The British Red Arrows aerial acrobatics team have been banned from appearing at the 2012 London Olympics because they are deemed "too British". Organisers of the event say that the Arrows military background might be "offensive" to other countries taking part in the Games. The display team have performed at more than 4000 events worldwide, but Gordon Brown’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport has deemed the display team "too militaristically British".
This may seem obscure to people overseas, but these fliers are a national institution, like beer and Churchill. Being axed from a British-based event for being "too British" is viewed by the public as an insult. While the pilots are RAF officers, paid for by the RAF, they are "ceremonial", do not fly on active service, are there for show and goodwill
and are regarded as ambassadors. The Arrows performed a short fly-past in 2005 when the winning bid was announced, but their fly-past at the Games was to have been truly spectacular.
This blog is left-leaning and proud of it, but just to show that we can have a go at ridiculous left-wing political decisions as well, let me say: this is one of the more crass decisions made by a crass government, a taste of further idiocy to come from the new Prime Minister. If you disagree with this decision, sign the petition on this link – – but you have to be a British resident and citizen.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/RedArrows2012/?ref=redArrows2012