We’ve just watched Kelly Holmes carrying the Olympic torch surrounded by security and police! I am so glad the protest about Tibet was violence free. It was a great opportunity to draw attention to the plight of Tibetans, and the protesters made their point.

I grew up with romantic notions of the O. Games, learning that in Ancient Greece all wars and differences were put aside for the duration of the games. (Not sure how true this was, but it seemed very commendable. Seems either impossible or daft now.) Anyway, now I see the games as an opportunity to make political points, and sports and politics do mix. It would have been wonderful if, when Kelly had lit the fire, she had pulled off her sports vest and revealed a Free Tibet vest underneath. No such luck.
I have always had a soft spot for Tibet. In good old St Vincents Junior School we had to choose a country to study. People were getting into groups choosing Spain ande France etc. so I pored over a map and chose the smallest most insignificant blob of a country I could find. I chose Tibet. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that at the other side of the class Eleanor, ‘my best friend whom I hated’, had chosen Tibet too. Her memories are different to mine, but I distinctly remember that gut churning dismay and spite when I realised she had chosen the same as me.

22.00hours

Oops! There was violence!  Anyway, I wanted to revise what I said. This isn’t about politics, it’s about basic human rights.(As someone on the tv said this evening)

One thing I find strange is people’s inconsistency. Pro-lifers, who presumably think life is sacred, will injure pro-abortion doctors.

Oh well! ‘There’s nowt as queer as folk!’