Indeed, at the risk of mixed seasonal messages, there's a pronounced spring in our steps with today's announcements.
Ruth Mackenzie's appointment as our Director of the Culture represents a profound investment in the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme and the level of ambition we all have for it. Her track record and stature in the UK cultural sector speaks for itself.
I'm equally thrilled that such an outstanding pool of talent is joining Ruth and the current LOCOG Culture team, who together can build on the existing acheivements to mount a cultural festival that will do justice to London and the UK's cultural sector.
As some of the media have pointed out, we've not rushed this appointment, but now the full package has been announced I hope its clear that we took out time in order to go for the best. And with just less than 1,000 days to go before the Games the timing feels absolutely right to up our game, and reinforce the team as we get into the detailed planning for 2012.Although some of it may still be below the surface, many of the foundations are in place for Ruth to build on. All around the UK cultural projects inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are already taking shape or under way – and many more are in the planning stage. Over 150 'Inspire mark' projects have already joined the Cultural Olympiad in every nation and region of the UK – and in just about every artform.
Three of our flagship major projects have been announced and are up and running. Others will follow shortly. Over our first two 'Open Weekends' more than one million people have engaged in cultural events which look forward to London 2012.
In BP and BT we have two outstanding Premiere Partners for the Cultural Olympiad and recent investments by the Olympic Lottery Distributor and Legacy Trust UK mean that more than eighty million pounds is being invested in the programme. The Cultural Olympiad Board, chaired by Tony Hall, represents a powerhouse of the UK’s key cultural figures all backing Ruth and our augmented Cultural Team.
It seems that there is a priority of thinking in economic categories today without recognizing the importance of culture that stands in the centre of world conflicts according to the analysis of the so-called "clash of civilizations" in a multi-polar world.
Characteristic for British culture is a plurality of identities; people often do not have a clear identity according to their biographies, but something like a "patchwork" identity that they are searching in a common point of reference, the cultural traditions.
It is to point out how these diverse identities come together: They are united by the British tradition of liberalism that emhasizes individuality.
The London characters during the Handover segment 2008 in Beijing visualised that. Anyway, the UK would most probably not identify with ceremonies that are an overdone show with displays of masses.
The criteria for staging cultural events should be creativity and originality and not the scale.
The beauty that is shown during the Olympic ceremonies requires furthermore an equivalent on an ethical level: It can´t be said that the hosting country provides a relaxed atmosphere for the athletes when there are restrictions like media censorship, the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembling in the public. It would be false to ignore these facts just because of a bombastic show.
´Culture` is not supposed to be a product of an official propaganda in this context, it is not only a stimulus for having fun and entertainment, it has also a critical function as a mirror of the social and political situation of a country.