That was the week

What a week it was, one of the high points being the verdict in the appeal of Paul Chambers in the long running Twitter Joke Trial. Common sense prevailed and what almost everyone in the country would agree with a threat to blow up an airport was not the intention of Paul when posting a tweet. This does really need the phrase "The Law is an ass", which it clearly is, millions of pounds in direct and indirect costs prosecuting a man not making a nuisance of any kind.

This is not all good news though when you look at it, although I am nothing but 100% pleased that he has now had his conviction lifted, there are some open questions for me. Making the same tweet and replacing "Robin Hood Airport" with "Stratford Station" at the moment would probably mean that you would be visited by the police with the Olympic security paranoia. Not entirely sure that the verdict means you can say what you like on twitter - remember there are people in prison for making pretty similar "jokes" about the riots last year.

What this final appeal did show was not the common sense of the law, but that getting very good legal people behind you means you are far more likely to be found not guilty. Very good obviously equates to very expensive. What he was very lucky with is that a lot of very rich and famous people agreed to fund all his legal costs, meaning that the high profile and legal specialists meant the verdict was ultimately going to fall his way.

Cynical?

Yes, next time you are in a hurry drive down the hard shoulder of the motorway and if you get caught just say you had diarrhoea - it worked for Alex Ferguson, not sure it would work for me or you in the local magistrates court.

The other big news of the week may have passed you by, but the Olympics has started in GB and the sports are all well underway. I stand by comments I have made earlier that the ticketing is a mess and the corporate world that the events now rely on is not the ideal situation, but the first couple of days have been excellent. The opening ceremony itself was amazingly well executed and entertaining, and the fact that it seems to have annoyed the Daily Mail means that it must have been good. 

I half watched it in the pub on Friday night but then went back and watched the whole thing, and it was superb in my opinion and that of almost everyone else. Even the most cynical of commentators clearly enjoyed it, showcasing much of what makes us great, including the ability to laugh at ourselves.

As in every event of this scale, there are empty seats clearly visible in all the events so far, much like the corporate based Club Wembley seats at every football match there, it seems that the tickets have not made it to the people who wanted to go to the events, but to people who only want to go when there is going to be a medal won. Such a shame that this just can't be managed better - letting people in on the day if the ticket holders have not arrived at the venues would ensure more actual sports fans would make it there.

So far I lost a large chunk of Saturday watching the mens cycling (after sitting down to watch 10 minutes...) and Sunday morning went on Archery and Judo. The coverage is extensive to a level never before seen, over 20 channels showing all the sports, and as always part of the fun is watching sports you would never normally look at. The sub sport of trying to understand tactics and rules is almost as much fun sometimes as the sport itself.

Yes it is corporate and there is a lot wrong with it, but the sheer volume of people stood in the pouring rain watching the womens cycling as I write this shows that it is still loved by many. Enjoy the sport for what it is, and if you are lucky enough to have corporate tickets don't spend all day in the bar - go and watch the bloody events.

Quite how we are supposed to fit work into the next few weeks I have no idea!