The Day the Torch came to town

[John Wright]

I really do think this forum would be better without Victor Meldrews like MrGongGong and Lateralthinking1 hijacking threads. Yes I know Lat, you keep apologising, but that doesn't help. The situation on this forum at present is most discouraging, for myself and others, particulalry OPs ('original posters').

Can I suggest that you two miseries start your own thread, where you post your miseries and put links/refs pointing to the threads/topics you are moaning about? That way the original posters can have a meaningful debate with the rest of us?

Mods: by all means relocate this and any responses to another thread

[Lateralthinking1]

I really do think this forum would be better without Victor Meldrews like MrGongGong and Lateralthinking1 hijacking threads. Yes I know Lat, you keep apologising, but that doesn't help. The situation on this forum at present is most discouraging, for myself and others, particulalry OPs ('original posters').

Can I suggest that you two miseries start your own thread, where you post your miseries and put links/refs pointing to the threads/topics you are moaning about? That way the original posters can have a meaningful debate with the rest of us?

Mods: by all means relocate this and any responses to another thread

That doesn't stack up.

I was the major contributor, John, to your thread about Brian Rust. I even asked whether you had more of his programmes. Those you then kindly provided.

We have both provided positive comments about the Jubilee, Robin Gibb, digital photography and Amy Winehouse. We have agreed about dumbing down, house repossessions and the summer riots although I am not wholly opposed to HS2 as you are.

I have consistently supported threads on the World Music boards and actively endorsed wide-ranging threads on the arts boards.

But I think it unrealistic to expect that every contributor to threads about the Olympics will be enthusiastic. I have no qualms about highlighting the costs. I lost my employment so that a tiny part of one mural could be made. Many are having it far, far, worse. And those of us with not one penny coming in are contributing via our Council Tax, although only here in Greater London.

It was precisely because I have considerable respect for the OP that I initially took a slightly light-hearted line. When I thought about it further, it seemed to me that for the wider audience, that should be supported by some hard facts.

That I was nevertheless able to say "I suppose as we now have the Olympics, people might as well enjoy them" places me rather closer to sainthood than 99.9% of the population would have the ability or inclination to muster, if placed in similar circumstances. I still find the entire jamboree deeply immoral and regard your position on this one, with regret, as unfair. Sorry!

[Flosshilde]

In a way I agree with John W, as I think John C's post was about being caught up in the moment, especially when you didn't set out to participate, or be an onlooker, in the event. I've experienced it myself, in other things. Unfortunately the Olympics has become so mired in commercialism (since Atlanta?) & grotesque expense, with each 'host' wanting to outdo the previous one, that it's difficult to see the basic, founding, ideal anymore. The athletes are supposed to be 'amateur' - or non-professional - but the sponsorship deals the winners get make that a theory rather than practice (Tom Daley was recently reprimanded for concetrating more on his sponsorships than his training). Public funding for sport (in England) is also now being skewed, with sports organisations being told that they won't get funding unless they produce medal winners.

the opening being a virtual Ambridge

Complete with 'the beast-with-two-backs of Ambridge'?

[MrGongGong]

I really do think this forum would be better without Victor Meldrews like MrGongGong and Lateralthinking1 hijacking threads.

"Hijacking" ???

I have started several threads which I thought would become discussions / diversions and turned into other things, that's the nature of these things. You don't OWN the course something will take........

and i'm not miserable at all ........ we might not share the same perceptions

I thought Johns original description was brilliant......... was it just me who detected a little skepticism in this

I felt honoured to have seen it pass.

it IS funny (in both ways)

I'm sure that if you want to have discussions only with people who agree with you that there are some messageboards here for you .......

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Can I suggest that you two miseries start your own thread, where you post your miseries and put links/refs pointing to the threads/topics you are moaning about? That way the original posters can have a meaningful debate with the rest of us?

What kind of "debate" only allows consenting views? (Sounds a little more like another Mr Wright, perhaps?)

[johncorrigan]

was it just me who detected a little skepticism in this

I was surprised by the way the cynic in me was overcome, MrGG. I've talked to a couple of folk who carried the torch and they said they were overwhelmed by the good feeling they received from the crowds. But there were the skeptics out there who laughed at the whole thing and enjoyed the day in a different way. Ain't that just part of the whole Olympic thing - there are things you hate about it and yet there are times in my life when they provided something great or something tragic. Don Thompson with a hankie on his head waddling across our B&W TV on his way to Olympic Gold in Rome - for days after you could see kids trying to walk like Don Thompson down our street, hanky and all. We called it the Wobblebottom.

Or ending on a drenched day with two Bavarian girls in a bar in Kyleakin on Skye in '72, and the news of the hostages in Munich being taken coming on the TV - devastation, their holiday destroyed - didn't do much for mine either. Or Bekele the Ethiopian guard winning the marathon barefoot, or Alan Wells winning his gold medal or Juanterino 'Opening his legs and showing his class' according to David Coleman as he flew towards the tape. Like lots of people, I assume, I have a love/hate relationship with the Olympics - hate the crass commercialism, but love those moments of beauty - hate the politics but love those moments of unbeatable excitement - and I was glad, and a little surprised, to feel the glow as the torch went through, because I thought it was part of the positive side.

One old local told me that he had never seen so many people in the town that day - we can all smile in our own different ways, in the same way that we can grouch in our own ways - it's life, ain't it?

[MrGongGong]

I was surprised by the way the cynic in me was overcome, MrGG. I've talked to a couple of folk who carried the torch and they said they were overwhelmed by the good feeling they received from the crowds. But there were the skeptics out there who laughed at the whole thing and enjoyed the day in a different way. Ain't that just part of the whole Olympic thing - there are things you hate about it and yet there are times in my life when they provided something great or something tragic. Don Thompson with a hankie on his head waddling across our B&W TV on his way to Olympic Gold in Rome - for days after you could see kids trying to walk like Don Thompson down our street, hanky and all. We called it the Wobblebottom.

Or ending on a drenched day with two Bavarian girls in a bar in Kyleakin on Skye in '72, and the news of the hostages in Munich being taken coming on the TV - devastation, their holiday destroyed - didn't do much for mine either. Or Bekele the Ethiopian guard winning the marathon barefoot, or Alan Wells winning his gold medal or Juanterino 'Opening his legs and showing his class' according to David Coleman as he flew towards the tape. Like lots of people, I assume, I have a love/hate relationship with the Olympics - hate the crass commercialism, but love those moments of beauty - hate the politics but love those moments of unbeatable excitement - and I was glad, and a little surprised, to feel the glow as the torch went through, because I thought it was part of the positive side.

One old local told me that he had never seen so many people in the town that day - we can all smile in our own different ways, in the same way that we can grouch in our own ways - it's life, ain't it?

Well put John

Maybe it IS something that only works as an event one is present at ? (a bit like Lucier's music ? )

[John Wright]

What kind of "debate" only allows consenting views? (Sounds a little more like another Mr Wright, perhaps?)

ferns, the point I was trying to make was the miserable hijackers on this forum are not debating but just promoting their own agenda that utterly dismisses the subject whether it be monarchy, jubilee, olympics.....

Thanks, lat, for your response, muchly appreciated.

I was just thinking now that on the last few visits to this forum I didn't read anything related to R3 and had given up after browsing about 3 threads that had been rubbished

[Flosshilde]

But Platform 3 specifically isn't about Radio 3, but the rest of life. People will start threads about a particular topic, & others will contribute, possibly putting forward a different view of that topic.

If you want threads specifically, or only, about Radio 3 there are other fora - Performance on 3, for example.

(you seem to have hijacked this thread quite successfully . Mr GG's contributions were on the topic of the torch & the Olympics generally; your contribution is simply a moan about other contributors)

[MrGongGong]

the miserable hijackers

what a great name for a band

[JohnSkelton]

I was just thinking now that on the last few visits to this forum I didn't read anything related to R3 and had given up after browsing about 3 threads that had been rubbished

Perhaps I can be of assistance, John?

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5564-Live-from-St-David-s-Hall-Cardiff-Friday-15th-June-at-1930

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5066-The-2012-Proms-season/page17

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5536-BaL-16-06-12-Sibelius-Symphony-no-5

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?4394-BaL-4-02-12-Rachmaninov-s-Symphony-no-2-in-E-minor

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5587-Early-Music-on-CD-Review-16-June-9-05&p=175020#post175020

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5544-CE-York-Minster-June-13th-2012&p=175084#post175084

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?334-The-Eternal-Breakfast-Debate-in-a-New-Place&p=175080#post175080

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5572-Composer-of-the-Week-Poulenc&p=175058#post175058

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?1636-MAK-s-most-recent-show&p=175046#post175046

'Talking about Music' is more general talk about music.
'Platform' 3 is general conversation (much of it to do with 'current events').

"Get the latest news and information about royal families ... join the discussions with other Royal Enthusiasts" http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/

Googling reveals a fair number of Olympics Message Boards (Yahoo Sports, for instance), but they seem to have a fair number of miserable hijackers moaning about commercialisation and doping, so perhaps aren't suitable .

[teamsaint]

Radio Solent is promising more than 50, (FIFTY !!) hours of outside broadcasts of the torch relay thing in the next week or so.
Wow.It's a good thing that there isn't pressure on finance in public bodies, or that there aren't huge urgent economic and social issues that need addressing.
At least it will stop the crap music for a while. (not that I listen for the music obviously, but the records either side of the sports bulletins tell me what I need to know !)

[Serial_Apologist]

The torch reaches Maldon in Essex on Friday. My accountant who lives there is really looking forward to the event. Life is just so exciting in the provinces...

[Dave2002]

The torch reaches Maldon in Essex on Friday. My accountant who lives there is really looking forward to the event. Life is just so exciting in the provinces...

I know people who say their journey FROM work will be disrupted when the torch meanders around Surrey. If their journey TO work were disrupted, AND if that would be a valid excuse, they might feel less concerned!

Is the torch as magical as the ring in Wagner's music drama?

[BBMmk2]

I not sure on this but in my area of the UK, I could be getting a double wammy of 'torch'! In Brighton & HBove asnd Crawley.