On 27th August, LDV will be 10 years old. In that time, we’ve brought you over 24,000 posts and published over 337,000 comments. Over the Summer holidays, we’ll take you on a nostalgic meander through a decade of Liberal Democrat history, seen through the eyes of our editors and contributors. We hope you enjoy our choices.
While we are all marvelling at the Olympic action in Rio, there is no way that the Games pack as big an emotional punch for British people as our home games four years ago. Even the most hard-hearted sceptic got totally caught up in the Games.
With all that’s happened since, many of us want to see that tolerant, inclusive, liberal vision set out in Danny Boyle’s amazing opening ceremony. That Britain is still very much there, despite what has happened recently. Building that country that works for everyone is the only way to bring people back from listening to the voices of those who spread hatred and division.
Anyway, here is Stephen Tall’s take on Boyle’s opening ceremony. He made Danny Boyle his Liberal Hero of the Week.
There were tears, laughter and wide-eyed wonderment at Liberal Democrat Voice Towers on Friday night as we marvelled at Danny Boyle’s innovative Olympic opening ceremony. While some of us will remember Boyle as the guy who persuaded the Queen to “jump” out of a helicopter, our own Stephen Tall has looked a little deeper.
Over at CentreForum’s blog, he’s awarded Danny Boyle the accolade of Liberal Hero of the Week. While Labour supporting Boyle may smart at this, Stephen talks about what the Ceremony conveyed to him:
First, the human potentiality which has formed Britain, made her what she is today: from music to immigration to sport to film to literature to comedy to protest to sacrifice. Yes, there are moments when we have got it wrong; but never so wrong we couldn’t put it right. That is a simple, profound, optimistic message: topical, yet timeless.
Secondly, this was a celebration of the ordinary individual, as well as our collective power. They say the opening ceremony is about the athletes — the Olympians — and it was. But it was also about the spectators, the volunteers and the construction workers, too: all who had played their part in making the day happen were given their place in the limelight. And when it came to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron how perfect that it should be an unknown group of athletes from the next generation who lit up London: symbolism which seems almost inevitably predictable in hindsight, but which no-one actually predicted.
You can see the full post here.
It’s also worth reading Chris Richard’s ideas for a strategy on investment in sport to ensure the Games’ legacy. As we see the fruits of the investment in sports like gymnastics and cycling, we could take some lessons from what he had to say based on Jamaica’s experience.
Politicians of all colours are running around to claim credit for Team GBs success at London 2012. Similarly sporting figures are also running around to trying to gain funding for ‘their sports’ from the Government. How can we build on success in 2012 to gain even more medals in 2016?
I want to use the example of Jamaica, a country which has produced some of the best sprinters in the world. Since 1964 (way before Usain Bolt), Jamaica has won a medal in every summer Olympics – all of them but one in athletics.
As some of you know, I was born and spent the earlier part of my life living in Jamaica. Below is my observation of the different approach to sport.
In Jamaica, expertise in sport is focussed on areas where we have the expertise and can win such as athletics and cricket. There is fierce inter-school competition at the primary/prep and secondary level through a series of national ‘Championships’ (Champs).
In addition athletes compete by class (referring to those ‘under’ a certain age group, so Class 1-Secondary referred to under-19 athletes – any athlete up to the age of 19 could attempt to qualify regardless of year group. This system meant that you could be seen as best in your school or country, within your class, for a certain sport and not be limited by year group.
This approach differed markedly to my experience in the UK where ‘games’ and P.E. was seen as part of the curriculum ‘so we have to do it’. Sports day did exist but this was poorly organised and was more of a social than a competition, organised by year group. Inter school competing (my experience is limited to athletics) was more of an afterthought and competition was primarily as an individual rather than as a representative of your school. Only once did I compete and that was based on a whim from a P.E. teacher.
Lessons could be learned from this. We need real national champions for sports we wish to compete in and funding should then be based on a strategy to involve all schools. Alongside this better school, regional and national competition should be promoted in these sports. The dominance of private schools in certain events is, as stated by the BOA chief “one of the worst statistics in British sport”. A more inclusive approach would help to tackle this.
Of course Jamaica being a small island of just under 3 million it is easier to organise, but there would be nothing stopping regional structures behind sport in the UK.
I think this approach raises a wider comment around the difference in educational objectives. In Jamaica you got the feeling that the system was geared up to find the highest common denominator, in the UK the lowest or average is often seen as the target.
Competition in Jamaica is seen as the core to getting the best out of students who are supported in accomplishing their endeavours. The system of not being restricted by year group meant that, until recently, you could take the equivalent of the 11+ in Year 5 and if you were successful head straight to Year 7 (which came as a shock to the Head Teacher of my UK comprehensive, who instantly put me in bottom set for all subjects and even suggested I may want to be kept behind a year as it didn’t fit the ‘system’).
Success breeds champions who in turn become role models and breed future success. Everyone is supported not just to meet their current level but supported by the community to try and achieve the next level if they can. Does this philosophy sound familiar?
Of course Jamaica is by no means perfect (by no means!) but it is always worth looking at what bits work and what bits don’t in other countries.
This approach differed markedly to my experience in the UK where ‘games’ and P.E. was seen as part of the curriculum ‘so we have to do it’. Sports day did exist but this was poorly organised and was more of a social than a competition, organised by year group. Inter school competing (my experience is limited to athletics) was more of an afterthought and competition was primarily as an individual rather than as a representative of your school. Only once did I compete and that was based on a whim from a P.E. teacher.
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