News

All eyes on London in 2012

By William Hague

New Year is for many of us a time of reflection; a time to mark the passing of the old and the coming of the new. Turning the page that brings in the New Year can offer an opportunity to look forward with hope and confidence. And in Britain we have plenty of reasons to do so. Whatever else it brings, 2012 will be an historic year for my country.

Perhaps most importantly we will commemorate sixty years of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen. The Diamond Jubilee will bring with it a profound sense of the extraordinary service that the Queen has rendered this country over the years of her reign; and a chance to reflect on the progress that humanity has made during that time. Most of us in the UK have known no other monarch; and The Queen has been a source of strength and stability during times of real change. The celebrations that accompany Her Majesty's Jubilee next summer will be heartfelt.

And then, of course, the world's most extraordinary show will arrive in London for the third time. Hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games is a signal honour and we are proud to welcome the world to London to join the spectacle. This is though, not simply a celebration of and by London; in the days and weeks before the Games people across Britain will welcome new friends from across the globe to the heart of their communities as the world's athletes settle into their training camps across the country. At the heart of this is what the long term legacy of the Games can bring; connections and friendships between our towns and cities and the nations we welcome.

The year 2012 will also be the opportunity to celebrate the richness and diversity of our cultural experience as the London 2012 Festival, the finale to the Cultural Olympiad, comes to the capital. Artists from across the world will join our biggest nationwide festival -- twelve weeks of dance, music, theatre and more. We will also honour the achievements of two of our greatest literary figures, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, whose works have connected people around the world.

As we enter the New Year, I would like to invite you to join us in looking forward and discovering the many things that have made the UK a great place to live, work, study and visit. The year 2012 will offer an opportunity to explore our history and heritage, our countryside and cities, against a backdrop of cultural performances and world-class sport. Come and find out why we have four of the top ten universities in the world and research facilities that have helped us win more than 80 Nobel prizes for science and technology alone. Come and find out why the UK is the easiest country in Europe in which to set up a business. Or simply come and enjoy the spectacle. It will be quite a year. Happy New Year.

(The writer is the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom and this article was made available exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka)

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other News Articles
Govt. ready to discuss land powers for PCs
Minister seeks US$ 10 billion bailout for CPC
Conditional pardon considered for Fonseka
Tallest showpiece tower in Colombo
4 Tiger stamps in France
Online visa draws thousands
A/L fiasco: Exams chief to be questioned tomorrow
Muslim peace secretariat funds under scrutiny: Rs 45.7 m spent sans details
Govt. to intervene in ‘pension’ benefits for Lankan workers in Korea
Ministries appointed to oversee CAs of institutions taken over by Govt.
Book launch
Nuwara Eliya district prepares to face landslides
Rains ruin the chena cultivator
Education authorities flunk A/Ls
PS member’s death: Was it a killing due to an underworld clash?
Probe on for other misdeeds of four frisky cops
374 in hospital due to too much merry-making this Christmas season
Sound of axe rings death knell for Lanka’s forests
Tyre and liquor thieves nabbed after two years
The way the wind is blowing: The story behind a high-profile resignation
All eyes on London in 2012
Tangalle: Paradise lost
Buffaloes destroy crops in Kataragama village
26 new schools open in the East
Just one small school for Uchchimunai
Sampanthan assures Sampur’s IDPs of resettlement soon
When elephants fight the grass is crushed

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 1996 - 2012 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved | Site best viewed in IE ver 8.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution