Comments on: Gordon Brown is right on Afghanistan

By: Backword Dave

Backword Dave — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:22:12 +0000

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.)

By: Staggering Around… « Back Towards The Locus

Staggering Around… « Back Towards The Locus — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:29:34 +0000

[...] 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.” [...]

By: septicisle

septicisle — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:16:34 +0000

Brilliant. septicisle's latest blog post... The political equivalent of Soylent Green.

By: Why soldiers are like Olympic athletes « Amused Cynicism

Why soldiers are like Olympic athletes « Amused Cynicism — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:36:46 +0000

[...] 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. [...]

By: redpesto

redpesto — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:34:01 +0000

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)...