Gordon Brown is right on Afghanistan
In a not-at-all-patronising speech to troops in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister compared British soldiers to our Olympic heroes…
This week we are celebrating the Olympics, where we have had great success. People have been winning medals in areas where we have been breaking ground.
But this week also I believe that our Olympic athletes and everybody else in our country will remember that you have showed exactly the same courage, professionalism and dedication.
…said the Prime Minister likening ‘exactly‘ the courage, professionalism and dedication needed to ride a bicycle round in circles to the courage, professionalism and dedication needed to fight the Taleban. I think that’s what they call faint praise.
He is of course, however, exactly right. Our troops are just like our Olympians. They’re underfunded and spend most of their time abroad. They perform obscure activities that we only pay attention to once in a blue moon before turning over to watch the X-Factor. And politicians love their reflected glory unless they’re losing in which case they get barely a mention.
Posted on August 21st, 2008 at 1:00pm under Afghanistan, Brown, Culture, media and sport
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And politicians love their reflected glory unless they’re losing in which case they get barely a mention.
…which explains exactly why Blair was at the velodrome to see Pendleton and Hoy win gold (well that, and apparently this airfare paper)…
[...] are “exactly the same” as athletes. He’s right of course, as Justin McKeating points out: Our troops are just like our Olympians. They’re underfunded and spend most of their time abroad. [...]
Brilliant.
septicisle’s latest blog post… The political equivalent of Soylent Green.
[...] Justin at Chicken Yoghurt gives the PM a lusty kicking for telling troops in Afghanistan that they show “exactly the same courage, professionalism and dedication” as Britain’s Olympic athletes. “He is of course, however, exactly right. Our troops are just like our Olympians. They’re underfunded and spend most of their time abroad. They perform obscure activities that we only pay attention to once in a blue moon before turning over to watch the X-Factor. And politicians love their reflected glory unless they’re losing in which case they get barely a mention.” [...]
Good grief, what is Brown on? “This week we are celebrating the Olympics, where we have had great success. People have been winning medals in areas where we have been breaking ground.” It lasts a fortnight. What does the second sentence mean? I understand “People have been winning medals” but this is the point of every Olympics. I agree that Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps are fantastic: I have no idea what Gordon Brown has to do with them, And what does Brown have against our rowers (whose names I can’t remember), David Davies, Ben Ainslie, plucky Tom Daley, among others? (Long distance swimmer, sailer, and 14-year-old diver for non-Olympics fans.)