I think Boris Johnson completely mucked up by looking untidy (compared to the mayor of Beijing) and waving when he wasn't supposed to. I also think that our National Anthem was sung entirely out of tune and therefore made it sound awful. when it is played again for the opening ceremony in 2012 it would be better played and sung as it was at the edinburgh tattoo. Apart from that the rest was a complete success. the music played when the bus entered the stadium and when chris hoy and two others cycled round on bikes was surperb and displayed british musical culture.

I agree with a statement from a newspaper that London´s handover ceremony was like "blowing in fresh air into the bird´s nest". Although the Chinese part was (too?) perfect and perhaps therefore a bit mechanical, the air was thick because there had to be political correctness that needed a fresh British blow-in...