as opposed to those who know a multitude of zippo tricks.

[Burbage]

"Torch support staff"

Now I know the world has gone mad. Does the torch suffer from depression or something?

[Possum]

No, but the world seems to have a growing number of opinionated, violent, mentally unstable nuts. A sign of the times that greater measures are needed to keep event participants safe.

[Aliya]

Sure but I dont think the Bully Boys from China was quite what they had in mind!!!

[baloo]

Sure but I dont think the Bully Boys from China was quite what they had in mind!!!

Seeing the demonstartions that are going on, and the actions of the demonstrators, I reckon China did well to send the bully boys.

[Aliya]

But that is what the police of each country is there for, China might have had a right to send support staff but not a paramilitary team who pushed everyonen around including the police themselves and flame carriers and tried to take control. That is not on.

[baloo]

Why not ? had they not been the the protesters would have made it to the flame. Extinguished it or damaged it. The Chinese know how to deal with violent protestors and they dealt with them. The local police were largely ineffectual.

I understand where you are coming from Aliya but the simple fact is that the Chinese did send the right types to protect the torch.

[Pinklepurr]

I totally disagree with the type of protest that these people are doing with the torch, it stinks. The people they are hurting are the ones who were lucky enough to get to carry the torch, it is a very special event to these people and these thugs are ruining it for them.

I am not against the protest, but I am against the way they are going about it, as far as I am concerned it does nothing for their cause whatsoever and makes them look bad. I expected as much when I heard those two French reporters or whatever they were talking about what damage they were going to do the relay.

The chinese paramilitary guys? A bit over the top, but then so are the protesters.

[BFG]

I totally disagree with the type of protest that these people are doing with the torch, it stinks. The people they are hurting are the ones who were lucky enough to get to carry the torch, it is a very special event to these people and these thugs are ruining it for them.

I am not against the protest, but I am against the way they are going about it, as far as I am concerned it does nothing for their cause whatsoever and makes them look bad. I expected as much when I heard those two French reporters or whatever they were talking about what damage they were going to do the relay.

The chinese paramilitary guys? A bit over the top, but then so are the protesters.

Little point of order. One of the torch bearers in London is Trevor MacDonald. The Sugarbabes are also putting their oar in. It's more marketing than special nowadays I'm afraid...

[Pinklepurr]

There are still a lot of normal everyday people out there who get to carry it.

[Joseph27]

Skank - I agree with you - an issue comes up and these clowns are on the street protesting - 5 minutes of fame only to be forgotten tomorrow. Whilst i don't mind attention being paid to the plight of the Tibetans - I resent 5 minute head lines and the idiots who hang off them.

[Burbage]

Five minute headlines are better than 200 paragraph cut and pastes.

[TheD]

Small point:

Gere has been involved in the Tibetan struggle to retain their culture in the face of the economic and cultural Sinicization from a mammoth China, for about 25 or 30 years.

[cromasaig]

It's reasonable to question the motives of some of the people protesting. But that doesn't mean that protests aren't justified.

Also, while I have every sympathy for the people for whom the opportunity to carry the torch is valuable (ie, not the Sugababes), the idea that it is 'bad manners' to protest is just plain silly. I'm trying to imagine a situation where a protester would receive an invitation from their protestee ('I'm delighted to inform you that the Minister will be available to be heckled on 21st April from 3 - 3.45pm', or 'Torch snuffing opportunities will take place along The Mall on Thursday at 10am. The torch is being carried by Jordan, who prefers her t-shirt wet anyway.')

[Possum]

Singapore does You apply for a permit and then are allocated a space to stand in the box.

[cromasaig]

I must not talk about Singaporean politics
I must not talk about Singaporean politics
I must not talk about Singaporean politics

[expat yorkshire]

[Little point of order. One of the torch bearers in London is Trevor MacDonald. The Sugarbabes are also putting their oar in. It's more marketing than special nowadays I'm afraid...

An another was ex blue Peter presenter Konnie

She can light my torch anytime

[Tas]

Been a bit of interesting chat in the office this morning. Yesterday there was quite a protest in Sydney China town by Chinese folk concerned their homeland is being misrepresented in a poor & incorrect way. My collegues and I both were commenting that we'd never really seen anything like it, that kind of banding together to protect China image by Aus based Chinese (most of my collegues say they came to Australia to integrate, and are not interested in the communist ideal, and want to live in mixed suburbs etc etc interesting smart ladies most of them)

Anyways, I personally agree that if people really wanted to protest China they'd make a much bigger stance about buying China made products and support homegrown or ethical industry products. Don't see that happening in a hurry.

I don't think China should have been awarded the Olympics, but the fact is it has. It was shown up decades ago that the Olypic committee is corrupt. The upside of it is what Lighty is talking about, it has drawn enourmous attention to the country that in the end opens it up to critique rather than allowing it to be closed down hatches. This includes hardcore environmental pressure as well. It is also harder to censor when theres an influx of foreigners.

[expat yorkshire]

Tas

Do you think if China had not got the Olympics they would have opened up access to the BBC websites in China as they did last week ?

China getting the Olympics allows others to put pressue on China to improve their human rights record

[Tas]

seem to have lost the edit button? but the other point these work friends were making was from their history understanding Tibet has been part of China since 800AD, not just 50yrs, and there's quite a story about the prince making some submission of loyalty to the emporor, and the Lamas being blue bloods who basically treated the common folk in a manner not dissimilar to the English serf system, and all sorts of views like that. so the perspective is quite different!

[Burbage]

That's a bit like saying that Australia is still British.

Tibet was always relatively autonomous, then it became independent at the beginning of the last century and then it was invaded and subjugated by force in the 50s by the communists.