British MP Richard Burden, the Labour representative for Birmingham Northfield since 1992, who was a special motorsport advisor to Sports Minister Richard Caborn in 2002 and is a big racing fan, has spoken out against the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“Damon Hill is right to call on the governing body of motor sport to rethink its decision to go ahead with this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” he said. “I say that as someone who is a motor sport nut as well as an MP with a keen interest in the Middle East. Since February last year, 45 people have died on Bahrain’s streets. The latest victim was killed by live ammunition only last week. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the cemetery near his home outside the capital, Manama and reports say riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades into the crowds. Bahrain is nothing like as bad as the terrible situation in Syria. And F1 teams do race in other countries with unenviable human rights records. But that does not mean it is right for F1 to collude in presenting to the outside world a cocooned picture of normality at the Bahrain International Circuit, when what is likely to be going on just few miles outside the circuit could be very different. No doubt the Bahrain authorities will move heaven and earth to minimise any risks to the teams taking part. But the long term damage to the reputation of F1 and motor sport in general could be considerable.”
The question that everyone in F1 is asking, but few dare to say is “What if things do go wrong? What will be the fallout for the sport?
The best case scenario is that nothing will happen and that F1 will be seen as having played a part in the unif1cation of the country. This is a very unlikely scenario given the number of Molotov Cocktails being thrown at policemen, and CS (and other nasty) gas being thrown at protesters. The protesters will see the Grand Prix as an opportunity to get their voices heard. It is, in effect, a challenge from the government. The opposition will respond to that challenge in any way that they can.
The other scenarios range from minor disruptions such as roads being blocked to stop access to the circuit and F1 people running the gauntlet backwards and forwards from their hotels on roads lined with soldiers; and move up to demonstrations disrupting the F1 grid; violent clashes between protesters and police in the circuit area; people throwing Molotov Cocktails at passing F1 people; or the real disaster scenarios such as F1 figures being kidnapped or even killed. The Bahrain government is trying to suggest that there is no problem in the country, but others in the administration have justified the use of tear gas, saying that Molotov Cocktail attacks are increasing and continuous. The race is clearly now seen as being a political event. The event should thus be stopped because to go ahead would be to breach the FIA statutes, which state that the federation “shall refrain from manifesting racial, political or religious discrimination in the course of its activities and from taking any action in this respect”. It can be argued that a race with a slogan “Unif1ed – One Nation Celebration” is a political statement in a country that is clearly divided on political and religious grounds.
This is justification enough for cancellation, but there seems to be either a determination to go ahead, or a dangerous insouciance about the possible consequences. Even if one assumes that the non-government sources are wrong and F1 is as peaceful as the race people claim, can the authorities really guarantee to protect the whole of the Formula 1 circus and any spectators (if there are any)? And what happens if F1 wanders into a real world political nightmare? The first thing that will happen in the disaster scenario is that the mainstream media will ask why F1 was there when everyone knew that there were major risks, but no-one spoke out. The teams will take criticism for not arguing against the race. Bernie Ecclestone will cop some blame because the Formula One group makes the F1 calendar and tells the teams what to do. Bernie is used to taking flak. He will survive because he can claim that the ultimate decision whether to go or not rests with the FIA.
It will be the FIA that will really be in the firing line. The mainstream press will be looking for explanations and are very likely to find things that the general public does not know regarding the influence of the Bahrainis in various motorsport companies and may conclude that a Grand Prix was deemed necessary for reasons that are not immediately obvious, perhaps seeing commercial or political reasons why the race had to go ahead.
If these details come to light, there will be interpretations that will require a lot of people to do a lot of explaining. And who is going to believe them? Some would have trouble surviving a real media firestorm.
When all of these things are taken into account, it is fair to conclude that the risks involved in going to Bahrain are colossal. While those in power in the motorsport world may want to help their allies in Bahrain to restore the reputation of the country, it is folly to try to achieve that if the country is not ready for it. This will have a knock-on effect on those who are promoting the event in Bahrain because it is their recommendation that the race go ahead and they will be held responsible by some seeking to justify their own decisions to go. That could result in the end of the Bahrain GP for ever.
Is it really worth it?
joeblogsf1 
Joe, you say that the risks involved in going to Bahrain are colossal and you ask the fair question of is it really worth it yet you have already said you will attend the race. It is not easy to understand why you will go to the race if the risks involved are really colossal. What is the point in telling us that the risks are colossal if they are not big enough to stop you going? I do not mean to criticise but say this for your own good because your words make it look like either the risks are not that great or you do not have common sense. You can not undo this as you have written it already so an explanation may help us understand this better. You really should not go to Bahrain if you think that the risks are too big and if they are not then you should not say this.
Because it is my job – and if I do something I try to do it properly. Not going to Bahrain would be very unprofessional.
Are people no longer taught in school what the social role and responsibilities of journalists are?
I ask because we constantly see the suggestion put forth that the proper course of action for Joe would be to not cover the thing. This comes from not just 1 or 2 people, but rather comes from different folks in each and every Bahrain-related thread. Thus, it appears that there is very widespread misunderstanding about the most basic, elemental facts of what journalism means. How can this be so unless the schools have somehow decided to stop teaching children the basics?
Beyond the matter of basic knowledge about journalism, it also suggests issues with critical thinking. Can anyone really believe that journalist should cover only those thing which meet their approval? Does anyone really favor the idea that journalists turn their backs on reporting the unfortunate aspects of life?
“Are people no longer taught in school what the social role and responsibilities of journalists are?”
No.
What if a doctor decided they only wanted to accept certain patients? Or a fireman would only fight certain fires?
Your logic is spot on RShack. It gives me hope that some humans still ‘get it’.
Well said.
RShack, I see you’re back to belittling those who don’t share the same views as you. Perhaps we need to check our schools are still teaching manners.
The issue here is while Joe is rightly (I think) saying how wrong it is to go, he’s going. He say’s he’s going because it’s his job. The problem is everyone is going because it’s their job to go. Generally, when the best reason people have for doing something that feels wrong is “because it’s my job”, it’s time for a rethink.
Finally there’s a lot of talk here about Joe going as a reporter and how correct it is he do so. I wonder how much his reasons for going have to do with his commercial interests in running this website and his GP+ publication etc. The rece getting cancelled would be one thing, but a race event with no GP+ may be bad (I don’t know).
Bill,
You are perfectly entitled to question whatever comes to your mind, but I for myself, having taken assignments as a photographer in the midst of really gory events, sometimes among pretty nasty people (some actually on trial for crimes against humanity) can only say this: there are jobs and jobs.
There is, IMHO, quite a difference between going to Bahrain as a, say, sponsor, PR, mechanics, driver, etc on the basis of “it’s my job” and going there as a journalist whose duty it is to report a sense of events and reality from one part of the world to another.
Joe Saward has been one of the first to question the logic of celebrating a very politically-oriented GP, to let us understand between the lines what unduly particular interests are involved in it, and to remind us of the continual conflict between the authorities in Bahrain and the majority of its people, conflict imposed mainly on sectarian terms.
Like RShack, I tend consider journalists responsibilities are worth taking some risks, as much for the body as for the soul.
But there is no belittling neither you or your views on such matters.
Bill, many good things are done eve for the ungrateful just because it is their job. That’s just economic society functioning properly. Similarly, that Joe is the only one doing his job and expressing conscientious concerns as to whether the job should be more widely undertaken is the healthy functioning of moral and practical debate which is the original purpose of his profession. So i don’t know that RShack was putting anyone down anymore than he expressed dissent towards poorly presented, disjoint and unproductive distraction from the issues Joe discusses. We might be a little partisan here, some of us, but there is ample argument why we should be, and little or none which goes against. I think it disingenuous to extract from a general position of moral support the implication you are addressed adhominem.
and, Bill, if you knew the economics and politics of advertising, you’d know that when Joe takes a stance, he is not lining his pocket. GP+ gives me hives because i can’t put my finger on the balances which should open the floodgates to yacht sailing income while keeping this human balance that though it may not sell pages, you read and others read and subscribe. Joe also cannibalises his specialist business newsletter with every other blog entry. I’d love to fix the commercial side, but my estimation is we’re doing wildly different things for possibly comparable reasons: Joe wants to change his sport for the better, whilst I seek also structural betterment of the ad game. Neither of us is likely to stop just because some money was left on a tempting but distractive deal table complete with alluring Sirens.
You insist on portraying this as a matter of opinion. It’s not. It’s a matter of fact which you seem to be unaware of. In principle, this is no different than explaining to someone who thinks the Earth is flat that they are mistaken. As with someone who thinks the Earth is flat, I wonder “How this could happen? Are the schools not teaching the very basic things?”
You are conflating the fact that many will go because it’s the job for which they are being paid with the rather different fact that journalists have social responsibilities that extend beyond their paycheck. Earlier, I had suggested that you might wish to study just a small bit on the role and responsibilities of journalists. Your responses since then demonstrate that you have chosen to not do so, which is of course your choice.
Not sure exactly what the story is in the UK, but across the ocean the role of journalists was considered sufficiently crucial to society that they have special protection that is explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights portion of the Constitution. This was done not to protect their ability to receive a paycheck but rather to ensure that society can obtain the benefit of professionals who wish to witness and then report the truth, the idea being that a well-informed public is crucially necessary for a representative democracy. (Not saying the American press actually does the job job they are supposed to do, but their ability to do their job is Constitutionally protected.)
I expect our interaction is proving to be not very productive. Perhaps we should just call it a day. You may have the last word if you wish to do so.
i’m not sure where this utopian idea of journalism comes from, but I personally don’t share it. I’ve been around long enough to see the good and bad in all professions, including journalism. To hold it up as a virtuous profession that is driven by “social responsibility” over commercial or self interest doesn’t map to what I see in the UK and have also seen in the US, Australia. So called journalists also rip people’s lives to shreds by destroying privacy and in many cases end up making the story, rather than just reporting it (the financial crisis in the eurozone comes to mind). They too probably ague they’re just doing they jobs. I think there’s a case where it’s *not* always right to do something, always right to be there or always right to write the story. However, without belittling your education or your outlook on the world as an US citizen, I totally accept you’ve had different experiences, hold different values and believe something different than me. It’s ok.
On the point, I still think an alternative (for someone like Joe) is to make a stand and refuse to be part of something he doesn’t agree with. But he’s still going and will be part of the event as if we won’t hear what happens in Bahrain (from a protest, people, human rights perspective) if he doesn’t go. Of course, if he doesn’t go, he won’t be able to write about all the fun stuff – like racing cars and F1 politics. If your point is simply that Joe is a good guy and a fine journalist, I totally accept that, he seems 100% genuine to me.
So … am I as crazy as someone who thinks the world is flat, I think not, but then I’m probably in denial or just missed a decent eduction. Perhaps you have better schools in the US?
As I said before, you can think what you wish. My job is to write about F1 races, whatever that might include. If that means that I must go into a dangerous situation then I accept that as part of the job. Would I prefer otherwise? Of course. I’m not stupid and I am not gung-ho. F1 journalists should be telling F1 that it is making a massive mistake. No-one (apart from Damon) is saying anything. Everyone is thinking it, but no-one is saying it. This is the same sort of head in the sand attitude that caused the cluster-f*ck at Indianapolis in 2005 and I am going to go on screaming whether F1 people listen or not. It is just plain stupid to screw up the sport with such behaviour.
I agree with both points. Terrorism would be very different without media reporting. Some argue it could not exist without it. Like the spectacle of the guillotine.
Likewise, if every journo and news organization refused to cover the Bahrain GP then it would influence all the ‘higher’ decision making. Unfortunately all media will have contracts with massive penalties for not performing their role, and the Bahrain protestors are actually counting on coverage to publicize their cause.
As argued earlier, ethics demand a journo cover the bad and controversial news as well as the good. But I believe Joe has a choice here of what he reports, and that makes all the difference. The power of the pen can bring down as well as build up. And those who believe that F1, and its exposure, will bring unification to a country under stress are very naive.
Time will tell if the GP helped the protestors or the govt, but either way it is a sad day when the role of F1 becomes a political weapon.
Shame on Bernie and the FIA for putting F1 and the worlds media into such a role.
“I was just following orders”. Sound familiar?
This is not a slam against the journalists like Joe, if the race proceeds they NEED to be there to report what is seen, on and off track: At considerable personal risk I might add.
But the TEAMS who will meekly participate in the fiasco unfolding in Bahrain (We had contracts, we had to follow orders) have a larger statement to make, if they withdraw the issue would be moot. STOP following orders and take a stand. Unity will produce a cancellation, and the only issue that could possibly unite these self centered entities is the threat against their personal safety.
Regardless of the issues of the moment, don’t go until a modicum of REAL stability can be demonstrated.
What’s the point???
Some people will just never get it. What does a reporter do if he/she cannot report. If there is trouble or if peace, love and happiness breaks out we would not know unless there was someone there to report the facts.
Keep up the food work Joe and take care.
This situation reminds me of a story that the great photographer Arnold Newman told when he visited my school many years ago. In 1963, Newman – a Jew – was asked to do a portrait of Alfred Krupp, a Nazi war criminal. He was torn between what he considered his journalistic duty (and yes, that included his commercial interests) and his loathing of Krupp. Should he accept the commission or not? He consulted a Rabbi whom he admired greatly, and was told, “as a man, you say no. As a Jew, you say no. As a photographer, you say yes.”
He said yes. Anyone who has seen the portrait knows the value of bearing witness.
Good luck Joe, and be careful.
For anyone else who, like me, has a sudden desire to see this photograph, it can be seen here.
Thanks Sheep – I should have thought to post a link!
Your view on the wisdom of the race at Bahrain has been consistent and sensible. This huge exercise is being carried out purely to satiate greed.
Technically a cancellation is the responsibility of the FIA but the real power lies with the owners of the commercial rights who are usually hidden behind Mr Ecclestone. One wonders at their want of judgement at a time when they hope to recover a very large sum of money from refinance of the sport.
regards, keep up the good work Joe
As long as the TV cameras are pointed at the track, and the track is enclosed by a ring of soldiers and tanks… then the wider world will be none the wiser. And Bernie will get his millions.
Then everyone’s happy! /s
You really think that all the cameras will be pointed at the track? What about the panoramic helicopter shots? I can see it now; FP1 has just started, and the helicopter cameraman pans to the far reaches of the track, where, on the horizon, smoke is rising. Everyone will know what that is, won’t they? All it takes is one visitor, or attendee, with a video smartphone and pictures will get out. As if the wider world will be none the wiser; I think they are.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see the helicopter shots mysteriously absent this time round, if it actually does go ahead.
Not just for the reasons you state, but just in case the opposition has somehow managed to get hold of a grenade/rocket launcher…
And following on from that, it occurs to me that with no helicopter, I believe there’ll be no onboard shots either, unless Bernie’s resurrected his fibre ring system (I’m out of touch these days with the details of the current system).
The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin revisted?
One worries that it’s going to be more like the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Exactly.
I don’t think they should go. Replace it with a race close to the teams homes and sell the tickets at cost, it might be a good chance for a track in france to step up, Bahrain will still have to pay their fee so no one will lose out.
Formula 1 doesn’t need to get involved, its a weekend of entertainment that could turn in to a worldwide tragedy story.
how difficult could it be to rearrange?
Excellent post.
Of course there are risks . . . the British Foreign office is advising against travel to Bahrain and in particular for people to avoid ‘large crowds’. Hmmmm. This is not about politics. The fact is, personal safety cannot be guaranteed for any fan or anyone in the F1 circus.
Criticism of Bahrain is muted in the international press and local reporting is discouraged. I don’t think anyone has an informed view of what the risks are. Which is why it is irresponsible for the race to go ahead.
Maybe nothing happens . . . and I’m sure security will be tight and brutal. But it can take just one person or one small incident to inflame dissent. We had the ‘austerity suicide’ which sparked riots in Greece this week. Now I read that the daughter of the Bahrain Hunger Striker has just been thrown in jail. Martyrs can be very galvanising to any cause.
It’s ill-advised. And I see Damon has already jumped ship. I’m sure he’s thought about the ‘what if’ scenario too.
The whole thing is a farce. Polls on Autosport show that 68% of the fans think that the race will be cancelled before, during or after the Chinese GP weekend. Speculation about such a move has been in the press for more than two weeks. If the fans are right the late cancellation has only one reason. Bernie wants to avoid to run a replacement race. With five or six weeks before the race date the race could have easily transferred to Istanbul Park. It is a fantastic track that deserves to be on the calendar. But the teams and Bernie would have expenses. So they pretend that all is ok and cancel so late that a replacement isn’t feasible.
I think that we must all pay attention to the frequent strident statements and superb leadership of M. Todt on the matter.
To make an excruciating pun: Sleeping tiger, invisible president. (you will be aware of Todt’s girlfriend’s major film role).
Jean Todt’s silence is deafening.
I can’t remember if his son, Nicolas, has any association or sponsorship deals with Middle-Eastern entities. Can anyone confirm?
That is a question that people will be asking if there are any incidents in Bahrain. They will also be asking who owns McLaren.
Good grief I’d forgotten about the McLaren shares. This is madness, pure madness. Do the shareholders not realise the greater risk they are making in placing their product in such dangerous territory?
Well it’s worth it to them isn’t it? They’re losing money everyday right now whereas if they can play it off that everything is fine and dandy by holding a Grand Prix they will benefit
Good question
“Is it really worth it?”
Only if you’re as avaricious as Ecclestone… or if you’re a member of the ruling family, or commander of the US 6th fleet.
To play Bernie’s advocate here a second, this is just another race, another venue for him. True he is friends with the King and the Crown Prince, but that’s not unusual. Bernie makes friends wherever he needs to for business, these are quite different from personal friends for whom the circle of admissions is relatively few.
It would be inconvenient to have to scrap the race again because of local unrest, but he will do so if it is necessary. How does he judge it it’s necessary? He asks the people he knows in the country, plus his other advisers if the race can be held safely, if so then it’s still on.
This is just one of many deals he has on the go, his mind is in next year and onwards now, this was fixed, done and dusted long ago, but it has come back to life again. Will the Bahrainis cancel? If so they loose the fee, Bernie keeps it. If not, then if an outside agency (eg the UK or other government) says one should not travel there, then insurance policies become invalid then he will cancel but then it’s force majeur, who keeps the fee, will be in the contract in that event.
Ok officially it is the FIA, but we all know that it is effectively Bernie who decides on venues and the number of races. Obviously Bernie will avoid being the one to cancel.
For Bernie this is a venue, there are lots of others to be getting on with. Local politics are incidental unless they interfere with the race. However he has recently been a bit out of character and said that he didn’t mind F1 being used to unite the country. Bahrain has gone to town on this and all their government web sites have the Bahrain UniF1ed headers. So he has rather got too close to the issue and will find it very difficult to pull out now.
Unfortunately this association has given the opposition a visible target which was not officially there before.
It seems utter folly to be going there to me. I can understand why Bernie is keen to go – pounds make prizes and the middle east is a very important market for F1.
It’s a shame they didn’t look for an alternative – like they did with Donington in 1993. But under current rules, we would probably end up at that Gawdawful Aiieeka place in Japan.
Aida?
Honestly, the fallout could be massive. F1 might be a powerhouse but it only takes a few mis steps to bring something down, just ask the banks or car industry in the US.
…or indeed Gerald Ratner…
Yesterday here in the US, I listened to a BBC World Service interview related to the wisdom of proceeding Grand Prix, in which a Bahraini government official stated to the effect and to the best of my recollection, “We cannot allow a minority to dictate. After all, the demonstration only involved 50,000 people and that’s nothing like a majority of our population of 700,000(?).” The interviewer was apparently speechless and immediately terminated the interview.
That’s 7% of the population. In the US it would be the same percentage if you included all the people in every city over 1,000,000 in population. It’s hard to imagine the government would say everything is ok.
Jean Todt does not seem unintelligent, but the position she is allowing himself to be placed in are not congruent with the actions of a smart person, I have great respect for the man but last year he allowed himself to be cornered into a position where it seemed like he was at fault for not digging deeper into the whole situation and taking a stance at an earlier time. It seems this year history is repeating itself.
It would seem like he’s been chosen to be left holding the bag and he’s letting it happen. Then again maybe there are some personal interest that are overriding his judgment.
It’s obvious that even the majority of the people in the paddock have fears about going to Bahrain, but as long as the leadership of the teams, FOM and the FIA remain silent no one will dare speak out in public. Only thing about a late call to cancel the race (first cargo should land in the desert in 9 days) that hasn’t been discussed is that public opinion will surely turn against F1 too : money rules and ethnics are second to that. Which ever way this unfolds publications will be negative. Bernie knew this a long time ago and thinking of running in Bahrain is purely a money based decision….
With all the bad things and the bad situation in Bahrain, I’m wendering why no one mention anything about the existing of forign army troops in Bahrain?
That is enough to say that situation in Bahrain is not normal.
So money trumps human rights. What else is new? Keeps people busy, I guess…
are not rights free, until you need to enforce them?
One of my pet ideas is that in commercial law, when you win a case, your award should be provided with a loan guarantee of the same amount backed by the crown. This would in one fell swoop mean petty thug like business people who live protected by the cost hurdle of accesx to justice, would be right up against it. Note i did not say the claim should be funded, only you prevent the commonest of problems:good cases not brought against fly by nightsm duckers and divers, and very big companies who habitually act illegally but if ever they loose bankrupt the claimant in appeals. Claims awarde by thd majesty of office interpteted by a honoyrable judge ought bear a guarantee. Maybe i csn get tne numbers, but for most claimants i have known, thag court seal and stamp in their favor soon carries the mark of false promise. Just one small apolitical idea by which some trust in authority may be repaired.
“Because it is my job – and if I do something I try to do it properly. Not going to Bahrain would be very unprofessional.”
Joe, I respectfully disagree. Morals should come before work (whether it is for money or not). If you strongly disagree that it is not moral (or safe) for the race to take place then you should not go. No one is forcing you to go somewhere unsafe and you do not need to do so for your job. I am old enough to remember the ITV anchormen who were in a studio far from the race so you could follow their lead if you REALLY feel it is not safe or not moral.
The problem that I have with the race in Bahrain is that money is coming before morals. Bahrain needs the race to take place to improve its public image and image is money.
Attendance at the race is a very serious decision for the media to make. They are not forced to go and do not have to do it as part of their job so if they really believe it is not safe or moral they should not go. If they go then they should not continue to say how unsafe or immoral it is.
Personally I believe that the media could be easy targets even if there is no big violence or firebombs. Do you want to put your work before personal safety? I do not think you should but it is your decision.
You do not understand journalism
So Matt are you going to watch the race?
Matt, by your reasoning, journalist should never go and see the likes of FARC to report about them etc. and should stay away from war zones .
I ask you, who then would bring the world real unbiased information about what is going on in Bahrain? The FIA, Bernie, or the Bahrain promotors? The teams who have been completely silent on the matter for fear of getting into trouble with the powers that be? Or should we rely on tweets being posted by drivers, by fans (however improbable that they would like to get in there right now) and by the protesters themselves?
Even the rude muppets at the site I don’t go to any more are saying the race shouldn’t go ahead
but, Dale, doctors have been all my life good and bad, and sadly i encountered far more who judged by presumption social or othersise before even contemplating prognosis. Most professions cast themseves in a publicly promoted ermine of righteousness, ideals to be brandished, not practiced. I was not very young by the time i truly worked this out, understood it. Oh, theoretically of course i could undefstand it, but allow i grew up selling advertising . . It just didn’t sink in until too recently because i mostly existed in a self fulfilling mobius land of ideas pushed around those who by accident or privilege would not have to be consequent themselves. In my story, i was learning about human negligence the hard way, victim of carelesnesses which have true scandal in them, but reacted at first like my dad taught me, to look at the sky reflected in the puddle. So i had two distinct shocks, the first a reality, the second a dispair of humanity. I got by, dug deep and decided instead i had to fix me, find a better and sounder way to live my life. Three shock, then. Local GP/MD gave ny mum a partial antibiotic course just recently. I believe promoting antibiotic resistance negligently should carry a automatic prison term. We live near new not surviveable strains of TB, cases arising round corner of the olympic site. This same practice last year told me to my face my current passport was unacceptable ID. That same day was told the same thing by the tube cashier as i was changing a season ticket. I had a foolscap of other ID on me.
I confess to being an idealist, and a bit ivory tower. I only just trimmed the word research postfix my company name. But ideals need not be impractical, in fact i think most ideals arise from or are at minimum informed by what works. The only value we leave behind is accumlatec, preferably distilled, knowlege. It is possible to reduce extensive experience into ideals, yet somehow we all want to expand the equation of life to test it!
A malaise i see lately is governmengs have extended arbitrary powers almost down to rank and file. This is destructive of authority in the end because you cannot expect functionaries to consult higher authority once they taste summary powers.
Casf in point: every act and decision i have read forbids my dear absent neighbors from renting to 10 persons appartments under the act may accomodate 4. For very real reasons of safety and to prohibit unlicensed hotels. But our council, LBGH, have issued a waiver.Pretth good and sure that is illegal. So we suffer risks and already our block is a mess of amateur building work.
A good doctor one is also recent: my beloved askef to be tested if she carries an inheritable disease. “No. You don’t have it” she was told by a strange new doctor. Easily sorted, she called to the right hospital department, and routine got her checked and cleared.
The fish rots from the head. That explains to me why good authority is breaking down. Also whh Damon speaking out was so vital and important for this sport. The way he spoke illustrates very well in mirror image the problems we have in politics in general.
Apols for typos, my phone is trying to wrestle with me . .
reason why i encountered more bad doctors is the same as winnowing job applicatiins, you shoulcs be looking good fit, but the hurdle so few could leap was entertaining i might know something about my healh. I was walking in with full or very little missing of my records, trying to find someone who understands that backpain for me and i’m not alone, recurs noften unpredictably and infrequently but if you get it you need help. You see back trouble i think is the no.1 blague to to get dissbility allowance. So even bringing neurologist reports was treatec with disdain. Oh and my first injury was treated with, let’s just say 70’s medicine, so have a tolerance that out of context coould also arise from abuse. But rarely did any talk get to me saying whh i was there. Qualified men, paid some of the best wages on the planet, 500k us currency is not unusual, and whole setup is if you imagine the clerk or receptionist at a sharp and slick used car lot could have your hire purchase, drivers license, credit check all before you get slimy glad handed by a salesman .
This does reflect the way too many governments act. It’s not new, far far from new, but once you cease to convey your purpose or decline to engage in any function of your office you create disarray and endanger your charges. Loose talk cost lives, and i mean here morr lives lost in a miasma of futility because they are denied leadership. It should be a human right to be led by good leaders. That can be in any walk of life, even reading about racing and saying that is not tugging my forelock, just expressing a choice i could carefully make, the kind of which is absent or very hard in broadly more important aspects of life. I abhor politics because it has a habit of presenting false choices so that whatever you chose is unrelated to the decision, and kn this way you are absolved of blame as a mirror in which the man you elected can wash himself also because he was busy with something else.
Damon Hill got it right. He did not need to come out redfaced because he was tticked, he went off to have a proper think. Some might believe he waited too long, or was a last minute nearly too late volte face. But if you think carefully about how he timedhis interview,you’d not think he was being scalded amateur, but that he worked very hard to time and deliver a meaningful position with great skill. The news cycle didn’t force him, but he used it, followed what happened and slotted in just when on one side we’re all in love with surprisd race results, on the other, questioning morals in the sport and in particular, putting his position just at the moment the razzzle dazzle of a imaginary new concorde has worn off. Oh, might be accident, but i remember others crashing him, not Damon screwing up solo.
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I’m extra long winded today, please forgive me, i just cannot edit on this device and i’d usualy havd a a flow and that is how i avoid dulk treatise. I normally throw away half at leasg before i type because tha can keeep my voice better pitched. Writing on a Nokia N8, i mean trying to wrth flow, is a regrettable unworkable experience. Maybe one word a minute because tired i constantly his escape or modifier keys, start again i think this sign off parz took 40 minutes to enter and i also wantec to see if i cou.d ”wrie out loud” on this. No. Other timed i usef tne phone my thoughts were peformed now even the typo words have been tried to be corrected because this super fasg device just slows to molassass, awul typinb delay deathyy to touch typinb. I only kept going beause Damon is front of my mind now a a futre hope for governance
the possible bug which means my post is not a nested reply to Dale above may be specific to hoe Opera Mini relies on the paged being rendered and compressed by Opera’s otherwise excellent “turbo mode”. I have not had the same glitch on Opera Mobile for Symbian. To make the report i need to be set up with some good tests, load the emulator on the pc, or dump what my phone talks connecting to wifi using wireshark.
Reason mentioning this again, is that despite the enourmous sales, i’m yet to find a tablet that allows a browser which won’t adulterate websites annoyingly. I keep looking at ipads and the like. Thing is i can get a top end 12” Thinkpad for not much more, not a vasg extra weight, less than 2 pounds and easilh 10 h
ours battery. okay, model i want has screen good to read i proper summer sun and is much more expensive, think three ipads. They might have sold me one if you didn’t really need reseller advice to suss which moddl you need, e,g, if worldwide same day warranty that’s one SKU. Just every variation multiples the headache. No sir, you may not have the best warranty anc best screen, without the fastest i7 processor, which processor is a 500 buck option. Gah! Steve Jobs at least allows you to buy his goods. You can have your own account manager at Dell and still you’re not spared stock code config hell.
F1 needs to simplify like Jobs did. We preseng too much complexity. Think of it this way: list how many people write about F1 and make it intelligable to you? However manh on your list that number is one or two orders too small to get word out on all the inticacies that make us tick to our race tock.
I’ll give you a way to drop costs and simplify especially the general commentary: freeze all development work for a year. Let design and test continue, a big block of track time and to level it a bit, no-one may run more than 150% of the least tested car. Make those days free, require each team run a hopeful in addition to their tesr or friday driver. Draw which hopeful runs with which team by lottery. Now because development is for the next year, it is not so trade secret risky to let new boys at it. Now you can work on concepts for longer you can conceive them with the advantage time. Or fool yorself the better, but any way now the fast turn manufacture isn’t gobbling budget. Talented engineers can work normal hours again. Make these tesg a fred spectator event, saying “this is how we ein next year”
trying to write on this tiuchsvreen is sapping my positivity or i’d expandon tnat but musg stop, driving me nuts this rig. I shall be getting something with z keyboard for sure, not a apple!
j
Be safe joe, if you must go, you must go. I know you proffesionalism is truly valid. Please write up on your experiences and the real situation there…thanks joe…
How many of the folks reading and commenting here are going to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix? I’m not. That’s the only viable action for me. Join me.
Joe your comments are spot on “again”, there will be much minutia flying if this event goes pear shaped and at what cost! and to whom! It is ridiculous that Mr. E & the FIA are really pushing the envelope and staying the course!
I would not expect any fan to travel to Bahrain to support any event knowing the history of events in this area in the last twelve months.
F1 should stay away, there is always next year!
Roger, i think you have it by saying there’s always next year. We already have a collective headache, but noone is out of love with the good reasons for going. Simple, then, “not tonight darling, i have a headache”. Not a painful thing to say, even if said a bit late. The kiss and cuddle of the last months ought to be enough to show we care.
My abject apols for my typo fest above. I think i found a bug in Opera Mini which happens after about 100 words and gets it all going silly and interrupting the keyboard.
You do not understand journalism…
Joe, I think in all your concern about Bahrain you have lost sight of the purpose of your job. You are not obliged to go to Bahrain and it is not essential to your job. If you had no choice but to go to Bahrain for the race then there would never have been any question about your attendance there and you would have never needed to confirm that you are going there.
The truth is that you do have a choice and, unlike for example the drivers, it is not essential to your job to be there even if you think it is. Maybe you are so good at your job that it has put you so close to the situation that you have lost perspective on this. To give an outsider’s perspective it is obvious thay it is not essential to your job to go to Bahrain for the race because you told us in February that people had been asking you if you will go to the race and you said you will wait and see. If it was essential to your job then you would have had no choice but to always say that if there is a race you will be going because you can not do your job without it.
Joe, if what you have been saying really is true and it really is too dangerous to visit Bahrain then you have no choice but not to go. You are not a war correspondent so you do not have to be there. If you do decide to visit then thankfully it can not be so dangerous that it puts you off and that is the most important thing because no one here wants to see you harmed.
Bahrain is turning into a yearly – will it, won’t it – press fest. No publicity is bad publicity UNLESS people are getting killed, and in Bahrain they are. It should be taken off the calendar entirely, until the troubles are over…. If I was cynical I could almost believe it had been dreamt up by a PR guru (with horns).
Joe,
Do you know if you’ll be subject to any reporting restrictions if the race goes ahead?
Here’s something on this subject it’s pretty hard to watch and this what is really going on Bahrain. I here because ML at PitPass and I’ll be back.
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/4/6/shouting_in_the_dark_film_chronicles
does anyone really think that by not holding an F1 race it is going to make any difference at all….apart from a few lines in the press?
F1 is being ‘used’ by a minority to promote themselves. F1 should not be involved in any political processes, especially in areas of the middle east. they should simply go to bahrein, race, and then leave as was the original intent.
all this talk of ‘image’ is just scapegoating, in the real world of business/entertainment. if people say that they won’t watch the race as a protest then that is their prerogative, pointless though it is. a race is a race is a race.
If the race goes ahead, most F1 fans as well as I will watch. Therefore please go and let us get some honest jornalist reports
Is it plausible to relocate the race to Qatar?
No
Great coverage of the Bahrain situation, I’ve been following it since last year.
Have you seen this video Joe? It is worrying!
“Bahraini people are rejecting Formula One race, in a massive march (April 6, 2012) because Bahrain revolution is not over, and the blood of people are still ongoing, Al-Khawaja (human rights defender) in poor health status”