A good seven years to bury bad news

Two posts back I suggested that people often like to pretend they like something for one reason, when it fact it’s for another. London’s successful Olympic bid seems set to break records for this kind of evasion. I’ve already heard the defining one, the shield that will be raised time and again: The Olympics is a glorious exciting sporting event, adored by those who participate and those who watch.

There, said it. And as it happens I quite agree. It is all those things, and a great many Britons will be chuffed for no more cynical reason than that. But aside from that there are a mass of other issues of good and bad thrown up by this selection, quite unrelated to the subject of sport.

For Tony Blair and David Beckham it’s good in terms of personal PR. Both narcissus and war criminal are attracted by the good it does their public image to be associated with this victory (though of course they’ll tell us it’s all about the glory of sport.)

Indeed for Blair this is a godsend in a many ways. A great patriotic distraction from a the quagmire of Iraq, and the recent, unequivocal proof of his deceit. Certainly, he’ll love the footage of healthy multi-ethnic Britain competing as one big happy family. He’ll appreciate the way it wrong-foots his critics, and distorts the critical abilities of the public at large: How bad can Britain’s role be in the world when we all get on so well here? Fingers crossed, British people will feel that bit better about themselves, at a time when his actions might have left them feeling angry, ashamed and politicised.

McDonalds will be happy, McAlpine will be happy, Coca-Cola will be cock-a-hoop. A mass of multinationals will be delighted. But it won’t be about the high jump or the women’s 400 metres.

The controllers of BBC news will certainly be chuffed. Makes their lives a lot easier. It’s must have been hard to keep a lid on Falluja and the Downing Street memos these past few months. Without poor Geldof kissing hands with the war criminals in question, and comforting myths about future G8 benevolence, there might have been space for some news. But now the opportunities are endless. Seven years of meaningless success and failure to draw upon. The only excuse needed? It’s all just about the glory of sport.