ONE of the downsides to being a journalist is that it can be very hard to switch off. And it's for that reason, on my week off, that the echo of Sky News can be heard around the house.
Admittedly, it's been quite a quiet news week, not surprising seeing as we're at the tail end of a bank holiday.
Two stories have dominated: China and the visit of President Sarkozy of France to these shores. Oh, and David Beckham's 100th cap which is a huge non-story if ever there was one.
Yesterday was wall-to-wall Sarkozy. Bank holiday Monday was dominated by protests at the lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece as it begins its long and lonely way to China, presumably not via Tibet.
How are these two stories linked, and why am I writing about them on a TV blog? Simple: President Sarkozy has become the first senior figure to say he may well boycott the China Olympics because of the Communist state's human rights record.
Naturally, Gordon Brown, the man whose much trumpeted "moral compass" only appears to work when money isn't involved, hasn't followed suit.
But we could, and perhaps should, follow Monsieur Sarkozy's stance. Individually, that is, not as a country.
I believe it is utterly wrong that a country which doesn't allow freedom of speech, even blocks the internet, and seems to treat human rights as an annoying distraction, has been allowed to hold the Olympics in the first place.
If nothing else, the dreadful smog there will surely lead to a serious illness in at least one athlete.
But the attitude of everyone in power appears to be that the pass the buck - So the BBC, with the broadcasting rights says "what can we do, the Government don't have a problem." The Government says "The Olympic committee have said its fine" (and, of course, with London 2012 on the horizon they wouldn't want to rock the boat) and the International Olympic Committee keeps just saying everything will be ok.
No it won't. Is everything ok in Tibet? We don't know, because our 24-hour news channels just can't get into the country because of China's lockdown. China doesn't care what the world thinks because it is rich.
So lets make a stand. Lets boycott watching the Olympics. If we all did it, would TV broadcasters be quite so quick to jump into bed with a totalitarian dictatorship in future? The BBC prides itself on being a public service broadcaster - but it still cares dearly about ratings.
Lets make this the worst-watched Olympics ever. Show no interest in it at all. Show that, from the armchair, we can show that we don't want to join in the the narrow-minded jolly that is the Olympics. Sport can be a force for incredible good. David Beckham is proof of that. Flash lifestyle aside, what other personality can give the good causes they support the instant exposure Beckham gives?
But sport, when blinded by money, can also be dangerous. Holding the Olympics in China is effectively sport's support for everything China stands for. Hitler knew that. We can't stop it going ahead, but we can make a point. If we don't watch when sport endorses offensive regimes - cricket in Zimbabwe for example - then the TV companies won't pay for the rights. In turn, the organisers will perhaps, just perhaps, show a little moral responsibility.
Gordon Brown, as prime minister, has the power to make a strong point. Hard to do without backbone and a general love of anything with a £-sign attached to it. We, however, are also in a strong position. We can vote with our remote controls.
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