Stop Press-Protestants win the Olympics

Over at Cramer,his reverence has taken a different look at the Olympic medal table and re tabulated it in means of religion.

Thus he finds that

The Gold medal winning religions of the world are therefore:

Christian 209

Buddhist 77

Muslim 10

Atheist 5

Hindu 1

Of which of the winners

Protestant 120

Orthodox 46

Roman Catholic 43

Bush should speak out about Darfur now

George Bush left China in no doubt about his attitude to the country's human rights record when he spoke in Bangkok on his way on the Olympic opening ceremonies.

The US believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings

," and added

America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists,"

Will he though broach the subject of the Chinese influence in Sudan and in Zimbabwe.

With talk of reconciliation in the latter,it may be off the agenda but certainly not as regards Sudan.

As Time magazine points out

But Bush has made no mention of Darfur, or the Chinese record of arming the genocidal Sudanese regime there. Does this matter? Yes, because Bush himself said he would speak out and quotes him at the 2007 state of the union speech.

We will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus and Burma," Bush announced, "and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur."

Apocalyptic views from Beijing

Over at the First Post,with less than a week to go before the start of the Olympics,they consider seven ways in which the Games could go wrong.

Rather apocalyptic but here is the list

1.Huge Infrastructure breakdown

2.Athletes are poisoned by fumes

3.Chinese dissidents spoil the occasion by humiliating the government.

4 The Chinese team does a lot better than any other country

5.Journalists concentrate on other stories rather than the Olympics

6.The world recoils in horror at Chinese habits

7.Mass confusion over doping

Of the seven it may well be No2 that comes the closest to happening.Reports from the Chinese capital today show that the smog problem has not gone away and the authorities are considering moving some of the events away from the Chinese capital.

But the news from the Muslim region of Xinjiang is also worrying where 16 Chinese policeman are reported killed in an attack on a border post.

The region and its Uighur population has suffered at the hands of the central government which has suppressed local moves for autonomy.Earlier in the year 18 Uighurs were killed and a further 17 arrested during a raid on what the Chinese described as a "terrorist training camp" in the Pamir mountains.

The Chinese authorities have claimed that the region was planning terrorist attacks during the games.

Strange goings on in the race to be London mayor

Rather a strange story appearing this morning about the London mayoral elections.According to the Guardian

Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell have both been giving advice to the campaign working for London mayor Ken Livingstone's re-election, the Guardian can reveal.
The former prime minister and his media strategist had been among Livingstone's most trenchant critics in the past, and he had derided them for being the architects of the New Labour project. However, with the race against the Tory candidate Boris Johnson on a knife-edge, Livingstone's team has sought their expertise, and also the advice of Philip Gould, New Labour's pollster and focus group adviser.

Meanwhile both of the leading candidates are under sleaze pressures.

Boris faces a possible enquiry into share holdings,the Independent reports

The Labour MP Karen Buck, called on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate after it emerged that Mr Johnson did not register shares in Finland Station, for more than 18 months. Aides to the Tory candidate for London mayor said he had not declared his 33 per cent shareholding because of an "oversight" and they had now ensured the shareholding was registered

And Ken has owned up to having according to BBC news

"ensnared" ministers over the bid to host the 2012 Olympics in an effort to get money for East End redevelopment.
He said he was not interested in "three weeks of sport" but wanted to get "the billions of pounds" from government.

A Chinese confusion or PR owngoal?

About turn or not?As Gordon Brown announces that he will not be attending the opening ceremony of the Olympics,the government claims that it was never his intention to go.

Nick Robinson reports that

Downing Street sources insist that the Chinese government were never in any doubt that Gordon Brown intended to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. They say that the prime minister made this clear to China's Premier Wen when they met recently in Beijing. What's more, a letter sent by China's ambassador to London on the 5th of April informs No 10 that the Chinese premier was looking forward to welcoming the PM at the closing ceremony.

But is this simply a case of mismanagement? Again Nick seems to have the inside gossip

The problem for Team Brown is that he and they have never stated clearly and publicly their man's position. Thus they stand accused of making a U-turn in the face of public pressure when, it would appear, they have done no such thing. They have, however, been guilty - once again - of an utterly avoidable PR own goal.

James Kirkup thinks Gordon is becoming somewhat of a joke

But is there some truth in what Nick Clegg says which is reported in this morning's Guardian which reports he said

Brown was suffering from "strained semantics" and it was "a belated U-turn" as Brown had never said in public that he would be absent. The Downing Street confirmation was "part of a pattern, when he only does the right thing late in the day when he is forced to do so by public opinion,"

James Forsyth is under no illusions

Gordon Brown’s position on the Beijing Olympics is becoming more absurd by the day. He’s happy to have the Olympic flame surrounded by guards from a particularly unsavoury branch of the Chinese security services in Downing Street but not to touch it himself. Now, he’s planning to skip the opening ceremony but doesn’t want anyone thinking that he is snubbing or boycotting the event.

I suppose that I have a bit of the problem with all this talk of boycott etc.After all China is not different now to when it was selected to be the host nation.It is not a democracy,has a bad record on human rights and constantly intervenes in the administration of its diverse ethnic makeup.Tibet is just another example of a long history of oppression