A Bad Day At The Office For Salman And Bernie

[poliphilo]

The Crown Prince of Bahrain thought it would do his regime good to invite the F1 circus to town. It would show the world that his particular hell-hole was pacified and open for business. He thought he could control the story, but no-one can these days. He invited the world to look and the world saw petrol bombs and gas attacks and heard stories of police brutality and torture. It also saw him standing around like a plank saying things like, "Well we're not perfect, we have our little troubles." Bahrain is a small place and the western news media hadn't bothered with it much, but they're bothering now.

It's less clear what was in it for Bernie Ecclestone. Money, I suppose. Money and blondes who are twice his height seem to be Bernie's ruling passions.  Anyway, he too got it wrong. Having his zippy little machines buzzing round and round in their bubble while outside on the streets people were being gassed and baton charged and dragged away to torture chambers isn't turning out to be the best advertisement for his business. Also he got to be filmed saying things like, "We're just in it for the sport; it's nothing to do with us." His drivers and other underlings were filmed saying the same thing- like drones- thereby making it apparent that Big Sport- like Big Everything Else- is utterly without a moral dimension. Ecclestone is a cocky little bugger. Cocky is exactly the wrong note to strike in these particular circumstances. 

I sometimes think we're at the beginning of something enormous. The cloud-capped towers of our current world order are beginning to go wispy and transparent at the edges. The spell is dissolving. The Lords of this Creation- of whom the Crown Prince of Bahrain and Bernie Ecclestone are low-ranking examples- don't fool us any more.  I could, if I wanted, draw up a long long list of things that are not going their way. I don't think it's the Millennium or anything as grand or final as that, but I do think it's upheaval time- and the powerful- of all political stripes and none- all those who have benefited from things as they have been over the past two or three decades- need to be looking for archways to shelter in. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Well said. I was talking to Ian yesterday about my feeling that something huge will soon rock the world order while the political elite are hoping to fool us and think they will be best to re-elect. It feels very apt to think of Animal Farm and self appointed elites. How do the top bankers think they can keep saying they can decide what to pay themselves (several million a year) while people the world around struggle to pay for food and heating.
Jenny x

[ron-broxted.livejournal.com]

Jensen Button & Hamilton may not be intellectual giants but surely (no matter how great the paycheque) morals come into it. I'd boycott Bahrain if I were Ferrari/MacLaren/Suzuki...

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I think you are right. On Radio 4 this lunchtime there was a discussion about Whitehall Mandarins and how much excessive power they wield and how it stops them from doing what the elected government wants them to do. There's a similar story in the Economist. Also I see that Barclays shareholders are enforcing their powers in Diamond's remuneration.

I put all of this down to the power of the internet and the way it aids and abets public opinion to be voiced. I'm thrilled by the prospects for our democratic rights around the world.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes. The bluff has been called.

And the French are about to show us the way by electing a Socialist...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It might even be good business to withdraw,

A driver or team that pulled out now would be feted.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Internet has a lot to do with it- also the omnipresence of the digital camera. The powers that be used to be able to hide the things they didn't want us to know about and now they can't.

[ron-broxted.livejournal.com]

Indians withdrawing? That is due to fear of being lynched not any great moral fervour!

[ron-broxted.livejournal.com]

Yes to both above comments - love the way that De Metrio "alleged" McFarlane racial abused him - you can HEAR it on the mobile!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

In their case, yes.

[sovay]

I don't think it's the Millennium or anything as grand or final as that, but I do think it's upheaval time- and the powerful- of all political stripes and none- all those who have benefited from things as they have been over the past two or three decades- need to be looking for archways to shelter in.

May you be prophetic.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm very cautious about making this kind of prognostication, but it's hard to ignore the signs of the times...

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

"The spell is dissolving" -- yes, it's just like that. The wealthy elite have revealed themselves to be, for the most part, just so many stupid, evil people. In many cases, they no longer try to hide their contempt for us, so it's high time we stop hiding our desire to see their heads on pikes. In fact, for posterity's sake, we must insist on it.

Even here in the US, something feels different, or so I imagine. There's a certain unfamiliar resolve on the part of progressives and a corresponding sense of desperation among Republicans. The latter are consequently behaving in delightfully self-destructive ways and the Dems are capitalizing on those mistakes at every opportunity.

Still too early to have hope, perhaps, but still.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

The sports community keep moaning because they want to keep sport & politics seperate. If I remember right, there was a very small minority coming out with this sort of stuff with regards to the sporting boycott of South Africa, and they were given short shrift by the rest of the cporting community.

I suspect that things have changed in the intervening decades because the amounts of cash involved in sport have increased exponentially...