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...It was hoped that it would cure many ills and make huge amounts of money...

only by the gullible and naive daydreamers.

...What image of Britain should we project?....

The real image will be the security, police and cameras in a surveillance society dominated by a class war brought on by role gamers who dress up in cloaks and give themselves ludicrous titles?

it will be all so embarrassing, we already have Coe backtracking on earlier promises regarding the games, expect more of the same from Tessa as Gordon has said no more dosh. After the superlatives we have a lot to live up to which must surely mean an increased budget. Thank God for the lottery.....and the London coucil tax payers.

PROJECTILE VOMITING (Projecting Britain)

Depict the five Olympic rings as PLUGHOLES labelled: DEBT, BOOZE, GAMBLING, PORN and HYPOCRISY.
Issue every politician a MANDATORY T-shirt bearing the five plughole logo; to be worn for the duration of the games. At least the whole 5-ring circus would then be worth the money.

Perhaps the significance to this new ABM system in Europe is effective missile tracking from point of departure into the U.S, perhaps fired down over the Atlantic? Secondly, is it believed that Russian missile silos are all placed along the western front, when it would be far more strategically viable to construct them in the wilderness of central Russia.

Aggression lies with both parties. Policy has proved, historically, that aggression is required to maintain the stability of a nation.

More of Pavel please- bit easy on the eye
Paxo watch out Pavel is about ! I bet he likes the Scots too ..Kirsty was very smiley

I personally cannot see how Star Wars is a bad thing. Although untested, an eventual global anti missile system can only be a good thing. Anything that will push the world's powers away from the ridiculously destructive force of nuclear weapons.
I find the threatening stance of Russia even more ludicrous. Every country should be allowed the right to defend themselves, especially from such potent weapons, and to respond to the setting up of such defenses with aggressive threats just highlights why countries feel the need to set up these defences.

Interesting dialogue with the Russian analyst Andreev (how smarmy and self-satisfied - good to watch him whilst listening to responses from Washington) versus the older Bush's former man (worldly-wise and not afraid to tell the truth when questioned).

But I do wonder about some of tonight's script - leveraging? Why not try "borrowing money?" Or is that too simple?

Personally I thought the Russian analyst was a disaster for Russia as he failed to nail the point that it was the Georgians who shelled Russian citizens. The worldly wise US analyst did not seem to care two hoots that thousands of civilians died at the hands of a Nato ally.

The fact that Star Wars clearly breaks the 1972 ABM treaty does not worry anybody in Nato. That says a lot.

It also makes the risk of a first strike more likely. That is often seen as a very bad thing by some analysts.

Should that worry individuals who are not that interested in US or Russian glory?

Oh yes.

I have zero confidence these days in US foreign policy and that is even considering Rice is to some extent on the soft side of the Bush administration. The sounds are that Obama, whom I had very high hopes for, is getting sucked into the existing flawed mindset.

In my world bad things happen when you start ramping up strategic threats. The Cuba missile crisis passed but that does not guarantee future problems.

I really hope Obama thinks this one through.

It would have been good if Bush's foreign adviser had told some more of the truth - how the CIA brought down a democratic government in Chile and helped a dictator to power: how the USA would react if Russia encircled its borders with an anti-missile system. He came across to me as a worldly wise hypocrite.

Is no one else fed up with the constant doing down of Britain; 鈥渨e can鈥檛 put on a show鈥�; 鈥渨e鈥檙e not a great power, why should we bother鈥�. If this is all true maybe the opening ceremony should consist of the population of the United Kingdom slowly filing into the stadium and collectively slitting our wrists to the tune of Benny Hill?

For gods sake cheer up and have some faith in the nation.

Interesting takes on the programme and comments above. Let's look briefly at:

1. The US guy.
I'd say more cynical than hypocrite.

2. Chile? Why not Vietnam?
We all know the US isn't perfect.

3. Ringing Russia?
It's not so long ago that Russia pulled out of Poland. How would you feel, as a Pole, after Georgia/South Ossetia. And that's not making excuses for the Georgians.

Did anyone here go to the Baltic States before and after the Russian pull-out? Or indeed East Germany? Or Czechoslovakia as was?

4. Iraq - and those Weapons of Mass Destruction.
So, where's Tony Blair now? (sorry, straying a bit here..)

The world's a complicated place because of policies and politicians. But if you had first- hand knowledge and dealings with the US and the Russians, you might err on the side of the West (with obvious reservations).

I think tonight's programme did a good job in illustrating how far apart the US and Russains are. We should all worry.

Will Obama make a difference? Who can tell. Do we know what he stands for?

@ MidnightPantsman - Pavel Andreev's a Russian Affairs Analyst - not a journalist :p!
Besides, Jeremy's unique and no-one can ever be (or pretend to be) him. And that's not just my opinion!


It was the dimples that did it for you ;-)

Jed Babbin was bang on.

Russia's elites need to think carefully their moves in Ukraine, as this will polarize the mindset of the West's politicians for at lest a decade or more.

On the ending of Russia's cooperation with NATO, they jumped before they were pushed !

I enjoyed the lively banter with Grayson Perry and Ken Livingstone's musings on London's offering for it's 2012 opening ceremony.
However, I would hope that with all the great artistic, theatrical and media abilities that London is so fortunate to have that we can muster up something that strikes a relevant note, with out resorting to a "package of cheese"!! Up and down the country we have groups of talented kids/youths from all walks of life and reflecting the UK's cultural diversity. Perhaps we could allow our up and coming generation to lead the way in making some contribution to an Olympic Games opening ceremony. We have some of the best technical and creative sources in London - lets open some of that up to our youth, so that they can play a part and have something to be proud of!

REMEMBERING THE DOME (#10 and #14)

To my knowledge we still don't know where the money went, but the failure is writ large. We know where 'The Usual Suspects' went: on to more lucrative things. (Mandelson is EU Trade Domemeister!.)
THAT, sadly, is the essence of Britishness.
The nation has a problem with its culture that needs to be taken head on. The high minded 'Western World' did not hesitate to tell China to clean up their act in exchange for hosting the Olympic Games. Britain has a wide range of cleaning up to do: government, arms, dodgy money, debt, gambling, warmongering etc. Is it not reasonable for those who remember the Dome, to use the Olympics as a lever on all the Evildoers inside the walls of this deceitful citadel? With the present dishonourable ethos prevalent in our governance, and the country generally, the Olympics will inexorably join the Dome as another embarrassment riddled with dodgy-ness. John Bull has been bred to travesty of his former self: he bears an ugly countenance, a glazed look and has hardly a leg to stand on, but he is still paraded as an example to the world.