To be disgusted at Danny Boyle for using live animals in the Olympic opening ceremony!

[balotelli]

According to reports on todays news live sheep will be used in the Olympic Opening ceremony. Its supposed to depict 'rural' England!

Poor sheep will be scared shitless. I am horrified that these poor sensitive creatures are being exploited for entertainment.

No animals should ever be used as entertainment.

Disgraceful.

OP - Really don't get tickets for the showjumping. I think you might get an awful shock.

Don't tell me they actually use horses...........

Unless they are being ritually slaughtered to Susan Boyle or something, I don't see the need to give a shit.

What form do we have Callisto? I think we are pretty good at organising big events to be honest.

It gets worse. Apparently the police are going to take dogs.

Sorry Callisto. Feel like I've picked up on you. It's just one of my bugbears. This British (I assume you are!) of running ourselves down all the time

As for the sheep, I'm sure they'll be fine.

Yes we are shit hot at events.

I don't think there is a whole lot of difference tbh, a performing animal used solely as a performing animal is the same whether it's a sheep or a lion.

I just don't agree with it.

Some animals are better suited to these environments.

It's going to be a shit (expensive) show anyway

So you are opposed to show jumping, then?

And Pudsey?

And Pudsey?

Although I have heard that he's not actually a real bear ........

The scale model looks like one of pretend scenes toy railway enthusiasts make. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just hold the ceremony in the actual countryside? Take the whole Olympic audience to a country show perhaps? It will be not good. Sheep and astro turf. £27m. Bargain.

The sheep had to audition apparently. Bet the bastard only chose the pretty ones.

Can I just say that every time they show that awful Sheep-Field-Arena scale model on Breast News, Bill and Susannah look understandably embarrassed.

It's like something my kids would build over a wet weekend.

Breast News? I surpass myself. Breakfast News!

The bloke who wrote Jeruselem was an abolitionist wasn't he?
Why do people get the piss taken out if them for caring about animals.
I don't think farm animals should be used either. DB said cows as well.
It all looks a bit like he is just desperate for it not to look like an Olympics opening ceremony.
People rend to want something that looks exactly like an Olympics opening ceremony.

Oh YABU. Some people will complain about anything.

Sheep will be fine and probably better looked after than the human performers.

sheep oh not good is it , I think we will be watching this from behind cushion its not going to go down well ,

Do people really think that caring about sheep means you don't care about 'big 'issues'?
Or is that just a useful way of dismissing someone?

No, it's fine Curry, I think that we are amazing at organising anything that involves the royals (probably because the royals organise it themselves and the govt just say 'Yes, Ma'am'). I do worry that we will make a cock-up of this though, because we seem unable to showcase the UK, perhaps because we are a fairly self-effacing nation? We don't have the same sense of patriotism as the Yanks (or anyone else really) and seem to prefer hair shirts and feeling ashamed of the Empire etc. Not sure if any of that makes sense, and I agree with you wholeheartedly.

What are the sheep going to do? Will they be doing a Busby Berkeley style dance routine? If not, you have to be honest, it doesn't sound that impressive, does it, a load of sheep standing around in a field.

Horses and police dogs trained and used to bring in busy,noisy environments are not really the same as bewildered sheep are they?
Your average sheep wouldn't be much use during a drugs raid on the Andover Estate would it?

A county show is likely to have a slightly different environment from an urban sports event
Innit

the Latter I think mrsdv