Doreen Lawrence and the Olympics

[PickandMixisthefuture]

Am I the only one who thinks it was very unreasonable and was rather bemused thought wtf on seeing Doreen Lawrence walking into the Olympic arena helping to carry the Olympic flag?! Has she done something to embody the spirit of the Olympics that I have missed? Did she win first prize at her primary school sports day when competitive sport at that level was allowed? She's not even an elected politician and I didn't see Dave or Boris in the arena. They stayed firmly in their seats where they belong. Also saw that woman from Liberty. Am in about the whole thing. Nice to see them when many of our previous Olympians had the 'starring' role of just standing around. Daley Thompson anyone?

But that small part of the ceremony wasn't about sport, it was about the Olympic values.

Mrs DV. Exactly.

I thought it was amazing and wonderful that she could be honoured in such a way..as well as all the others...we are proud of her as a nation arnt we? Just as we are proud of shakespear and our music and our sense of humour?

Who then? You say there would be better choices.

List them - they need to embody respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration, equality.

the music wasnt about sport either was it - or hey jude? or the industrial revolution? i would venture to say that most of the ceromony wasnt about sport! it was about the nation> and she is part of our fabric

Words escape me....Mrs D has summed up what i think.

I am astonished by this thread.

Yes, I'd like to know these better choices

@lambethlil

Delete the sodding thread then MNHQ.

We don't, on the whole, delete things for being Wrong, or even Offensive.

As ever, we're happy to see posters explaining the rationale behind Doreen Lawrence's cockle-warming and dignified appearance.

We're just asking you to stop calling each other twats.

There should be NO politics in the Olympics. None whatsoever. When they arise, people can come together to discuss the reasoning why.
Putting politics INTO Olympics? Just wrong.

Values? Yes. Plenty, embodied by the sportsmen and women.

MNHQ, and "nutters"

how is her choice POLITICAL she is not a politician?

values embodied by sports men - what like sleeping with your bothers wife or fixing races - brialliant

"HER campaign had a direct impact on policing IN LONDON"

It did more than that, the law was changed to put a duty of all public and private bodies in the UK, to ensure that institutional racism wasn't happening.

gordy

fine - I think some of the views expressed here show extreme ignorance coupled with a large wiff of Daily Wail / right wing bigotry - is that better?"" "

wasnt it the daily mail that printed on thier front page - an accusation that those boys murdered stephen and challenged them to sue?

I agree OP.

She has done some amazing work, all credit to her for that. If she had done the same work without having lost her son in such tragic circumstances and with so much media attention surrounding it, then perhaps she would be more deserving of her place.

@JamieandTheOlympicTorch

MNHQ, and "nutters"

Yup, that too

All the insults, basically

I think she had every right to be there and Im glad she was. Very unpleasant of you op.

I didn't call anyone a twat as such

Oh well that is me delted >>wanders off thread scratching my head of the lunacy of some posters

Hateful post by the OP, one that's actually ignorant of what she's done.

Shame on you.

shattered Please can you explain in what way you consider Doreen Lawrence or Ban Ki Moon to be 'political'?

What 'politics' do you consider to have been put into the Olympics by the presence of Doreen Lawrence for example?

i don't think you know what 'politics' means. I say again 'values' does not mean the same thing as 'politics'.

How disingenious to suggest that Doreen Lawrence has anything to do with a policital agenda. Her tireless campaign for justice has been entirely apolitical, in fact, and as pointed out by some very eloquent posts, a fantastic embodiment of the Olympic values.
Offensive, nasty, thread.

Thats the trouble when you only read and know about sport as reported in the daily mail.