So farewell then, the most wonderful eight weeks this country has enjoyed since … well, probably since the end of the last ice age.Eight short weeks of scintillating Promenade concerts and brilliant Olympic and Paralympic endeavour that have battered down the walls of my cynicism and left me really quite pleased to live here.
It seems so long ago that we all cheered and stamped and shouted ourselves hoarse at the Olympics.
Wow!
What a summer!
The sun even shone after six months of rain.
And now it's all over …
This country has changed over the past eight, glorious weeks of culture, music and sport. It has actually BECOME a country for the first time since the war.
We have witnessed the ordinary people of this overcrowded little island becoming extraordinary. We have witnessed their common spirit, their compassion, their intelligence, their ability to distinguish Patriotism from Nationalism, their exceedingly vocal support for every athlete - not just the British ones, their heartfelt embrace of - indeed their hysterical shrieking adulation of - the world's greatest Paralympians, seeing not the disability but the ability of each and every person taking part.
This wondrous summer has changed the country and it has changed me. Now all we need to change is the government and its financial institutions (in the middle of the Paralympics the Tories blithely announced benefit cuts for the disabled) and we might just be able to glimpse some hope for the future.
Bereft as I feel now that the whole thing is over, I know that - whatever's to come - we will always have this wonderful summer, these eight short weeks of euphoria and hope, of decency and humanity; of eighty-thousand people roundly booing our innumerate Fascist chancellor when some idiot let him into the stadium.
Remember it at the next election. Let's build on it. Let's take back our country from the greedy and corrupt and bring it back into the light.
We managed it for eight incredible weeks. We can manage it again and again.
15 comments:
Oh Dive, that's lovely. Now we need the Olympics to come to Washington DC.
Thank you so much, Petrea. At least you guys have a decent man in the White House; now all you need to do is re-elect him and then disinfect Congress and flush it clean.
Your Olympians and Paralympians did you proud. Be inspired by them.
Well said, Dive! Bravo!
And Petrea's right; we need the Olympics and Paralypmics to come to Washington D.C. We need some inspiration and rejuvenation(and a giant toilet to handle the political flushing....).
Many thanks, Ms.M.
You have an election coming up; it's going to take a lot more than the past four years to wipe clean the stains of the Bush regime and bring civilisation to the USA. Go to it and do us proud.
Wonderful commentary Dive. I noticed a particular British pride at the Olympics. Your Olympians were outstanding! I only wish that the Paraylmpics got some recognition in our media. I heard nothing except from you and my Golbourne cousins.
Ah Olympics afterglow, we had that same feeling here after the Sydney Olympics.
I'm not much for sports as such and didn't really think I'd enter into any sort of Olympic spirit but on the last day of the Olympics I was in Sydney for the closing ceremony and you could feel the difference in the air and in the crowds.
Hold on to the spirit of that feeling for as long as you can.The mundane world closes over you quickly enough but I know what you're feeling because for a while after the Sydney Olympics we were shiny happy people.
I only wish the paralympics got as much attention. I've always thought that they should be on at the same time as the normal Olympics for these people deserve the fanfare and adulation and attention just as much as the other athletes.
I have always wanted to visit England. After seeing the Olympics, I am determined to go now. I do fear that I will be wearing adult diapers by that time, though....
No kidding, neetzy. Just nothing about the paralympics in the press here.
Neetzy, the Paralympics got equal billing (and equal TV coverage) with the Olympics here. People seem to have enjoyed it even more.
Ky, I loved the Sydney Games; it was the first Olympics where the People took over from the politicians and bureaucrats and made it their own. I hope we've carried on that fine tradition.
Maria, we all wear adult diapers over here so you'll fit in just fine.
Petrea, you guys really missed out on the feelgood event of the decade.
Yes I agree what a great summer of British get together spirit, and the proms wow.I do hope it lasts…
The benefit system needs looking at certainly as I know a lot of folk who cheat on it, however those paralympic athletes deserve theirs for all the wonderful spirit they have, I hope that the people who do not deserve to be on disability benefit will have a think about taking money and sitting down and saying they cannot do anything, the tears flowed so many times to think of the pain and the sheer guts these people have shown, so hope it will encourage everyone to try harder at getting fit, me included!
Mum, I don't know a single person who cheats on disability benefits; if you know any, shop them. It sounds like you've been reading the Tory press again; for the tiny minority - perhaps one in a thousand or fewer who do take advantage, the Tories are punishing the vast majority of genuinely disabled people and that is the worst possible solution. They just cut the tax rate for the highest earners to benefit the average top rate taxpayer by £10,000 a year each and they're funding that by cutting benefits rights for the disabled. Cheating on benefits is shameful but not nearly so shameful as voting Tory.
My dear boy whoever is in government they will always make a mess of it… it is basic housekeeping but when they get in power they just take…take …take, ALL parties are the same.
I know a lot of folk who disabuse the system remember I used to work in wages and the amount of cheats who had bad backs and were on disability and were seen digging gardens!
But you have your own opinions and I respect that so please respect mine.
The paralympics I hope will get to those people who say they need a blue badge because they like to park where they like and the Dr's are often fooled, so lets leave it that we give Three Cheers for all those great people who performed wonderful feats of bravery at their sport I salute you all you deserve your medals.and you have given us a great insight into your life lived with courage. Well Done…
Yup, we've not had a decent government since the 1960s and not a good one since the fist Labour government after the war.
We agree to differ as always (where's the fun in always thinking the same thing)?
Of course, the euphoria won't last, but I hope it evolves into something more concrete and permanent, Dive.
And yes, we need the paralympics to come to Washington, DC. And the Proms.
If it makes life easier for a single disabled person then it will have been worthwhile, but it seems to have shifted the opinion of the entire nation, educating the ignorant as to the abilities of people they previously scorned.
Here's hoping.
And no, you can't have the Proms. But you CAN come over here and enjoy it with us.
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