it's one helluvan eye-opener, watching George H W Bush (first ambassador…

What we need to have is a national government with esteemed national figures: Jim Bolger, Colin Meads, Paul Holmes, Don Brash, Eric Watson, Brian Tamaki. All working together to do what's best for us with none of those petty distractions of western-style democracy.

guys who didn't even make it through…

THE IMPENETRABLE BAMBOO CURTAIN??!!

Ha, I've not heard that phrase for a decade or two. I guess I'm lucky to come from a family who has travelled (both my parents were briefly in China in the late 50s) and a I spent a part of my youth in Asia, but…

"Now come on! Who of us in our wildest breadth of imagination would have ever thought…

All working together to do what's best for us with none of those petty distractions of western-style democracy.

With all due respect Rich, why should any country feel the need to introduce "western-style democracy" to keep westerners such as yourself happy. Democracy does not have to be as defined in…

"when will Chinese get the vote", I see no advantages. Why introduce a hurdle every 3 or 4 years to impair implementation of long term vision?

I'm sold.

In NZ, we've got this expensive and distracting election coming up to elect a new government that will just tweak around and…

Whether that is due to lack of concern for New Zealanders' rights outside New Zealand or just sheer laziness on the part of the MFAT is in question.

Hasn't there been a tightening of all business visas and associated requirements. I'd be keen, as a person who may require such…

"Although I can (in some cases) understand why, it seems a shame that the country is not yet confident enough to relax and be itself in front of strangers."

probably I'd say because, from a distance, many of those strangers are more comfortable writing their own script, like this rather…

"Although I can (in some cases) understand why, it seems a shame that the country is not yet confident enough to relax and be itself in front of strangers."

believe that Communism will pass too

Didn't it pass about 20 years ago? I don't think any aspect of the Chinese system would be recognised by Marx or Lenin as Communism (or even Socialism).

Damn, am I forced to play the 'some of my best friends are Chinese' card?

No not at all and my finger was not pointed specifically at you but there is an element of we we know best (that is also found in that link that I posted when Craig…

isn't exactly in full swing there's a less flattering reason why folks might be a wee bit reluctant to offer their candid opinion to an Al-Jazeera reporter bearing photos of 'Tank man'.

there actually was a reason proffered in the story, and that is that he is a Western icon,…

isn't exactly in full swing there's a less flattering reason why folks might be a wee bit reluctant to offer their candid opinion to an Al-Jazeera reporter bearing photos of 'Tank man'.

dunno, Craig, for all that…

see..there we go..I'm agreeing with you again Craig...I find much of the concern for China and Chinese downtroddenness a tad racist and paternalistic.

Damn, I hate saying this — but I have to decline the compliment. Winston Chruchill put it better than I ever could in the Commons, on November…

Thanks John for demonstrating this issue......Whatever happens, this is an unmissable story. And its going to be an unmissable couple of weeks.

I couldn't agree with you more Charles.

Me too, as I indicated last week. And I'm not pretending it's all good.

Mark Taslov gave me a serve last…

If China were to institute 'western'-style democracy it would inevitably end up in civil war as each province/state decided to go their own way.

Dunno, they've managed to hold together reasonably well over a century or two despite huge upheavals. They've had their civil wars and come through them as…

I dunno, I've just got this thing about Civil War.... it never seems to do much good for the civilian population....

I've also got this thing about sitting on the other side of the planet making over-confident predictions about how people will 'inevitably' respond to a hypothetical.

If China were to institute 'western'-style democracy it would inevitably end up in civil war as each province/state decided to go their own way.

And if that was the case, that would be so damn terrible why?

Well they are a one party totalitarian regime aren't they? Some free and fair elections, with democratic choices would solve the leadership issue surely?

But they do have elections.

Whether they qualify as free and fair is a wider question but they perception of China now as an unbending totalitarian…

Before addressing the above Simon, just wanted to say thanks for your thoughts on…

It really highlights a common view in the West that the leadership in Beijing doesn't enjoy the free and willing support of the Chinese public...

Well they are a one party totalitarian regime aren't they? Some free and fair elections, with democratic choices would solve the leadership issue surely?

But if…

Thanks John for demonstrating this issue......Whatever happens, this is an unmissable story. And its going to be an unmissable couple of weeks.

I couldn't agree with you more Charles.

Why can't all news networks be like this?

Agreed. Our TV, especially the various Murdoch channels out of HK, is generally shocking here (aside from the Korean gameshow channel, and the Christian Network which has the sound 1 second behind the video and has had for two years..why can't the…

It really highlights a common view in the West that the leadership in Beijing doesn't enjoy the free and willing support of the Chinese public, that Chinese people are brainwashed and indoctrinated into blind unquestioning subservience to their corrupt power hungry leaders, that the…

Why can't all news networks be like…

Come on, Mark. Let's hear from you. You're over there.

Yep, agreed...no tongue biting

Thirded, with a vengeance.

Come on, Mark. Let's hear from you. You're over there.

Yep, agreed...no tongue biting

But to just watch and enjoy the spectacle without considering and actively supporting the voices of the disenfranchised, well in my view

One thing which stood out in the interview in Tiananmen I mentioned above was his claim that most of what they wanted to achieve in 1989 has been…

I stayed up until the New Zealand and Chinese teams entered the Bird's Nest…

Duly granted Russell, and I have to admit it's not just the Chinese authorities who I believe need to be regularly reminded of the other things going on behind the celebration of elite athletic effort.

The corporations (and IOC) who are profiting/profiteering from…

The Olympics on one level represent an opportunity for those in the West to display any conscience they may have in solidarity with the voiceless multitudes who perhaps don't see the games as a true expression of their homeland.

Sure — and all power to [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/07/olympics2008.china?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront|the 40 athletes who signed a…

Please, not The Gorillaz – the execrable Noodle bears more than a passing resemblance to the current gaggle of twee olympic mascots.

Shut up, puny earthling! The mascots for the 2012 London Olympics are being bred as we speak!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb-UZzleKEc&feature=related

They'd be well advised to start arranging giant holograms of The Gorillaz now.

Please, not The Gorillaz – the execrable Noodle bears more than a passing resemblance to the current gaggle of twee olympic mascots.

Definitely. And the $5 disco biscuit.

They could get the marathon competitors all loved up and accompanied by huge sound trucks. The race would take 12 hours with all the stopping for group…

Well for starters perhaps those who were thrown out of their homes without recourse to the law so that some shiny new hotels and such could be erected in their stead.

The Olympics on one level represent an opportunity for those in the West to display any…

What will the London Olympics do? I wouldn't even try to top Beijing. I'd maybe just light the flame and organise a sausage sizzle for the athletes.

I'd organise a rave — seriously. What London has over most other places in the world is the vitality of its popular culture.…

so during the opening ceremony I was all 'holy SHIT! This is incredibly awesome! How can anyone ever top this spectacle?'

Meh... i was a little underwhelmed. Havoc (bFM) said they were going to steamroll a tiger. Now that would've been over the top

What will the London Olympics do?…

I was thinking more in terms of how power has always thrown shapes and conjured magic — from the cathedrals of Europe to the movies of Hollywood.

Well, I was also reminded of Busby Berkeley musicals, for whatever that's worth. :)

...how much Leni Riefenstahl would have loved it.

Which reminds me, I caught about an hour and a half of the '36 Berlin Olympics on Triangle last night (100% 1936 footage, cut & English audio-tracked c. 1960, by the look of it.) First time I've seen Lovelock's entire 1500m race win.…

.. but I also kept making jokes about how much Leni Riefenstahl would have loved it.

I was thinking more in terms of how power has always thrown shapes and conjured magic — from the cathedrals of Europe to the movies of Hollywood.

I think you can admire the creative…

It's folks outside of China who are getting righteous about this, not the Chinese population who seem to be very supportive.

And the exiled Tibetan leadership has repeatedly said it wants the games to go ahead and be a success.

Anything that shines a light on a country with the…

On whose behalf would you be staging this boycott though? As Simon notes, the Chinese people seem very largely supportive and excited. And the exiled Tibetan leadership has repeatedly said it wants the games to go ahead and be a success.

I guess that's a legitimate question to ask about…

Imagine the power of Rich's boycott on a large scale.

What's stopping us? The "spectacle"?

On whose behalf would you be staging this boycott though? As Simon notes, the Chinese people seem very largely supportive and excited. And the exiled Tibetan leadership has repeatedly said it wants the games to…

What's stopping us? The "spectacle"?

About a billion rather pissed off Chinese for a start.

There was a piece on Al Jazeera last night here, dunno if it was in the NZ feed, about a guy who spent five years in jail after he was arrested at Tiananmen in 1989.…

China seems desperately to want to prove itself to the world (in the eyes of this uninformed foreigner), while simultaneously asserting itself. A contradiction, perhaps, but an interesting one.

But at what, and whose, cost?

Imagine the power of Rich's boycott on a large scale.

What's stopping us? The "spectacle"?

One thing that surprised me however was how much high-school Chinese I remember. Despite it being the world's…

I particularly like this from a book by Dick Pound, a former IOC member. He quotes Samaranch (former IOC president) as saying: __"'Leesten, Deek,' he said to me at one point. 'For [the Olympics], it is much better to go…

That's an oxymoron if ever there was one. It's about as green as Formula One.

Huge scale construction, thousands of people flying around the world for a couple of weeks of nationalist flag waving (and a side-dish of "sport") in one of the worlds nastier totalitarian states.…

maybe if you're really lucky, it will be the next Singapore, except with more than one season and plenty of yellow dust. You know, officious Chinese making as many rules as they can think of, and enforcing…

Beijing will be an awesome place to be tonight.

The premise of Emma's article seems to be that she completely disagrees with that statement!

It seems to me that all cities pull their socks up & pretend to be squeaky clean jolly hockey sticks when the international spotlight shines on them.…