Boris Johnson Chokes on his Dog Whistle

“Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”

- Olympic Motto 2021

I made a promise to myself. It was high Summer. The meadows of Oxfordshire were calling for long country walks with bird watching and butterfly spotting thrown in. I would not vegetate at home watching the Olympics. I failed miserably to keep my promise. I was captured by the thrills and spills; the stories of triumph and disaster, but most of all by an image of the United Kingdom that was a sharp contrast to the boorish, bullying one we presented to the world during the European football Championships.

As the weather cooled and the rains arrived in the UK, the BBC did what it does best – presented live sport. We were able to witness through our television screens an image of a diverse, multicultural and inclusive nation coming together to seek sporting glory. Many of our athletes were clearly the sons and daughters of first- and second-generation immigrants. They were a demonstration of how migration strengthens a country. Their courage, skill and commitment, irrespective of background, was demonstrated through a coming together in a common endeavour that unified the country behind them. At a time where hate and division are on the agenda of too many politicians and their outriders in the media, this was a welcome breath of fresh air.

Nothing captured the spirit of Team GB more than Tom Daly using his diving gold and bronze medals as a platform (sorry for metaphor!) to promote LGBTQ+ freedoms, rights and values, in full knowledge he would be executed in around dozen Olympic countries for simply being the person he is.

• We were treated to new sports like street basketball, BMX bike racing and skate boarding. Many of the participants were too young to drive a car, go into a pub without an adult, or watch a 15 rated movie. They had come from skate parks in Peckham and were now in Tokyo winning Olympic medals. The confidence and excitement of youth swept us all along.

Meanwhile back in Britain we were reminded of a darker side of our national character. Farage had risen during daylight hours to share the opinion that the RNLI were operating a taxi service for asylum seekers found bobbing around on the English Channel. This nasty disdain for the sanctity of human life promoted a great outpouring of support for the RNLI with, according to some sources, donations rising by 2,000%. I guess that one person’s dog whistle is another’s charitable donation.

What we witnessed in Japan was a sharp contrast to the behaviour around the England football team through the Euros. From the first game that England supporters were allowed to attend, booing the other team’s national anthem was fair game. This lack of respect towards teams that were, after all, visitors to our country was English exceptionalism in all its unpleasant glory. This was followed a few moments later by the booing of those England players taking the knee. This was condoned by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary who expressed their view that this was a freedom of speech issue and refused to condemn it. Once the Government saw nothing wrong with that kind of behaviour, there was nothing standing between the players who missed penalties in the shootout and a pile on via social media. The one thing the penalty missers had in common was that they were all players of colour and two of them were very young and just starting their international careers.

When challenged, the Prime Minister suggested those weaponising social media should return under the stone from which they had emerged. Perhaps he should have joined them, given it was his now failed attempt to start yet another culture war that had bounced back on him. Perhaps he learned a lesson, but somehow I doubt it.

The booing, the near total collapse of security outside the stadium before the game, and England fans mostly walking out at the end, thus ensuring the cup was awarded in a near empty stadium, will have been noted by FIFA and, no doubt, put several nails in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s hope of securing the football fans’ vote by winning the right to stage the World Cup in a few years’ time.

While Johnson played culture wars and social media platforms went into full racist meltdown, Gareth Southgate and his squad were demonstrating the coming together and inclusivity we were later to see from the Olympic team. I wonder if he ever thought that some of those sitting in the stands and at home in front of their laptops really deserved him and his dedicated group of players.

Away from the toxicity of our national game, the Olympics showed us another way. It was possible for us to come together in a common cause irrespective of our backgrounds, where we were born and the colour of our skin or chosen religion. The nation was all the better for it. Paris 2024 cannot come quickly enough… and that World Cup award Johnson has his vote-hungry eyes on can be moved as far away from the UK as possible.