We have all just witnessed the überspectacular opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Can one seriously imagine the recession-ridden, half-bankrupt, anally-retentive Brits matching that in 2012? Even getting anywhere near to it? Well can you?
The Chinese themed the opening on four thousand years of their nation’s phenomenal history. So perhaps we might expect a jamboree based on the rise of the British Empire, with Lord Seb Coe and his coiffed cohorts waving their batons in the wings? Well, probably not. A good many of the nations of today’s Olympic family would be justifiably disgusted, even up in arms – after all, many of them experienced the full civilising force of its altruistic benevolence.
Just four short years away the Britain of 2012 will be a very different place. Scotland will in all probability have its own national team. Held back by an unholy gaggle of West Brits, New Labourites, Old Labourites, trough-swilling Westminster Labour MPs, Tories, Lib Dems and Great British sycophants, true to form our own dear Wales will no doubt adopt her traditional pose and, God bless her, do what they all do under such circumstances: lie back and think of England.
There is no doubt we’ll get there in the end. In today’s opening parade Ireland marched proudly under the Tricolour and some 67 nations smaller than Wales were represented by their own national teams and with their own flags. One such new nation-state was Montenegro. Let’s hope the devolution process here doesn’t end in the galling manner in which Montenegro ‘won’ its ‘freedom’: effectively booted out of the Serbian ‘federation’ for being so pathetically wet. Unless we get a grip, Wales will suffer the same fate. We’d better watch out. When this recession really begins to bite, England will finally wake up to the way things are going north of Hadrian’s Wall and things down south will change very rapidly – and not necessarily in our favour.
We need to prepare ourselves to get out of the ‘United Kingdom’ on our own terms. After all, they may have stolen our coal and our iron ore and so forth, just as more recently they have stolen Scotland’s oil, but, thank God, our rain keeps on falling and they’ll always need our water. This time we must make sure they pay for it. Properly.
Byline: Cuneglas
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Water is just one element – what about all the VAT, corporation and numerous other hidden taxes that are removed from Wales and end up in London’s coffers? The myth about England supporting Wales through its generosity is nonsense. If Wales didn’t have to shoulder the cost of the insane military adventures of a failed empire that hasn’t quite come to terms with its failure, and the equally insane expenditure now scheduled for super-aircraft carriers, imagine what might be possible. Ireland has none of this burden and is threatened by no-one. Why on earth should Wales not follow Ireland’s example and be an independent (and militarily neutral) country within Europe?
I thought Montenegro had a referendum and voted to split with Serbia?
But having seen all those microscopic free nations like San Marino and the Virgin Islands, (some with only two athletes), parade around Beijings “Bird’s Nest Stadium” I was sickened that Wales and Scotland, two of the oldest nations in the world, were relegated to regions. The Draig Goch and St Andrew’s Cross cannot be flown or carried by the Celtic athletes – they have to parade under the Butcher’s apron once again. What was even more upsetting was the presence of a Scottish pipe band, playing Scottish tunes, without a Scottish team.
Loath all this Team GB rubbish. Britain,Great Britain British etc are used by the English to mean England and English.
Wales should have a Welsh Team in 2012.