SETTING AN EXAMPLE..

`Awesome` is another word that is too often misused, especially in America and the less literate of our own sub-cultures.   But yesterday, awesome was the only word to describe the fortitude of Ben Parkinson as he carried the Olympic Torch through the streets of Doncaster.   Ben, of course, suffered terrible injuries when a roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of both legs, a broken back, hips, ribs and brain damage.

Now, there has rightly been extensive coverage of Ben`s heroic effort, but watching his latest personal triumph yesterday, a couple of things occurred to me.   The first was how much more fitting it was to have a real life local hero having the honour of carrying the torch than it was to have it carried by imported corporate placemen and Z list celebrities and how, in the 27 minutes that Ben struggled through his part of the relay yesterday, he had rescued just a little of the spirit that should be behind the Olympic ideal.

The next was that, rather than our outdated and abused honours system showering gongs on time serving bureaucrats, political inadequates and assorted `celebrities` in a quest for populist support (Blair/Ferguson anyone?) it would be far better for the country to restrict its honours to those such as Ben Parkinson who, by his heroics in Afghanistan and in his determination to overcome extreme disability, has set a truly awesome example for us all.