This summer the eyes of the world will be on the UK,
specifically London. This is due to the Olympic Games, the world’s greatest
sports event. When the UK won the even back in 2005 it was a huge victory. The 2012
games will be fantastic for the UK, unless Len McCluskey has his way. McCluskey
is the leader of the UK’s biggest Union, “Unite the Union”, and he has said in
a statement that he would see the 2012 Olympic Games as an opportunity for strikes
and general protest against the government cuts. These comments have received a
battering of criticism from all sides; David Cameron, Ed Milliband and other
trade unionists have all come out in opposition to the proposed strike date. The Labour Party's close links to Unite make it difficult for Milliband to come out with too strong condemnation. I
agree with Milliband, although I believe very firmly in public protest, doing so during the
Olympics would be a grave mistake. It could frighten people into not investing
in the UK and would give us a bad image abroad, people would go to their home
countries and speak of the disruption they had and many people would miss
events.
During London 2012 the British public must be on their best
behaviour to maximise the beneficial impact of the games, otherwise it would be
a huge waste of money and time. It will be extremely difficult to top Beijing,
especially considering the economic climate, but if London manages to put on a
fantastic show, considering the circumstances, then it would be a resounding
success.
Hopefully the fourth games in London (whenever they are
held) will be under better circumstances than all of London’s three other
games. In 1908 Britain had only two years to prepare for the games due to the
cancellation of the Rome games as the eruption of Vesuvius meant the Italian government
had to direct funds away from the Olympics. The 1848 games were held in the immediate
aftermath of WWII and the current games are being held during the worst
economic crisis in living memory.
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