137 European Gold Medals

The curtain falls on the 2012 Olympic Games, the Olympic flame starts its four-year long journey to Rio de Janeiro and the Chairman of the London Organising Committee, Lord Coe, has been appointed to the brand new role of “Legacy Ambassador” with the aim of ensuring that the British economy will benefit from hosting the Games.

While the economic and social rewards are still to come, Great Britain is proudly enjoying its sporting moment, with 29 gold medals and the third position in the overall medal table, behind the giants USA and China.

Other countries have their golden moment too, like Grenada that takes home the first ever Olympic medal, thanks to Kirani James’ victory in the 400 meters, or Uganda, gaining the last gold medal of the Games in the Marathon, and having its national anthem played at the closing ceremony.

Silvio clings on… for now.

It is possibly the untold dream of every prime minister, to enter the chamber welcomed only by the ovation of your supporters, and address a parliament without any opposition, being interrupted only by cheers and applauses.

Sarkozy, Berlusconi, Cameron?

Photo: Documentally 2009

As Europe swoos over Cameron’s public image they’d do well to remember that elections should be judged on politics over personality.

‘He is young and good-looking’, ‘he is confident and charismatic’, ‘he is smart and open-minded’. These are the most probable answers you will receive by foreigner observers when talking about David Cameron.

Le primarie del PD spiegate agli inglesi

Ieri ho preso il coraggio a due mani e ho provato a spiegare il senso delle primarie del PD agli inglesi. Farlo era gia’ di per se’ un’impresa difficile, ma farlo in cinquecento parole e’ diventato ancor piu’ complesso.

After His Death

It tourned out
that the bombs he had thrown
raised buildings;

EU bureaucrats are better than soldiers

The Euro-sceptic think-tank OpenEurope has released a research showing that more people is now working fort the EU institutions (170,000) than for the British Army (107,000).

Commenting on the figure, the author of the research, Nick Cosgrove, has said: “These people are not elected, and cannot be held accountable by ordinary citizens. But they have a huge effect on our lives”.

In my opinion EU bureaucrats are better than soldiers: they are both not elected, are both not accountable by citizens, have both a huge effect on our life.
Bureaucrats, at least, don’t kill people around the world.

Olympic truce (?)

Russian jets have carried out strikes on military targets in the central Georgian town of Gori: 60 people were killed when bombs hit two blocks of flats in the town.

“Our peacekeepers and the units attached to them are currently carrying out an operation to force the Georgian side to [agree to] peace”, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has declared. 

 

The truth

During Tony Blairs’s leadership, John Prescott was the man the Prime Minister used to send to tell Ministers, Members of Parliament and leaders of Trade Unions what they sholud done, how should they vote, how to behave in difficult situations.  Most often, particularly in the last years, it was the other way around: when the leader was getting something wrong, Ministers, Members of Parliament and leaders of Trade Unions used to send Prescott to whisper some words in Tony’s hear.

He is not longer the Deputy Prime Minister, but he is still playing the same role: he is the man in charge of telling the plain truth in difficult situations.

Accomplice

Batman actor Christian Bale is arrested by police investiating claims that he assaulted his mother and sister in a hotel suite.

Robin is still at large.

Gordon Blair

Having troubles with his Govrenment at home, Gordon Brown went for a state visit to Israel and the West bank.

Is he planning to step in Blair’s shoes again?