Sport

Tom Griffin (London, OK): It seems the Westminster/Holyrood faultine inside the Scottish Labour Party extends to the question of whether there should be a UK football team at the 2012 Olympics.

Gordon Brown held out that prospect during his visit to Beijing at the weekend:

'I think when people are looking at the Olympics in 2012 - Britain, home of football, where football was invented, which we gave to the world - I think people would be very surprised if there is an Olympic tournament in football and we are not part of it.'

Scottish Labour leadership candidate Cathy Jamieson has proposed an alternative plan:

"One option could be a home nations football tournament with the winners representing the UK at the Olympics."

Jamieson added: "Team GB should include a football team but not at the expense of Scotland's football team. It would be wrong to gamble with the identity of Scotland's team."

Tom Griffin (London, OK): 'One World, One Dream' is the official slogan of the Beijing Olympics, reflecting "the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind. In spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace."

It has long been argued, (classically by George Orwell), that such lofty ideals only serve to conceal the close relationship between nationalism and the sporting spirit.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): I was in Paris last weekend to cheer on our elder daughter in her first marathon, a very enjoyable occasion. On the way back from lunch with openDemocracy's Patrice de Beer walking along the Boulevard Raspail, we tried to stroll, though I have never been a true flaneur. It was quite impossible anyway as the Olympic flame, hidden in its bus was heading towards us preceded by a vast police escort. Including flic on roller-skates looking as if they were from the Return of Oz. This was the first bus that went past. Light the passion, share the dream indeed. Like the third way, the slogan betrays power's love of the singular. I think the debacle of China's attempt to seize the spectacle will have interesting ramifications here, not least for a Prime Minister who is as uncomfortable as a Chinese suit with sharing the dream even while he too lusts for the passion. So far I have only read one actual debate between a Chinese critic of the global opposition to Beijing's use of the Olympic flame and a supporter of Tibet. It's a must read exchange of comments between Tony Curzon Price and Lingjei Wang.

Jon Bright (London, OK): What happens when sport mixes with politics?

A lot of police turn up, of course - in this case, plenty of regulars, some bike police who had long since abandoned their bikes, and some well built looking "attendants" the origin of which no-one seems quite sure of. Harriet Harman could have easily blended in among this lot.

Conn Corrigan (New York, Columbia School of Journalism): Edwin Poots, the DUP minister for arts, culture and leisure, attended his first Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) game last Wednesday, in yet another sign of the normalization of political life in Northern Ireland. A few years ago, the odds of catching a senior DUP politician at a game of hurling or Gaelic football would have been as likely as the Queen formally inviting Gerry Adams to come watch England play cricket at Lords.

Jon Bright (London, OK): The EU treaty, on which debate in parliament starts next Monday, is going to be the very epitome of a political football, and Fraser Nelson has a superb match preview in the Spectator. All three teams parties will be trying to score some political points whilst keeping their back line intact: Brown will be hoping to prevent backbenchers in marginal seats defecting to protect their own slender margins, Cameron will have to decide what he would do if the treaty is ratified (2010 will be far too late for a referendum) - and make enough concessions to the Eurosceptics in the party to keep them in line, and Clegg will have to justify Menzies Campbell's original decision not to support a referendum on the treaty (which was promised in the last Lib Dem manifesto), whilst instead pushing for a more fundamental referendum on whether Britain wants to be in or out of the EU.

Jon Bright (London, OK): I am, I must admit, a 'sports' fan, in the truest sense of the word. I find sports entertaining to watch. Whatever the sport, the basic mix of competition, personalities, tension and drama remain roughly the same. I find it in the World Cup and I find it almost as much in the World Darts championship (I have been rooting for Martin Adams for the better part of my life). I'm enjoying the masters snooker at the moment, a sport which seems to many people to go out of its way to be boring.

Jon Bright (London, OK): Hat-tip to Iain Dale for flagging up this amusing BBC set of sport quotations from 2007. And who would of thought it, there's a good one for OurKingdom (it's my job to find things like this): Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood manning the barricades against potential foreigners invading the club back in April, particularly US billionaire Stan Kroenke. The quote (from here):

Jon Bright (London, OK): OurKingdom lost a chance at a hatfull of easy metaphors for Salmond's rise and Brown's fall on Saturday when the football results went against Scotland and for England. (Of course Brown is Scottish - but the politician who once declared Paul Gascoigne's goal against Scotland in Euro 96 his greatest footballing moment will know that, politically speaking, it pays for him to support England).

Mike Small (Fife, freelancer): News that "British" troops are to make a lap of honour at Wembley stadium before England play a crucial Euro 2008 qualifying match leaves me incredulous.The service men and women have all recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and will parade before the game against Croatia next Wednesday. The event has been organised by the British Forces Foundation, who say it will allow the crowds to publicly thank the Army, Navy and Airforce personnel for their efforts in the Midde East. Apparently, images from the parade will be relayed to troops serving in foreign countries.