With this sentence: <i>"...much as we've celebrated them more or less every year since 1612"</i> our dear own f.uk finally declares his candidacy for a role as a Downing Street spin-docteur. That's as "economical with the actualité" as Alan Clark ever admitted to being, whilst giving a polish more gleaming than Alastair Campbell was ever able to impart.

Truth is they were surpressed during the Commonwealth, revived during The Restoration and died a natural death of neglect and enclosure in the mid-ninteenth century. Not until the fifties and again in the sixties were they revivified and been cancelled in various subsequent years dur to poor weather and foot & mouth. Not quite the unbroken golden glow of four hundred years of Olympick tradition (and quaint, ruralese spelling and argot). Still it's a pretty impressive history that didn't really need any burnishment - gilding the lilly perhaps?

Dr D.

>>gilding the lilly perhaps?<<

It never does any harm to add a little sparkle to a tease.

I'd be willing to put up with a lot from a mayor who publicly recited Pindar parodies, in whatever language, as long as they weren't too lengthy and someone explained them to me afterwards.

>>and someone explained them to me afterwards.<<

Trouble is, we often need that for his more mundane announcements too.

Is that part of Legacy or Sustainability?

i think that dwile flonking qualifies as diversity, willit.

on radio 5 they are debating who should light the olympic flame - i think it should be Hugh Bonniville as his character Ian, in recompense for having his foot shot by the starting pistol and putting up with that load of t....ers.