Olympic torch

Whoever choreographed today’s procession of the torch in honour of the Beijing 2008 Olympics (which went past the end of my street) is a genius. I thought that running the torch across London in front of jeering crowds, in a blizzard, at the centre of a phalanx of implacable security who occasionally peeled off to beat someone to the ground and arrest them or to tear down a flag or placard captured the appropriate spirit brilliantly.

Update 7/4/08: London mayoral candidate Brian Paddick (LibDem) has stated today that “these events reflect badly on London”. He is absolutely right. Our protesters had over 31 miles of procession to seize or extinguish that torch but frankly the most likely candidate for putting it out was the weather. Despite having only 18 miles in which to work and being up against terrifying CRS riot police, the French managed to get the thing doused four times before the authorities gave up and cancelled the whole Olympic flame relay and ceremony over there. If protesting were an Olympic event, the French would kick our ass.

Labels: london, sport