Posts
Never
mind the weather; it has been a glorious summer anyway.
First
we had the Jubilee; showing the world that when it comes to public display
nobody can touch the Poms, Limeys and Rooineks.
Then
we had a triumphant Olympic Games. I may sometimes seem a bit cynical (what,
moi?) but as a spectacle it was magnificent, flawed only by the rather banal
opening ceremony. Sorry, but I just don’t find Mr Bean funny. Now if it been Mr
Milibean that would really have been a laugh. And the women were stunning; they
make top models look flabby and jaded.
But
the greatest show on earth was undoubtedly the Paralympics. It is nothing short
of miraculous that disabled people can do what very few able people can. This
was a festival celebrating dedication, singleness of purpose and plain
old-fashioned guts. They put us mere mortals to shame.
And
the greatest shame is that many of them would never have been there but for the
misdeeds of our political masters.
When
Dave was elected, he had the perfect opportunity to get out of Afghanistan.
He
could have said to O ‘ We are broke. We can’t afford foreign adventures. You
don’t like us anyway. You are on your own, matey!’
2 comments:
Hello Hay,
As I read your post I got the sense that you felt the participants in the Paralympics were worthy of more acclaim than those in the 'regular' Olympics. I would disagree with that assessment. Both sets of Olympians are of the same ilk, people who strive for excellence and refuse to settle for less.
I found the connection you made between the Paralympics and war to be quite astute. Too often we look in the papers to see the numbers of casualties we have suffered in these conflicts. The figure most often cited are the number of dead with little or just passing reference to injuries. Rarely do we see any description of the severity and life-altering nature of these mutilations. How many have been paralyzed,how many arms lost,how many legs removed? While a soldier's death is tragic, it is considered to be an honourable end to life. The manner in which the injured carry on can be even more deserving of respect.
What a pleasure to see you here, McBill.
Te qualities of character needed to succeed at this level have the same root, but how much more difficult when you are missing some important parts.
Our superb medical services to soldiers means that many will survive who yesterday would not.
They deserve our best!
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