Tony Nicklinson: And So It Came to Pass

The news that Tony Nicklinson has died of natural causes after his long campaign to have himself voluntarily put to sleep is, in the most charitable sense of the word, a good thing for all concerned.

The debate about euthanasia will rage on, and I must admit I've occasionally felt my sympathies towards that movement (why we put down animals when they're in agony and not humans is a mystery to me), but looking at it from all sides, his case would be the first of many dangerous precedents, if his plea to commit suicide had been allowed in the courts.

Legacies...

The last two slightly unreal weeks in this country are now over, and, excepting the further exciting prospect of the Paralympics at the end of the month, there is much talk of what will be the lasting effect of the 2012 Olympics for Britain. There will be lots of hype for Team GB leading up to the next Olympics in Rio in 2016, a few more potential athletes will be encouraged to train harder, and a few more tourists will be tempted to come into London to see some of the sights.

Personally I was sad not to see some of Britain's own national sports get their chance at the Olympics, such as golf and cricket. In that sense, it felt like an Olympics like any other, that could've been staged in any part of the world.

Ultimately, I don't think it will actually make much difference either way to Britain's sporting fortunes. Britain has always been a spirited competitor for such a small island, in comparison to the size of huge land masses like the US and China. It's the spirit that built an empire.

Thank God also that Al-Qaeda didn't gatecrash the party, after the horrors of July 7th 2005 - whose victims were so movingly commemorated in the opening ceremony.

Golden Days

SIX Gold medals won by Great Britain yesterday in the Olympic Games - and it's even transmuted its way over to England's cricketers, who looked to have turned the corner at Headingley against the tough South Africans. And all this one year after those dreadful riots. The nation has not felt as good about itself as this for a long, long time.

This sums it all up in a way.

Good Things

24. The Internet 
I include this one reservedly, for it's a Pandora's Box of possibilities. As much of a hindrance as a help, most significantly it brings information to those who would not otherwise be able to access it.....which brings me on to the Internet's great antecedent:

25. Libraries 

"Powerhouses of knowledge", as Stephen Fry once memorably put it, and along with churches and countryside, one of the few places for quiet reflection and thought.

Empty tables and chairs

It is indicative of the hype surrounding Team GB that people should be so surprised at their lack of success in the Olympic medals table so far.

Only slightly less surprising is the sight of empty seats in some of the venues. As those of us who've attended major sporting events will know all too well from bitter experience, a good.number of the tickets are by corporate allocation, with the result being that most of those guests fail to show up. As to the lack of Olympic success, perhaps we can put it down to that noble British tradition of bringing sport to the world - and now the world pays back.

Bravo to the tireless (Lord) Sebastian Coe however, for speedily organising a ticketing system for spectators on the day.

Richard the Rotten

Such a novel idea, in this unbearably over-hyped Jubilee season, to stage Richard III in the punk era of the previous Silver Jubilee in 1977. Blighted by the atrocious weather, the company continued on fearlessly at the Harwich Redoubt, and now it has moved on to Colchester Castle. 

The result is another quaint but challenging Priory Players production in foreign surroundings, out of their old Trinity Square setting. Interesting to watch, though like many modern dress Shakespeares the use of the modern costume can be a little distracting, and lacks restraint - where Ian McKellen's 1930's version brought in the fascist clothing gradually as the symbol of Richard's sinister rise to power, this version has everybody in punk fashions, from the word go.

As a result actors like Will Parrick and David Elliott look comfortable in the DM boots, while the rest look in fancy dress. In the title role Kevin Topple - modelled on Johnny Rotten - bravely hurls himself into the part, although it lacks emotional depth and only comes into his own when the ghosts of his victims return. The performances, despite one or two wooden contributions, were all hard working, although lacking chemistry between the characters, except briefly between Gloucester and Buckingham. 

The most brilliant moment was when the excellent Chrissie Kettle looked up to the window of Colchester Castle - a Norman castle, just like the Tower of London. After a while I forgot about the costumes and got into the history, once Shakespeare took over - occasionally interrupted by that infernal music.

Nice idea, it could have been done better.

d: Lorraine Dunt
s: Kevin Topple, Will Parrick, Chrissie Kettle, Brian Malone, Liz Mullen, David Elliott, Ben Field, Nigel Walford, and others