Posts by Charles Mabbett
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clarification! For what it's worth. The Berlin Wall came down in 1989 but reunification of the Germanys in 1990.
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oops, 1990 actually.
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Beg your pardon - Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
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I think a more realistic projection of where China will be in the decades to come will be as a one party state but with elected leaders. The experiments in local democracy could be the starting point for increasing and deepening democratic reforms. But the elevation of leaders within the party structure at local, provincial and national level could become determined by elections. As of opposition political parties, i really don't see that as happening anytime in the short to medium term and maybe not even in the long term. But then again, who predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1988?
My point is that even though it is a one party state, i think it would be wrong to say that most Chinese don't support the government.
Many Chinese i know are critical of the government but are conscious of the balancing act that it is trying to walk between economic liberalisation and maintaining social stability. And because of the overall improvements in the standard of living and in China's growing stature in the world, they are still inherently supportive of the government.
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I think the key here is that the figures count native speakers. Many more people speak English but it will be their second third or more language.
I too did notice Sophie Zhang dropped out of the commentary midway but I think her role was to offer comments and insights on the Chinese cultural aspects on the first part of the opening ceremony. Her job had been done by the time the teams filed in.
And yes, nice touch with the team from Japan waving both Japanese and Chinese flags. I guess given the China's post war sensitivity over Japan revisionist view of its war history, it was a really diplomatic solution! Well done, the team from Japan.
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Thanks John for demonstrating this issue.
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 public can't demonstrate their opposition to the Games and that their really upset about how homes have been demolished to create multi-million dollar sporting white elephants.
But the fact if you're Chinese and you live in China, there's an overwhelming probability that you'll be backing this jumbo circus all the way home and you'll be rooting for China to top the medal table for the first time. Whatever happens, this is an unmissable story. And its going to be an unmissable couple of weeks.
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I recommend listening to Mediawatch (broadcast yesterday morning). It makes some very valid points about the pre-Olympic coverage we got last week. Interesting also about our dumbed down Sunday programme.
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Come on, Mark. Let's hear from you. You're over there.
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Without question, Russell. People who are making the case that this is an enormous public relations campaign by the leadership have only got it half right. The Chinese public's appetite for the Olympic Games is huge.
I stayed up until the New Zealand and Chinese teams entered the Bird's Nest on Saturday morning. I had headphones on so I wouldn't wake the household and when the Chinese team marched around the stadium, the crowd chanted 'Zhongguo jia you!' (Come on China!) over and over in one voice.
It was eerie and it left me in no doubt that there was this incredible sense of expectation and national pride and I don't think it is contrived.
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Brilliant! A tour de force performance by Bruno Ganz!