Gordon Brown of UK -will not attend opening ceremonie for the

[rodeodance]

Olympics--

That shows leadership
Lets hope Bush heeds Hillary's call not to attend these ceremonies.

[tekisui]

1. Indeed.

Didn't Merkel and Sarkozy also say they are not attending?

With a little more action, full boycotts could still come.

BOYCOTT THE TOTALITARIAN GAMES!!!

[rodeodance]

2. This was announced on Lehrer News Hr just now

[Texas Hill Country]

3. nice one gordy

[rodeodance]

4. Yes---I wish the US would follow him

[Cant trust em]

5. Except Gordon Brown can do it with some credibility

Our human rights violations are probably greater than China's. I appreciate the sentiment that it would evoke if Bush weren't a war criminal. If Bush doesn't attend out of protest it demeans protesting.

[cooolandrew]

6. The new biggest polluter is China is alienating them going to help negotiating green issues?

The steps to not attend opening ceromonies seems petty as we are still trading with them we need to talk as Obama wants us tofor our benefit and theirs. The old demonisingcountries got us where we are today, I feel it's time to find common ground.

[rodeodance]

7. when it comes to human rights The US needs to take a stand.

[ShaneGR]

8. Historically, Britain is the 2nd to last country with a right to say anything to the Chinese

#1 Would be the Japanese

[kwenu]

9. Good for him.

[gear_head]

10. sinse when is it customary for heads of state/gov't from OTHER

than the host country to attend the Olympic games?

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Except he never intended to attend the opening ceremony - only the closing one

and he's still going to that:

A spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would not be attending the opening ceremonies, but had never intended to do so and would be at the closing ceremony.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7339959.stm

Downing Street sources insist that the Chinese government were never in any doubt that Gordon Brown intended to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. They say that the prime minister made this clear to China's Premier Wen when they met recently in Beijing. What's more, a letter sent by China's ambassador to London on the 5th of April informs No 10 that the Chinese premier was looking forward to welcoming the PM at the closing ceremony.

The plan, they insist (and the London Organising Committee back this up), was always for Brown and the mayor of London to go the closing ceremony and Princess Anne and the Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, to go to the opening ceremony. Maybe, but that's not the impression they created right around the world.

It was explicitly stated in China's official Xinhua agency reports on several occasions that Brown was going to the opening ceremony. Xinhua is not known for its Downing Street sources. It gets its information from the Chinese government.
...
Last night Hillary Clinton praised her friend for boycotting the opening ceremony.
http://blogs.bbc.co.uk/nickrobinson/2008/04/curiouser_and_c.html

[DemVet]

12. Who gives a $%*&

As I've said in two other threads about the Olympics: Politics and Sports should be seperate.