Reaction to Brown's Olympic 'snub'

Last Modified: 10 Apr 2008
By: Channel 4 News

Here's what bloggers are saying about Gordon Brown's decision not to attend the opening of the Beijing games.

It's not a snub, it's a U-turn

Benedict Brogan's Daily Mail blog
"Talk about a story out of left field. 'Gordon Brown won't attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,' says Channel Four News, to which my initial reaction was 'And? We knew that.' Except that apparently we didn't, or rather neither the PM nor Downing Street had ever said it publicly.

"It's not a snub or a Sarko-style boycott or a U-turn. But it is one of those self-inflicted blunder stories that hits governments in trouble."

Nick Robinson's BBC blog
"Gordon Brown has not performed an Olympic U-turn but, thanks to his and his team's cack handedness, it looks to the world as if he has.

"Journalists planning to travel to Beijing with the PM tell me that Downing Street told them this some weeks ago. I am not, as it happens, one of those making that trip and so, like most people, thought that the PM was planning to go to the opening ceremony whether other leaders boycotted it or not.

"The problem for Team Brown is that he and they have never stated clearly and publicly their man's position."

Brown dithers over the Olympics

Guido Fawkes
"It is the will he / won't he farce of the signing of the Lisbon treaty all over again. Trying to have it both ways because he is afraid to decide. This from the man who has his name on two books on 'courage'."

Another day, another climbdown

Iain Dale's diary
April 1
"At his Downing Street news conference on 1 April, Mr Brown said: 'I think President Sarkozy said himself that he expected Britain, because we are going to host the next Olympics, to be present at the Olympic ceremonies and I will certainly be there.' (source BBC News)

April 9
"Downing Street "confirms" Gordon Brown will not be attending the Olympics Opening ceremony.

"Another day, another climbdown."

US leadership in hibernation

Oliver Willis
"There was a time in my lifetime where this sort of thing started at the White House and emanated out to the rest of the world's leaders. I hope it's just that that sort of leadership is in hibernation due to the current unqualified occupant, and not any sort of long term thing."

Being tough on the Chinese

Newsday: Spin Cycle
"Senator Clinton earlier this week called on Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics to protest Chinese behavior in Tibet, Darfur. Obama demurred, saying he wasn't ready to call for a boycott yet.

"Now she seizes on news that British PM Brown is boycotting to hit the issue again: 'I wanted to commend Prime Minister Gordon Brown for agreeing not to go to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing.'

"It's probably never bad politics to seem like you're being tough on the Chinese - they're ruled by Communist dictators, and there are a lot of them."