In City Journal, Dalrymple gives his thoughts on the opening ceremony of the Olympics, among which is:
[T]he inclusion of happily dancing nursing staff from the National Health Service was precisely the kind of stunt that an ideological state would pull.
Who could argue with this? Accurate and expressed with the enviable, and admirable, clarity of expression which is his trademark.
Yes, it is a good article, if rather negative – I don’t think the public are indifferent.
Danny Boyle, who planned the ceremony, said that he had no political interference and was free to make it how he liked. I think it was him who recently said that the NHS is one thing that unites Britain and that all British people love. Speak for yourself, Mr Boyle, I thought to myself.
I suppose that makes Boris Johnson Kim Jong-un?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/9455037/More-reasons-to-raise-a-cheer-for-Londons-golden-Games.html
I too have felt very uneasy about the Olympics, not least the opening ceremony… it’s a great shame, I seldom seem moved by anything these days but Saturday in particular was obviously special (I was largely ignorant, don’t watch tele, until then).
Jessica Ennis seems to be a great lass, wonderful. I felt similarly about Kelly Holmes at Athens, boy time flies. Just generally team GB have done remarkable.
But nine odd billion pounds and other estimates suggest a lot more; this is insane, truly bittersweet.
[T]he inclusion of happily dancing nursing staff from the National Health Service was precisely the kind of stunt that an ideological state would pull.
Or the therapeutic state.
And no dancing psychiatrists? What a bunch of ingrates.