A proper legacy

If we tolerate this, then what we will tolerate next.

Not quite a Manic Street Preachers song, but a similar theme. I trust MSP aren't watching the Qatar World Cup, but if they are, Wales in it or Wales not in it, then shucks to them; forget sell-out shows, you're the sell-out! Your scuffed principles leave me with Motorcycle Emptiness.

I await their reply.

Is John Cleese watching it? Probably, now that he's of an age where he's desperate to show his distaste for anything 'woke'-related, but Basil Fawlty was at his finest when declaring to his hotel guests that "This is exactly how Nazi Germany started!" So maligned, Basil, and to be fair what a bully, but would it be similarly extreme to blame Putin's war on Ukraine on Putin being given the World Cup in 2018? Yes, you might say; after all, giving a gun to a child who has been brought up to be considerate and respectful may not result in a massacre, but of course Putin is neither considerate or respectful (despite what the Qatari's said in the build up to their tournament), and to be awarded an international global event of magnitude only rivalled by the Olympic Games can only have added an extra layer of acceptance to his methods. How we laughed when an umbrella was held over him during the winners ceremony in Moscow while everyone else got soaked in the rain. What a guy! Steve McClaren must have looked on in envy, knowing the vitriol he received for doing the same at Wembley in 2008.  

No doubt the inevitably reported record-breaking viewing figures at this World Cup will similarly embolden FIFA to give Saudi Arabia the tournament in 2030 (following a break from oppressive-regime domination with USA-Canada in 2026). Mohammed Bin Salman will be that year's Putin, making sure somebody takes great care of his own head, breaking with tradition in that country.. 

What a missed opportunity this has been. The squandered chance to think and act beyond football, and show such a country that their bullshit won’t be accepted, tolerated…or any other words people link to conduct towards minority groups. 

I’m sure independent boycotts would have been complicated, and that in England for instance, where the hardcore Brexit champions hold disingenuous sway with authorities, the backlash would have been substantial, but wouldn’t it have made such a protest all the more courageous. Something to have been proud of.