This Sunday, as well as bringing unseasonable snowfall across Britain saw the Olympic torch arrive on our shores. And what a debacle it’s procession through the streets of London turned out to be. I am stunned at the scenes that I saw yesterday and it has made me despair anew at the ever-murky world of politics while the poor hard working athletes see their big moment crumbling into farce before their eyes,

No-one doubts that China does not have the best human right record, and further does not use it’s considerable influence where it could, in places like Darfur, to the good. But is this a new thing? A recent stain on the conscience of China’s history? No it isn’t. The obvious question to me would seem to be, Why were they allowed to compete for the honour of holding the Olympics in the first place if their human rights record or any other aspect of their modus operandi was going to cause such consternation? Their assurances, at the time that they were awarded the games that they would put things right obviously meant next to nothing. Are we really to believe that no one foresaw the scenes of protest that seem to being gaining strength across the world in the wake of the famous torch? Why would it not make more sense to make a prerequisite of holding the Olympic Games, a clean bill of health on human rights? Considering the enormous cache that accompanies the honour and, we are told, equally desirable upturn in economy and opportunity for the host, it might even be a way of presenting to some countries the incentive to clean their act up. God knows that nothing else seems to work!