Simon Jenkins on the Olympics and the power of the mob

Columnist Simon Jenkins reflects on the Olympic torch relay disruptions, asserting that the 'mob' is an underrated political phenomenon. "A crowd running amok in the streets of a capital somehow outguns opinion polls and election victories in the minds of rulers. When those in palaces of power peer round their curtains and see the howling throng, their knees go weak. ... This week's mob in London, Paris and San Francisco was tiny and unrepresentative of mostly non-violent Tibetan opinion. But by attaching itself to a publicity stunt, the mob delivered a humiliating blow to the mightiest dictatorship on earth, China. ... The games offer real leverage to a mob. ... $20bn to $30bn is invested in an Olympics these days, with just two weeks to make a return. That time sensitivity offers street activists extraordinary power, power that may even induce the Chinese to lighten their repression."

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