The Olympics

[steveL]

The best thing about the Olympics is that, if BBC News in anything to go buy, all wars, crime, disease and pestilence seem to have ended overnight. 

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Weren't the Tudors Welsh? The Stuarts, Scottish, William II was Dutch -  not to mention the present Germans. Come to think of it - when did we last have an English Monarch? The Plantagenets were French and even Harold with the arrow in his eye went back to the Danish Canute.

My money would be Alfred of burnt cakes fame.

Mmm...suppose he's a possibility; I would opt for Cartimandua of the Brigantes...always good to support the local girl...

[steveL]

Why can't we have Monarchs with a bit of kudos like Atilla the Hun or Ivan the Terrible - somehow Charles the Plant Whisperer just doesn't have the same ring to it. 

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Say it with flowers...give a Triffid...

[popgoestheweasal.]

Sure i,ve just seen a field of cabbages at the opening ceremony or it might have been seb coe and the elite.

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Has anyone else observed that when someone starts a statement with the phrase 'to be honest', they then proceed to be staggeringly insincere? 

[mk1]

typify the lousy anti-British, politically correct, Guardian reading, leftist establishment toadies

You missed out 'Pro-Europe'

It must have been on the next page of your
'Cliched Rants For The Paranoid'

booklet!

[rabbit]

Any ideas where the 'EU-27' finished in the Olympic medal table Mr K? Say in comparison to the USA and/or China...

Out of sight!

I had considered doing a top 3 of the EU, say GB plus France and Germany combined as a comparison to the US and China (higher populations) but thought I`d let it lie.

[mk1]

When I present a reasonably worded, factually accurate report about the BBC imposing a PC motivated,  opinionated directive on its news staff regarding reporting of the British Olympic Team's successes' you call this a "RANT"?

A paranoid cliched rant.

You come across as a totally fixated on the EU and have an irrational hatred of any person/organisation that does not share and promote your delusion
The concept of 'middle ground' has no place in your Universe.
You froth and foam and see enemies everywhere.
I worry  you are one sandwich short of 'going postal'!

[rabbit]

I thought the Opening and Closing ceremonies were very partisan (towards GB).

The crowd also tended to support our own competitors more so than those of other nations.

Definitely some bias shown there.

Those responsible should be smacked.

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Dear Perseus - may I suggest that you read and digest the attached - it could lead to self-enlightenment...   Mwah... LL-T

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-prove-it-really-is-a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate-976901.html

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Perseus' comments on the prevalence of sportsmen and women with 'elite' backgrounds reminded me of a recent Telegraph blog...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100174797/state-school-attitudes-to-sport-are-the-real-reason-so-many-of-our-olympians-come-from-private-schools/

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

My thoughts are that this reflects the difference in attitudes regarding competition and attainment between the state and private educational sectors. Over the last few decades the trend within state education seems to be increasingly like the Caucus Race in Alice in Wonderland, where everyone is declared to be a winner.

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Thinking about it, didn't some primary school(s) recently ban sports day because it encouraged competitiveness?

[mk1]

My thoughts are that this reflects the difference in attitudes regarding competition and attainment between the state and private educational sectors.

It is the 'networking' effect.
You go to school with all those destined to be in positions of power and thus are better positioned than the  90% of the population who have to earn their advantage.
How many  sons/daughters of a 'connected' person will  end up working in Macdonalds? They can't all be clever so where do the 'failures' work? (Rhetorical: They still get powerful/well paid positions through 'daddy')