Brexit has not dampened the Olympian spirit — and UK’s team is going for gold. In the medal tally, the UK is just behind the US in gold, and China follows — but in the overall tally China has more medals.
Unlike India, which could have built a lasting legacy after the Commonwealth Games (but failed to do so) London has enjoyed the benefits of the sports facilities since the Olympics. The cycling track and the swimming pools have particularly transformed the lives of Olympic Games competitors.
Andy Murray established a record of sorts by winning the men’s singles gold, twice in succession. But when the media hacks wanted to say he was the first to win the tennis gold twice, he gently reminded them that the Williams sisters had four medals each. A true gentleman!
Mind you Murray had to work hard for his gold. A match lasting four hours and two minutes against Juan Martín del Potro was on the edge for a long time. Potro had beaten Novak Djokovic in the opening round and Rafael Nadal in the semi-final. Not a walkover by any means. Murray sobbed into his towel when it was all over.
Other records have been broken. Jason Kenny broke the previous record of Sir Chris Hoy who himself was thrilled. Laura Trott won the cycling six-event omnium. Kenny and Trott are engaged to be married — no doubt riding a bicycle made for two! Record has also been broken by Katherine Grainger who became Britain’s most winning Olympian.
There have been other moments of elation and heartbreak — but Team GB bashes on. Brexit is truly behind us.
Besides now there are reports that economists feel Brexit might not be as bad as it initially seemed. (To be fair, the first to say so was Meghnad Desai, who pointed out that the effect of Brexit would only be felt, if at all, two years down the line. There was no need to panic, at all!)
Meanwhile all the fears of what Brexit would do to the British economy and to London in particular are not being realised. It is early days yet but the cheap pound is attracting tourists to London since it is no longer as expensive for the foreign tourist as it used to be. Of course, the locals can’t fly to Palermo, but must have a staycation as a “holiday at home” is called. The good old British consumer is out shopping and in July sales went up.
And Prime Minister Theresa May has also sent out a clear signal that it is back to “business as usual”. To make it even more apparent, she has gone on a summer holiday, a walking trek in the Swiss Alps along with her husband. This, as many have noticed, is in marked contrast to the Camerons who always chose a sunny seaside resort. In her typically calm fashion, she said she liked going to Switzerland as the region had “spectacular” views, and there was a possibility of “peace and quiet”. Interestingly, she had shared her passion for walking with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel recently, by giving her two books on walking.
Of course, the Prime Minister will be accompanied with some secret security to prevent any mishaps, but it is rare for Indian parliamentarians to literally take a walk, when they want a holiday. And, in fact, since most of them are obsessed with security, they would walk surrounded by “Black Cats” a visual many of us have been subject to, even when walking in Lodi Gardens, forget the hills! But in the UK, security is also the responsibility of the individual.
And so on a sober note, following the tragic death of British Labour MP Jo Cox at the hands of a mentally deranged constituent, MPs have become aware of the dangers they face as they carry out their jobs. They get threats routinely on the phone, online or through trolls. It is now being taken seriously enough for MPs to receive training to defend themselves against surprise attacks. The Israel secret service, Mossad, has set up a facility for British MPs to make them aware of terrorist attacks, which they may face. It is a sad but unavoidable risk of public service for British politicians.
At last London is to have round the clock Tube service. This was originally the idea of Boris Johnson, the previous mayor of London and now foreign secretary. The present Mayor Sadiq Khan has had to work hard to convince the transport unions that it is worth it. It will make night life that much more relaxed if people know they don’t have to catch the last Tube home. To begin with it will be on the Victoria and Central lines. But no doubt Mr Khan will make it work everywhere before long, and one clear signal is that property prices are beginning to creep up in the areas where the Tube will be running 24x7.
So the city will never sleep at night!
Kishwar Desai is an author and chair of the Partition Museum Project
