It seem that Unionist Politicians are intent on using the Olympic Games in attempt to block the move to Scottish Inexpedience .
According to Scotland on Sunday The Better Together campaign have said that Danny Boyle’s achievement was in successfully projecting to the entire country a new and more positive image of Britain which would have huge resonance among people across the country, including Scotland.
Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, a leading Labour Unionist said:
“Friday’s opening ceremony was a big cultural moment that will impact on our sense of ourselves and politics here in Scotland even after the athletes have headed home. To win the referendum the Nationalists need to convince us that the rest of the UK has become so foreign a place with such different values that we should split apart.
“Friday’s ceremony did something completely different – by attempting to capture and define the essence of Britishness it reminded millions of us what we so cherish.”Alex Salmon's response was to state
“This puerile attempt to politicise the Olympics certainly wouldn’t win any medals. With the latest poll putting the SNP even further in the lead than last year’s election landslide, and independence ahead of every other constitutional option, Douglas Alexander and his colleagues in the Tory-led anti-independence campaign are clearly getting desperate,But of course the build up to the Olympics which has consecutively with the the Jubilee celebrations to the extent that if the satirical programe 2012 hadn't mocked it we might have seen jubilimpics used throughout the last few months.
During the Torch relay the organisers made sure to hand out Union Jacks to the public as the Torch and cameras passed by ( and then took them back) and made sure not to focus on any other signs of identity.
And I can only suspect that the constant use of "British" by BBC commentators is because they are on some kind of bonus to use it so many times per hour! Though some seem to forget themselves (John Inverdale) and still use England..
The Olympics may boost the Union for a few months especially if the UK reaches their medals target. But if they fai the Gold will tarnish even quicker when the true cost emerges.
What the Unionist fail to realise is that for many of us the Union Jack may be the flag over our champions but when they return home it will be Yr Draig Goch , Scottish Saltaire, and Cornwalls Saint Piran's Flag greeting them (Northern Ireland may be a bit complicated.
Lets face if Wales as and Independent Nation were to return from a future Olympic Games with just one Gold medal it would shine even more brightly .
2 comments:
What Danny Boyle has done is give the Brit nats a narrative to work on. The BBC is clearly taking it's British part very seriously and the British state is ready to spend £9bn on the Olympics and the other millions on the Jubilee to promote and keep the Union intact.
When people complain about the money spent on the Welsh language, or Welsh 'nation building' or the Assembly then remind them it pales into comparison with the sums the British state spends to promote it's identity and language. The Brits take themselves seriously - more so than the Welsh.
As Douglas Alexander's comments only confirm, the Olympic games have nothing to do with international athletics and everything to do with promoting British glory and British identity to the detriment of Wales and Scotland. We're allowed, even told, to cheer on Welsh athletes - support ethnicity that is, but we're called spoilsports or sepratists if we wish to see those athletes compete in Wales's name.
I'm very unhappy with Sport Wales. The Chair, Laura McAllister, talks of being like New Zealand and Finland and other small countries - but they have international recognition in the Olympics, we don't. I'd like to know from Sport Wales:
1. How many Welsh athletes failed to get into Team GB but would quite likely have had the chance to compete in the Olympics were Wales there as a country?
2. How is Sport Wales helping to promote various Welsh athletics teams? I.e. fielding and competing for a Welsh team in different sports?
3. What is their policy and strategy for this?
4. If there isn't a strategy to develop a distinct Welsh team in different sports then what is the point of Sport Wales?
5. If Sport Wales are not lobbying and negotiating for a distinct Welsh team to be fielded at the next Olympic Games then I suggest in the interest of streamlining and saving tax payers money they should be disbanded and made part of Sport England. As a Tax payer I object to funding a junket for retired or failed sports people. If they are not actively lobbying and campaigning for official recognition for a distinct Welsh team then there is no point to Sport Wales - there is nothing which it does which Sport England doesn't do.
6. Why isn't achieving international status one of their core aims? (especially as all other aims can be done by Sport England/UK and has no need for a specific 'Welsh' body)?
Don't worry, Cameron is dismantling all the institutions that hold the UK together.
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