There is more than a little irony in the decision by the Bahrain International Circuit to launch ticket sales for the event in April with the slogan “Unif1ed – One Nation In Celebration”. Bahrain has been anything but unified into recent months with regular violent clashes on the streets – and much more that the locals would like us all to ignore. The fact that the first anniversary of the troubles was somewhat muted was down to the fact that the protesters were pinned down in their communities by police using all the usual techniques that have been seen in recent months. This does not mean that the problem has gone away and there are some who feel that the danger now is that their inability to express discontent will be translated into a radicalisation of the opposition and more desperate acts in the future.
In the meantime the la-la-la brigade in Bahrain want us all to believe that everything is fine and that we can all live happily ever after watching noisy cars going round and round in circles. I wish that were true.
Elsewhere there are wiser heads, notably Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed, one of the world’s wealthiest men and a celebrated international investor. He has warned in Arabian Business Today that the so-called Arab Spring protests and uprisings will eventually reach every Arab state and that it would be wise to do something to address the problem.
“If there is a lesson to be learned from the Arab Spring, it is that the winds of change that are now blowing in the Middle East will eventually reach every Arab state,” he wrote. “Now is therefore an opportune time, particularly for the Arab monarchical regimes, which still enjoy a considerable measure of public goodwill and legitimacy, to begin adopting measures that will bring about greater participation of the citizenry in their countries’ political life.”
Unifying people is a lot more difficult than unif1ying them.
I would really like for Bahraini to unify, start working towards living a comfortable life with more or less equal opportunities.
But oppression is not really going to bring much unifying, unless one wants to unify an opposition to, in time, bring about the fall of the oppressing regime.
Wise words from a man used to look forward and be a step ahead of the markets there in what Alwaleed writes.
The thing about sticking your fingers in your ear and singing is that you still know that it’s not your song which counts…
I do hope that the bright guys like Prince Alwaleed are listened to by the ruling authorities in the various middle eastern states but I doubt it. I think that their feeling is that they can control the situation with their military and all their people love them anyway. Obviously they have not been taking on board the situation in Syria. There are so many differing factions; tribal, political, socio-economic and religious, that every country is a tinder box, which a spark can set on fire. F1 could the spark that sets off Bahrein and I still cannot believe that they are dumb enough not to have worked out the potential long term implications of their going in 2012.
Wilson
Joe,
I’m sure you have been asked before, but are you making travel plans for the Grand Prix?
I have made no plans so far. Oddly, the authorities have done nothing either. Usually by this time of year we have had media hotel bookings offered and we have paid for them. Nothing like that has happened this year.
Joe have you ever had to cover a GP in this type of politically uncertain atmosphere?
No.
Good job you’d not find the Saudis using Interpol to execute someone for making a philosophical point, or sending troops into Bahrain to crush uprisings, or stoning men to death for being gay.
I have more respect for this potato here than for the opinions of the House of Saud, no matter how “intelligent” (by which i assume you mean ‘educated at Sandhurst and outwardly westernised’) the prince may be.
if there is a moderator here on this forum they seem to be out to lunch ..
At the risk of upsetting some or all of those who post here, just to warn that it’s easy to condemn these ‘oppressive’ regimes without being aware that, apart from Egypt, all the states of the Middle East were created by the governments of Britain and France round about a century ago. Each one consists of ancient warring communities thrown together in artificially created borders.
The point is that deciding those currently in power have to go is easy, but you’re throwing open Pandora’s box.
Maybe safer for the whole world to find a more long term and slower and safer mechanism for change, and over the coming decade secure change by peaceful means.
Even if motor racing and political science made a happy union, the issues here are a bit more complicated.
btw I speak as one who has lived in several gulf states
If all else fails blame the Empire… A little old-fashioned as a view.
The current fashion is more to blame the Americans…
Joe, you are right, we must find out what is the fashion and then form our view ! !
The fashion is to blame.
Have I won?
. . .
I linked the interview before, but this has a transcript:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/ray-dalio-there-are-no-more-tools-tool-kit-complete-charlie-rose-transcript-head-worlds-biggest
Apols for repeats, but this is good and considered stuff:
RAY DALIO: I think it`s important to understand that we`re going through a deleveraging. So we have to understand the big picture is — there`s a deleveraging. Three big themes: first there`s a deleveraging; secondly we have a problem with monetary and fiscal policies are running out of ammunition; and thirdly we have an issue in terms of people most importantly who are at each other`s throats politically and globally in terms of having a problem resolving those.
= =
If that isn’t a good enough reason to think for better ideas, I don’t know what is. At least try. I bet plenty good things are just buried alive in shallow graves under all the hubris.
This weeks ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ on BBC Radio 4 has an interesting report from Bahrain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01c6j1p
Wander whar Prince Alwaleed said when the Saudi tanks rove down the road to supresse the demonstrations in Bahrain last year.
Was it already something like ““Now is therefore an opportune time, particularly for the Arab monarchical regimes, which still enjoy a considerable measure of public goodwill and legitimacy, to begin adopting measures, etc etc
Phew glad they aren’t politicising the event..
Hopefully it will get cancelled by some excuse in the weeks prior.
The media situation will be a bit weird for this if they can’t get into the country now and its hardly as if events would be able to be completely shielded.
Joe do you know comparative costs of sponsoring F1 vs NASCAR where those household brands are prevalent? Might be suggestive of whether cost is the determining factor or image.
Am I terrible person if I’m not much bothered and want to see the race go ahead so there are a full 20 races to watch? I suspect so. It would also mean only 19 circuits in this year’s F1 video game and that is simply unacceptable. Wouldn’t it be great if they moved it to Istanbul though? No political problems, and what a great circuit it is.
The branding is more than ironic when you consider that Bernie constantly whinges on about how F1 is apolitical. If I remember your comments re Bahrain correctly, last year you were making the point that by simply going there F1 makes a political statement.
It very much reads as if they are going to go and let the political chips fall where they may.
I don’t understand how the FIA can state they don’t like to be perceived as taking sides in political issues in host countries, when this is a simple (maybe not so simple) question of safety as opposed to supporting one faction or another.
They have every logical reason to cancel the race and never return until stability can be reasonably demonstrated. The FIA should not allow themselves to be put into the position of being a target for violent protests regardless of the political views represented.
Todt will have much to answer for if the weekend goes badly. Even if teams and spectators are not endangered, if there are mass casualties in riots elsewhere in the area it will be a PR disaster.
Furthermore I have to believe if there are factions looking to implement change, they will target the F1 race for “peaceful” demonstrations and it will be the police and military that over reacts in order to preserve the “peace”.
“…the la-la-la brigade…”
Wonderful! Not heard it before – was it original?
I think so
Also referred to as “the chattering classes” in Oz.
I understand that many journalists have been refused visas in recent weeks, based purely upon their nationality and perceived threat accurate reporting.
Bahrain is like any country with conflicting religious sects, a pressure cooker. While the lid is held down by an overriding force, things are quiet and the sects, bubbling away, tolerate each other, but when the force is removed the lid flies off and they are all at each other’s throats. Meanwhile the lid has fled the country with the exchequer. Just now the valve is lifting and steam coming out, pressure is too high.
The king cannot dare take off the lid or he will be swept way. Only a slow reduction in heat can defuse the situation. ironically as one lowers the pressure the boiling point also lowers so the boiling continues well beyond expectations.
If Israel decide to act against Iran this may all be academic anyway, the Middle east will be a no go for 30 odd years.
Im glad i dont live there, with all its abuses. Its a real hornets nest and to messy for f1 to get involved…
Joe,
Do you know if insurance cover is currently available for teams if they travel to Bahrain? Would the teams entertain visiting otherwise? It is likely that Bernie or the organisers might underwriter such cover to ensure the event goes ahead?
Lord James of Blackheath – 15 Trillion dollars and 750 thousand metric tonnes of gold 16th Feb 2012
I doubt there would be 750 thousand tonnes of gold in the entire world. Not saying the events didn’t happen…
For those who find that halting speech difficult to follow, there is some kind of attempt to write it up here: http://wideshut.co.uk/lord-blackheath-exposes-possible-monumental-financial-fraud/
One bit rings true, but for entirely other reasons:
““I think there are three possible conclusions that may come from it,” says Blackheath. [ . . .]
2) The Federal Reserve has gone rouge.”
which is fairly consensus opinion.
But as a conspiracy theorist, he passes little muster. Interest doesn’t work that way, is not calculated that way, 15TLN is not a big number, and swaps usually offset, and certainly we are in another phase of petrodollar printing. That oil producing nations would want to get rid of the petrodollars undermining the value of their oil, pronto, back to who sent it, is quite understandable. Al Waleed was not only thinking “bargain” by buying Citi shares, Citi was created in current form to pump currency to combat the oil crisis, and wanted to keep tabs. When Blackheath goes on about 750,000 metric tonnes of gold, a shocking number far above historic total extraction, he should read up about rehypothecation and gold loans – every last drop of collateral, any old rope in fact, gets re-used many times concurrently by many parties, to be solved in the wash of settlement. Oh, and he doesn’t even wink wink nudge nudge to Clearstream style blind wholesale transfer accounts, which would at least be a nod to a bit of genuine intrigue.
Now what is a conspiracy is who ripped the spinal columns from our politicians and diplomats.
Why does this Blackheath chap not debate a de facto conspiracy, already under investigation in multiple jurisdictions: the LIBOR rate fix. The cost of this artificial, “best guess” made up by definition of charter, rate to borrowers, being far above the market rate for decades is immense. Measured in terms of hindrance to business, it may be incalculable.
“The 60-day countdown to the three-day Formula One extravaganza got underway Monday (February 20). Excitement and anticipation is now building up, as the event, which is being held under the slogan ‘UNIF1ED – One Nation in Celebration’, promises to be another memorable occasion”
What was that thing in the FIA statutes about refraining from overtly political statements?!
Mind you, they’ve copied this slogan from 1Malaysia (despite the fact that it’s nothing of the sort) which is such a good slogan it was even the real name of Caterham F1 for the past 2 years.
Perhaps all F1-hosting nations should use this slogan. I can think of one place where ‘Testif1ed’ fits rather well. Of course, the situation in Bahrain is no laughing matter and it seems that unless there is a considerable flash point, F1 will be there, tanks ‘n all.
One Nation in Celebration. George Orwell couldn’t have said it better….
I imagine you’re on their watch list Joe, but whether you are or are not, hope you don’t have to go.
Joe I reckon Bahrain will be cancelled when all the constructors get together in Melbourne and decide that they won’t put their employees in harm’s way.
Joe’s earlier post discussing F1′s financial plight (real or imagined) may be sufficient reason for the teams to rationalize/minimize the risk and support going?
We’ve heard Bernie say it (no surprise there), Horner say it, and McLaren wouldn’t dare publicly pitch against it. Seems like a done deal.
Could the Bahraini’s have secretly sweetened the cash deal to Bernie to give him further incentive to come this year? Wouldn’t surprise me.
Bernie does not care much. He gives the money to the teams and to CVC Capital Partners. Any “incentives” or “commissions” outside the agreed arrangements would be questionable and could lead to allegations of bribery. The last thing Mr E needs at the moment is any allegation that he has been involved in bribes. It would not help him in other respects. Would it? It is possible that the Bahrainis might be willing to offer more money to ensure the attendance of the F1 teams. A “bonus” if you like. I am rather suspicious of what the teams are doing at the moment, as they are clearly all singing from the same songsheet. They are all using the same kind of expressions as well. This may be seen as a gesture of solidarity with the FIA or FOM, but they do not generally behave in this way and so I think there is some agenda that we do not know about. My view is that it is up to them to screw up the image of the sport by an involvement in Bahrain. I have said what I think and that it is not right in the circumstances. That is one opinion. They do not to listen to that. If that is what they want to do then there is not much that observers can do. The teams will suffer the consequences of their decisions. That is life.
Same hymn sheet, Joe, or is just adopting the middle name Pontius the obvious expedience?
Point being, who speaks first to object is at a disadvantage, open to opportunist attack, and so even if there is unanimous consensus, there may be a lot of “you first” being played. Then, how to word a statement? Right back to risking politicizing the subject. JT or BE are who need to speak.
I’m sorry, the whole thing, any which way I try to unravel it in my head, makes me nauseous. I fear it is a nasty little stalemate which could only be solved by the FIA saying they were misled by the Bahraini authorities something rotten, and have decided to suspend sporting activity until there is clarity. But that is a very late U turn, a resignation or several required, and withdrawing sporting links is usually a big diplomatic move. Makes me puke. Almost as much as these impromptu schoolboy fanclubs springing up in our parliament.
There is a code of ethics that covers ‘gifts’.
If they are of more than nominal value, written authorisation has to be obtained from the legal department.
Glad to hear that such things exist. Who tells the legal department what to do?
This mess, is quite a gift to the sport, then. Keeps on giving true fans queasy feelings about why they follow.
My use of the term “Cash Deal” was unfortunate; I was not intending to state or imply that Mr. E would take a bribe; the point I was attempting to make was further illuminated by Joe; an increase in CVC’s sanctioning fee for the event, and I hadn’t thought thru the chance of bonus payments to each team.
“Green” (or gold) reasons for all to want to play, damn the morals or risks.
“Now is therefore an opportune time, particularly for the Arab monarchical regimes, which still enjoy a considerable measure of public goodwill and legitimacy, to begin adopting measures that will bring about greater participation of the citizenry in their countries’ political life.”
Interpreted by this person as: We must up our welfare payments to the masses at home and at the same time, find more of those South African Solders of Fortune to send in to the neighbors back yards to kick some butt.
Nothing has changed. Money talks. As long as Bernies GV4 doesn’t get a few holes in the fuselage on take off, what does he care?
Perhaps the answers may lay with the general public. Maybe the message that should be sent that this type of human rights abuse will not be tolerated should be sent to Bernie and these poor excuse for leaders should be sent through F1′s sponsors. I know this person will NOT be watching this race and even though I am an F1 fan, I can’t in all good consensus watch a farce take place in a country that has no problem locking up doctors and nurses that believe a human life no matter who they are should be treated with dignity and deserves medical attention.
If the F1 community can look the other way and SUPPORT this by their attendance here – then I see them as no better then bystanders who watch someone get hit by a car and then walk away saying, ‘Not my problem’.
[quote]On November 23, 2011, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry released its report on human rights violations during the February and March 2011 protests, finding that the government “systematically” tortured prisoners, summarily fired Shi’ite employees and university students, and committed other gross human rights violations. One of the report’s recommendations was to allow human rights groups into the country to monitor the situation. Between Nov. 23 and the end of January, however, the Bahraini government refused entry to several international human rights groups including Freedom House, Human Rights First and Physicians for Human Rights.[/quote]
Nothing has changed.
Wait for the riots to begin with perfect timing just before this years race weekend… Oh unless they have hired twice as many South African thugs and Saudi Army personnel.
The morning papers, Bahrain uprising may lead to civil war:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=297702
Nothing has changed in Bahrain despite the medias black out of the crisis.
If F1 in 2012 goes to Bahrain it could turn out to be the biggest crisis this sport has ever witnessed in my humble opinion.
It is probably better not to quote from too many Iranian sources. They tend to be a little bit biased.
Nitpicking, but I classify such sources as fanatical religious orthodox, or revolutionary, not as Iranian. Actual Iranian thought and culture is censored, to everyone’s detriment.
Not like the BBC or SKY though Joe? There are stories r.e Bahrain opression every other day but for some reason the western media seems to deem it not newsworthy. You have to look around a bit for the inside track but at the same time I definately see your point.
Do you actually read this blog?
I was really going to stop myself from this, but changed my mind:
What the heck do we have to do to sort out a effective vassal or satrap when we have a while frigging *fleet* moored on their doorstep?
It comes back to our lack of spine.
(comes back to pre- ’79 mistakes, lost the balance there, threw away a great civilization, covered our eyes (not going to mention the art export rules which hit anyone who was from there, legit or not), scraped off a nation trying to make its way, made the most moderate as enemies, went on the emotional rebound, befriended the playground bullies, but that is also personal, as in fell for someone, once . . . and now belated, we find our love, Dear Me, maybe Iran was never such a awful place, but better go in like we have some testosterone left, beat heck out of the seductive lover who hit our girl . . )
The United Nations are now backing the return of the Bahrain GP.