London to Mitt: Screw You, on Dispatch from the Razor's Edge

"Seriously, some Americans just shouldn't leave the country."

- U.S. Olympic legend Carl Lewis

So, as you will or will not have read, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, just before his big visit to London, executed the blinding diplomatic maneuver of slagging off London's epic seven-year preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. Specifically, he said:

"You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, uh, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something that's encouraging."

This made a little more sense to me when I realised he was trying to prop up his sad little history as Olympic organiser. Clever.

Boris to Mitt: Screw You

PM to Mitt: Screw You

I really wanted to vote Libertarian anyway.

Judging from the rousing success of the brilliant, clever, triumphant, warm, funny, awe-inspiring Danny Boyle Opening Ceremonies last night by the way, Mitt turns out to be exactly as clever as he looked. If you didn't get to see it live, by the way, see it when you can! Amazing. And a useful reminder of the enormously outsize contribution of Britain to human progress – including little things like the Industrial Revolution (which alone accounts for most of our progress as a species), abolition of the international slave trade, women's suffrage, and this amusing world wide web thingy… And not to forget Harry Potter, James Bond, Peter Pan, the Lord of the Rings, the Beatles, Shakespeare, Dickens, and on and on and on…

But right now the men's cycle roadrace is going by outside. More tomorrow!

…Okay, I cannot resist throwing this in. (Particularly if you haven't seen the Opening Ceremony yet, check this out!) Truly awesome. HM the ole gal is really a good sport, isn't she? And it was midway through here, on the flyover through central London, with the Churchill statue waving, that I Facebooked my "God I love it here" comment.

Update! Watching the men's cycling on BBC video now. Go Team GB and Cavendish! The gold is ours to lose… Now, as long as they have this on down the pub – but in case not, I'll bring an iPad!

london 2012 london politics the uk

Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.

Fuchs is the author of the novels The Manuscript and Pandora's Sisters, both published worldwide by Macmillan in hardback, paperback and all e-book formats (and in translation); the D-Boys series of high-tech, high-concept, spec-ops military adventure novels – D-Boys, Counter-Assault, and Close Quarters Battle (coming in 2016); and is co-author, with Glynn James, of the bestselling Arisen series of special-operations military ZA novels. The second nicest thing anyone has ever said about his work was: "Fuchs seems to operate on the narrative principle of 'when in doubt put in a firefight'." (Kirkus Reviews, more here.)

Fuchs was born in New York; schooled in Virginia (UVa); and later emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived through the dot-com boom. Subsequently he decamped for an extended period of tramping before finally rocking up in London, where he now makes his home. He does a lot of travel blogging, most recently of some very long walks around the British Isles. He's been writing and developing for the web since 1994 and shows no particularly hopeful signs of stopping.

You can reach him on .

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Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.


2023 >> 2022 >> 2021 >> 2020 >> 2019 >> 2018 >> 2017 >> 2016 >> 2015 >> 2014 >> 2013 >> 2012-12-25 2012-12-20 2012-12-18 2012-12-16 2012-12-14 2012-12-10 2012-11-11 2012-10-25 2012-10-15 2012-10-06 2012-10-01 2012-09-30 2012-09-28 2012-09-27 2012-08-13 2012-08-07 2012-08-06 2012-08-04 2012-08-03 2012-08-01 2012-07-31 2012-07-30 2012-07-27 2012-07-07 2012-07-04 2012-06-24 2012-06-23 2012-06-22 2012-06-21 2012-06-20 2012-06-19 2012-06-18 2012-06-17 2012-06-16 2012-06-15 2012-06-14 2012-06-13 2012-05-23 2012-05-01 2012-04-01 2012-03-18 2012-02-04 2012-01-27 2012-01-10 2011 >> 2010 >> 2009 >> 2008 >> 2007 >> 2006 >> 2005 >> 2004 >> 2003 >> 2002 >>	London to Mitt: Screw You "Seriously, some Americans just shouldn't leave the country." - U.S. Olympic legend Carl Lewis So, as you will or will not have read, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, just before his big visit to London, executed the blinding diplomatic maneuver of slagging off London's epic seven-year preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. Specifically, he said: "You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, uh, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something that's encouraging." This made a little more sense to me when I realised he was trying to prop up his sad little history as Olympic organiser. Clever. Boris to Mitt: Screw You PM to Mitt: Screw You I really wanted to vote Libertarian anyway. Judging from the rousing success of the brilliant, clever, triumphant, warm, funny, awe-inspiring Danny Boyle Opening Ceremonies last night by the way, Mitt turns out to be exactly as clever as he looked. If you didn't get to see it live, by the way, see it when you can! Amazing. And a useful reminder of the enormously outsize contribution of Britain to human progress – including little things like the Industrial Revolution (which alone accounts for most of our progress as a species), abolition of the international slave trade, women's suffrage, and this amusing world wide web thingy… And not to forget Harry Potter, James Bond, Peter Pan, the Lord of the Rings, the Beatles, Shakespeare, Dickens, and on and on and on… But right now the men's cycle roadrace is going by outside. More tomorrow! …Okay, I cannot resist throwing this in. (Particularly if you haven't seen the Opening Ceremony yet, check this out!) Truly awesome. HM the ole gal is really a good sport, isn't she? And it was midway through here, on the flyover through central London, with the Churchill statue waving, that I Facebooked my "God I love it here" comment. Update! Watching the men's cycling on BBC video now. Go Team GB and Cavendish! The gold is ours to lose… Now, as long as they have this on down the pub – but in case not, I'll bring an iPad! Tweet london 2012 london politics the uk ← before \| contribute comment ↓ \| after →