It isn't a shock that sportsmen cheat

The news today of widespread drug use involving scientists, coaches and players in Australia has been labelled as 'shocking'.  I couldn't agree less. It is a widely held belief - backed up by more than a few rumours regarding some - that top sports stars in the UK are just as guilty.

What I do agree with is this report in the Sydney Morning Herald which says the report "points the finger of blame" at the administrators of the sports. For too long sports all around the world - which are multi-million dollar/pound/euro businesses are run as if we are still in the amateur era. The result: none are willing to take responsibility and get their house in order. Many draw comfort that a scandal of the magnitude of Lance Armstrong hasn't happened to them. Yet.

Some may say that the disclosures are too vague and now leaves a shadow over all of Australian sport. For a country where sport and competing is at the heart of their national identity let us hope this isn't the case. Instead the authorities need to take firm, rapid action and follow up on their initial ground-breaking investigation. Sponsors should reward those sports that embrace change and transparency.

It should now be the turn of other countries to follow the lead set by Australia. They have been brave and should be commended for it. This isn't merely a few individuals less willing to work hard to make the most of their talents but criminal activity of huge proportions. If it is happening in Australia it is happening in the UK too.

Julian Assange is no hero

The Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is trending worldwide on Twitter as I write in reaction to the news that broke last night (UK time) that he was seeking political asylum inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Swedish prosecutors want to question him over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers. Mr Assange denies any wrongdoing and his lawyers have fought against his extradition since his arrest in Britain in 2010 which he has every right to do.

It is ironic however that a man who has made his name campaigning for transparency should attempt to run away from clearing his name through the courts by seeking asylum in the way he has. Twitter reaction includes a lot of people who are painting Assange out to be a hero and some kind of political freedom fighter. This is further illustrated by the front page of the Wikileaks site which counts how many days Assange has been in custody without charge - failing to mention that this is because he has been fighting extradition from the UK to Sweden during this time, so by delaying any formal proceedings.

Assange's innocence or guilt must be decided by the courts in the proper way. The allegations against him are too serious for this not to happen. Those who are portraying him as a hero base this on the work of Wikileaks over the past few years. They are wrong to do so in this current context; Julian Assange is not above the law and must be extradited to Sweden.

The difference between the UK and France

In France the head of state travels around in a family hatchback for state occasions:

In the UK, HM The Queen rides in the back of Irish State Coach built in 1851:

Britain is fat and lazy

Earlier this year David Cameron made a speech assessing the UK’s place in the world. I made an impassioned plea as to why our place in the world matters and concluded by saying:

“Pragmatism coupled with innovative thinking led by inspirational and ground breaking ideas backed up with a bit of bulldog spirit. It is what has defined this country and how we have helped define the world. Long may it last.”

So how do you think I felt earlier this week when a friend told me bluntly, “Britain has got fat and lazy. It lacks ambition, its people lack ambition. Compare the Brits today with those who built the empire or won the Battle of Britain. You guys are in terminal decline”. This came from someone who is a senior advisor to a Commonwealth Government and is very pro-British. He wasn’t being vindictive but merely stating his view as a regular visitor to these shores. His criticism was about individuals as well as our public sector, our outlook on life as well as our ambition.   

Our discussion then led to the days of empire, the fantastic developments this brought to the world – including his country - and the kind of men and women that spread out across the world to find their fortune or make a difference, in doing so, benefiting not just themselves but all of Britain and often the wider world.

I know there was horrible poverty and social issues in Victorian Britain. There were also amazing people looking to take a chance in search of fame and fortune or adventure. My point here is do we create global leaders in their chosen fields anymore? Are there enough school leavers and graduates trying to be global leaders? Are we motivated to by our teachers, politicians or role models? Do enough of us take a chance, a leap of faith, a gamble that might make a difference?

From my friend’s point of view there aren’t. We have become a risk-averse nation verging on being timid. Too many in Britain today have horizons that don’t even extend beyond their own neighbourhood. There are generations of families who have never been in employment. In many ways we have become too comfortable, the welfare state too accommodating, opportunities too few and far between, our role models too often soap stars rather than entrepreneurs. The result: our lives are rarely tested. When they are – dealing with the 7/7 bomb attacks or fighting in Afghanistan – acts of courage can be found. For this we should be grateful. But why are extraordinary deeds largely only found in times of adversity?  

It would be fantastic if more people tested themselves by starting businesses, pursuing careers in science, research, engineering, medicine or our culture celebrated success rather than sneering at it. Then ambition wouldn’t be a dirty word and more people would have ambitions beyond becoming a celebrity. Perhaps then the world will look to us in the way it used to, once we are fat and lazy no more.

Why Britain's place in the world matters

Nick Robinson is a great broadcaster but generally his blogs aren't really up to much. I know he was named Blogger of the Year but they were wrong and I am right. Anyway, today he has lived up to his title and delivered a great blog - the first in a two part series with the second tomorrow - analysing Britain's place in the world ahead of the PM's Mansion House speech.

We've punched above our weight for decades - arguably ever since the Second World War - ever since Winston Churchill's sheer force of character allowed us to cling onto the top table of diplomacy and be labelled a 'great power'. We haven't been a Superpower since long before Churchill became PM; although that didn't stop him wishing and acting like we still were.

Britain hasn't really been able to truly influence how the world thinks, how it acts or how it develops without the help of an ally for over 100 years. So why does it matter? Why should we matter?

First, the diplomatic top table and acting like we belong there. We have managed to keep our place here, just about, until now. We're a player at globally important summits - the G20, on the UN Security Council - but it is increasingly difficult. We should do all we can to make it last and, while we are there, make ourselves heard. The world is changing, but it has always been changing. The question that has always really mattered is who is driving that change.

In the last century Germany twice and the Soviet Union for 50 years tried to enforce change on other people. Britain's place in the world - and the ideas we have exported -allowed us to prevent this change happening. I admit, without the help of the United States, we wouldnt have been able to prevent irreversible and catastrophic change being forced upon the world. However, the ideas that drive America were founded in Ancient Greece but finessed in this country.   

Second then is ideas. Ideas nurture humanity and make the weak strong. Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters are a present day example of this. Brits have always been good at ideas. We've - on the whole - been on the side of the righteous when other countries have lost their way. Perhaps this is natural for a country that gave the world John Stuart Mill, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Without them modern democracy and human society wouldn't be as it is.     

Third, invention. We have a proud record of shaping the world in which we live. Imagine a world without the seed drill, the telescope, the Internet, the telephone, the television, penicillin or football. Agriculture, space exploration, how we communicate, how we are entertained, how we cure and Saturday afternoons would be simply unimaginable.

David Cameron has been criticised as being void of an idea that drives him. That debate is for another day. What David Cameron does have in his favour is he is a pragmatist. That is the fourth and final point as to why we matter. Our best leaders have been pragmatic about what is achievable and, perhaps more importantly, what is not. This has allowed us to cling on to our place in the world.

Pragmatism coupled with innovative thinking led by inspirational and groundbreaking ideas backed up with a bit of bulldog spirit. It is what has defined this country and how we have helped define the world. Long may it last.