The Olympic flame wavers in Europe

"Who says Sunday's Olympic torch relay in London was a shambles ? Who says the police were 'humiliated' ? A triumph, I call it. What are the Olympics about if not persistence, courage and goodwill towards foreigners (in this case Tibetans)?" asks columnist Libby Purves. "Western democracies had no need to go along with this relay. The international flame-tour is not time-honoured. Hitler invented it in 1936 with the torch coming from Greece to Germany as a pan-Aryan gesture. It did not catch on for 64 years, until Sydney touted it round the Pacific rim, again for political reasons. ... Joining in China's triumphalism is not necessary. Not right now, not with the suffering and injustice rife in Tibet. This torch procession is nakedly political and should not have been encouraged by our leaders... . Luckily, when the guttering flame reached London there were enough spirited protesters to save our national honour."

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