mhc Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Enjoyed the show. But why did Chris Hoy fly the Union Flag the wrong way round? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Bob, well said and i for one agree. However, we must not become complacent about what our politicians do in our name. Vigilance is the watchword. I would have said how many people had cars, let alone fun cars. I was the first car owner in my family and that was 1964. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Green Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Hi Norm You are absolutely correct regarding the politicians. The issue here is that none of them come from an under-privileged background, therefore maybe do not understand how the early years I refer to actually were. I agree with your comment of car owners in the '60's. My father did not own a car until 1965 I think. Before that, walking to work was the mode of transport. I was just trying to illustrate how lucky folk living in this day and age really are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 My father went to work on the 653 trolleybus. I wonder how many Londoners remember the trolleybuses. After work he got another bus from the factory he worked in (it was a ladies coat factory called Harella) and went to his brothers waistcoat factory in Euston. So he left home at 5 in the morning and got home about 10:30. He did this so we could have an annual holiday, usually on the Isle of Wight. I just about remember sweet rationing. Churchill was the upper of the upper class. Yet he knew about the working man. Not to say he understood. He introduced unemployment benefit in the 1920s and death duties for which the Tories never forgave him. My unease about all our politicians today (Labour, Tories and Lib Dems) is that everything they do is about money. They fail to see that some things are not about money but service to the people who pay their taxes and expect, well, service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 My unease about all our politicians today (Labour, Tories and Lib Dems) is that everything they do is about money. They fail to see that some things are not about money but service to the people who pay their taxes and expect, well, service Thank you Mrs Thatcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I for one have little interest in the olympics as it has lost the meaning of what it was about. We now have highly paid proffesional athletes from developed countries taking on people from poor countries with no facilities. Big business has turned it into an unhealthy spectacle. for example, resteraunt of the games McDonalds home of the worlds most unhealthy food. But the opening ceremony was brilliant, it was a history lesson to the world that Britain gave the world so much over centuries that they would not have had otherwise, from industry to poetry and finally the inventor of the WWW, genius. There were very few low spots, for me Ali was disgraceful, being held up by a nurse who looked like a Russian shot putter telling him to wave, was abhorrant. Paul McCartney was like watching bad kareoke by a bloke in a badly dyed wig. High spots so many the dedication to war dead, the dedication to those killed after the announcment London won the bid, the Bond bit, Mr Bean the salute to those who built the stadium. We do have so much to be proud of as a nation nut there is still so much that shames us as well. No doubt the games will be a sucess and afterwards the true costs will come out and we will do what we are best at which is to fight amongst ourselves and blame each other for what went wrong. We gave the world so much and continue to do so in the form of finance and the sacrifice of the lives of our forces to help those in need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazpowerslide Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I am proud of the country and it's acheivements and would not want to live anywhere else. Compared to the most of the rest of Europe we have it pretty good here. We have a wide diversity of landscapes/scenery and and a wider diversity of people and culture which make it a great nation to live in. I just don't need the Olympics to focus my sense of patriotism and me realise how lucky I am. Many will watch and derive great pleasure from the event and I have nothing against that. I'm just not one of them. Am I proud of what's been achieved at the Olympics? Not really it all leaves me a bit cold. Pretty much anything can be acheived if you have a no expense spared attitude to it. Chaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreigM Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 My unease about all our politicians today (Labour, Tories and Lib Dems) is that everything they do is about money. They fail to see that some things are not about money but service to the people who pay their taxes and expect, well, service. i disagree with this but think the sentiment ends up at the same place. I don't think its all about money, I think its about party politics - what the populace would like comes second to what the games the political class are playing to "get one over" on the other side. The current politicians are only interested of what happens within the walls of Westminster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Grieg, I'll agree to that. Any idea how to stop it? I have but it won't happen. Cut the salary and expenses paid and say we want people who want to serve not earn a lot of money.Some hopes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Thank you Mrs Thatcher Bernie, apart from taking that as an insult I don't quite understand it. She, who was all about money. Privatised everything in sight so her cronies could make money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Sorry Norman , let me re phrase the phrase "Thanks Mrs Thatcher " to... Thanks to Mrs Thatcher Hope that clears thing up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikef Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Excellent opening ceremony and quintessentially British but probably indecipherable to a lot of the 204 countries attending. Nevertheless, it reminds me that I was born British and therefore won first prize in the lottery of life. I wasn't a fan of us bidding for it - but when we got it I hoped we could showcase our country to the rest of the world. It has started extremely well and I hope it continues to a successful conclusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 OK, Bernie, now I understand. I thought you were calling me Mrs Thatcher! You're probably right. Amongst other things she started MPs fiddling expenses. She told them they couldn't have pay rises but to sort it out themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 <p> <br />Cut the salary and expenses paid and say we want people who want to serve not earn a lot of money.Some hopes!<br /> </p><p>I part agree and part disagree as almost all the time you get what you pay for. If you pay high salaries for politicians then maybe just maybe you could attract a decent calibre but you also attract more morons. If you pay peanuts you either attract morons with wealthy backers - business or unions, or you attract those who don't need to money which kind of limits the gene pool.</p> <p>Mike</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Like it or not we live in a capitalist society , in spite of all its faults , so far history shows there isnt a better alternative . So lets all quit whinning , eat cake, and get on with this rat race we call living Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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