Bernie Ecclestone has demonstrated his belief that his F-1 circus and the dollars he makes from it are more important than the democratic aspirations of the people of Bahrain.
It's time to say "enough".
Let the television networks that broadcast the race know that you disagree with Bernie Ecclestone.
Let the advertisers and the team sponsors know too.
Bernie Ecclestone has shamed the world of motor sports.
Showing posts with label Bahrain Grand Prix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bahrain Grand Prix. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Ecclestone says the show must go on
It's the circus that Bernie built, and it's on view this weekend from Bahrain.
Also on view are protesters in the thousands taking advantage of the fact that the world's gaze will be on their country because of a Grand Prix.
Bahrain is one of those Arab dictatorships we don't have a problem with because the ruling family is safely in our pocket.
Apparently a good slice of the local populace is unhappy with the ruling family precisely because they are in our pocket.
Yesterday a protest leader was beaten to death by Bahraini security forces.
But the show must go on!
Also on view are protesters in the thousands taking advantage of the fact that the world's gaze will be on their country because of a Grand Prix.
Bahrain is one of those Arab dictatorships we don't have a problem with because the ruling family is safely in our pocket.
Apparently a good slice of the local populace is unhappy with the ruling family precisely because they are in our pocket.
Yesterday a protest leader was beaten to death by Bahraini security forces.
But the show must go on!
Friday, April 13, 2012
FIA President Johnny Death gives thumbs up to Bahrain Formula One race
Johnny Death, aka Jean Todt, has apparently given the green light to next week's F-1 circus in Bahrain.
I've been following F-1 since that Surtees fellow was world champ on the two wheelers and the four wheelers.
That's never happened again.
And I've never heard of Johnny Death till today.
All along I've been under the impression that Big Bernie calls the shots in F-1.
That would be Bernie Ecclestone, the guy who built Grand Prix racing from a money-losing sideline to a billion dollar industry.
Bernie's website assures me that Jean Todt has consulted all the relevant stakeholders in Bahrain, including the Shia opposition, and everybody is gung-ho for the Grand Prix.
If that's true maybe we won't get to see Lewis Hamilton running over that IED after all.
I've been following F-1 since that Surtees fellow was world champ on the two wheelers and the four wheelers.
That's never happened again.
And I've never heard of Johnny Death till today.
All along I've been under the impression that Big Bernie calls the shots in F-1.
That would be Bernie Ecclestone, the guy who built Grand Prix racing from a money-losing sideline to a billion dollar industry.
Bernie's website assures me that Jean Todt has consulted all the relevant stakeholders in Bahrain, including the Shia opposition, and everybody is gung-ho for the Grand Prix.
If that's true maybe we won't get to see Lewis Hamilton running over that IED after all.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bernie's billion dollar road show heading for Bahrain
As of this writing the Bahrain Grand Prix is still on the Formula 1 calendar for later this month.
Bahrain is the best example of the West's hypocritical approach to so-called Arab Spring. We're all over it when the masses are rising up against somebody who has outgrown their usefulness to us.
Hell, we'll even poke and prod the masses and offer them thousands of NATO bombing sorties worth of support if we have to.
On the other hand, if there's a spring thaw threatening in one of "our" Arab states, that's a whole 'nother matter. Such has been Bahrain's experience.
When it looked like mass street protests were starting to get traction, we wasted no time sending our Saudi proxies in to get a grip on things.
No misty-eyed platitudes about the will of the people.
No Hillary speeches about democracy and human rights.
No inspirational invocations from Obama about freedom.
Just a brutal crackdown.
So I can see where it would be useful for the rulers of Bahrain to use the massive TV audience that F-1 will focus on the country to show the world that everything is just fine.
I'm of two minds on this. One the one hand, it's nice to pretend that there's a firewall of sorts between sport and politics. Sometimes you just want to see the best footballers or baseball players or race drivers practice their craft, politics be damned.
On the other hand, when you're ruthlessly stamping out protest while showing the world everything is fine by bringing in the billionaire Ecclestone and his stable of millionaire drivers to put on their F-1 circus, you've pretty much married the sport to the politics anyway.
Frankly, I think it's a poor business decision on Ecclestone's part. He has managed to create a brand that countries have often used as a marker of their modernization. Malaysia and China come to mind.
Human rights groups both inside Bahrain and elsewhere have called on him to cancel the race, and that's the right thing to do.
Then again, that huge international TV audience just might give the opposition a platform they could only dream of.
After all, nothing will etch Arab Spring into our minds more effectively than the sight of Lewis Hamilton running over an IED at 200 mph.
Bahrain is the best example of the West's hypocritical approach to so-called Arab Spring. We're all over it when the masses are rising up against somebody who has outgrown their usefulness to us.
Hell, we'll even poke and prod the masses and offer them thousands of NATO bombing sorties worth of support if we have to.
On the other hand, if there's a spring thaw threatening in one of "our" Arab states, that's a whole 'nother matter. Such has been Bahrain's experience.
When it looked like mass street protests were starting to get traction, we wasted no time sending our Saudi proxies in to get a grip on things.
No misty-eyed platitudes about the will of the people.
No Hillary speeches about democracy and human rights.
No inspirational invocations from Obama about freedom.
Just a brutal crackdown.
So I can see where it would be useful for the rulers of Bahrain to use the massive TV audience that F-1 will focus on the country to show the world that everything is just fine.
I'm of two minds on this. One the one hand, it's nice to pretend that there's a firewall of sorts between sport and politics. Sometimes you just want to see the best footballers or baseball players or race drivers practice their craft, politics be damned.
On the other hand, when you're ruthlessly stamping out protest while showing the world everything is fine by bringing in the billionaire Ecclestone and his stable of millionaire drivers to put on their F-1 circus, you've pretty much married the sport to the politics anyway.
Frankly, I think it's a poor business decision on Ecclestone's part. He has managed to create a brand that countries have often used as a marker of their modernization. Malaysia and China come to mind.
Human rights groups both inside Bahrain and elsewhere have called on him to cancel the race, and that's the right thing to do.
Then again, that huge international TV audience just might give the opposition a platform they could only dream of.
After all, nothing will etch Arab Spring into our minds more effectively than the sight of Lewis Hamilton running over an IED at 200 mph.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)