UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Former PM Liz Truss calls the 2012 Olympics “elitist,” saying it ignored rural voices, reversing her earlier praise of the ceremony’s unity and spirit.
As reported by The Telegraph, Liz Truss has slammed the London 2012 Olympic ceremony for not representing the views of most Britons.
Liz Truss’s views on the 2012 Olympics ceremony
The ex-prime minister claimed the 2012 Olympics reflected the views of a London-based elite that disliked Britain, despite her earlier praise in 2013.
During an interview with US commentator Ben Shapiro, Ms Truss accused the elites of suppressing voices from rural areas and small towns across the UK.
On his show, Ben Shapiro asked the former Tory leader questions about the 2012 Olympics ceremony in London.
He asked,
“Can there be a restoration of a true pride in what Great Britain was and should be in the middle of this bizarre sort of melange of multiculturalism that has taken over London?”
Ms Truss responded,
“The views expressed in the Olympic ceremony are not the views of the average Briton. The problem is we have an elite that hates Britain, and they have done so for some time, that is the history of people like Jeremy Corbyn [and] Keir Starmer.”
She said,
“They want to help the human rights of anybody who doesn’t live in Britain, but they’re very reticent about actually defending our own interests.”
The former PM added,
“We need to galvanise the people who are patriots in our country, but they have been neglected. They generally don’t live in London. They live in small towns, and they live in rural areas. They don’t have much of a voice. And what is happening is the elite are trying to suppress those voices.”
How did Liz Truss previously praise the 2012 Olympic ceremony?
Liz Truss had praised the 2012 Olympic opening, just before her appointment as education minister under David Cameron.
In a speech in 2013, she stated,
“Last summer’s Olympics opening ceremony seamlessly combined Isambard Kingdom Brunel and William Shakespeare, Tim Berners-Lee and Mary Poppins.”
In 2019, Ms Truss added, “I think we need to revive what I call the Olympics 2012 spirit [with] a modern, patriotic, enterprising vision of Britain and we need to use Brexit to achieve that.”
Themes of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony
Danny Boyle directed the London Olympics opening ceremony. It drew the attention of around 900 million viewers worldwide. The ceremony featured a cameo by Queen Elizabeth II alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond.
The late Queen and Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, parachuted into the stadium. The Queen wore the same clothes she had on when she met Bond at Buckingham Palace.
The London event showed famous things like Peter Pan, the movie Chariots of Fire, and songs like Jerusalem and Danny Boy. The ceremony honoured NHS staff, including performers in nurse uniforms and white coats.
Olympic ceremony in London
The Olympics have been held in London three times:
- 1908 Summer Olympics
- 1948 Summer Olympics
- 2012 Summer Olympics
Liz Truss’s mini-budget
Liz Truss became Prime Minister in 2022 but quickly faced heavy criticism for her mini-budget. It included £45 billion in tax cuts without a clear funding source. This raised the fear of rising government borrowing costs.
Her budget caused the pound to fall sharply and forcing the Bank of England to step in.
Critics said the tax cuts mainly benefited the wealthy and failed to help average families. Ms Truss also sidelined independent watchdogs, which damaged the public’s confidence.