Pole Position

There was a time when Britain was literally the most powerful country on earth. We ruled the waves through a combination of relentless administration and brutal suppression. Fortunately, we live in more enlightened times. Since the mid twentieth century, the British empire has gradually been dismantled and Britain has tended more towards its place in the world as a country of middling global significance.
Of course, there are many in this country who view the loss of empire with great regret: seeming to believe that we as a nation have a right to lord it over others and plunder their resources because, well because we used to. There can't really be any other justification for it than that. Unless of course you are a racist. It is very likely that the Nazi appropriation of many features of the British empire (concentration camps, a belief in racial superiority, etc.) was one of the major influences on the change in policy towards empire in the later half of the twentieth century. Once the Nazis had demonstrated that the logical conclusion of the mindset that justified empire was morally and ethically repulsive, there was no real hope for it. So why do so many people still cling to it as something to be remembered fondly? It's all about prestige.
The other day, bonkers-rich-man-who-must-have-the-biggest-carbon-footprint-in-the-world, Bernie Ecclestone suggested that there be one of his grand prix races in the centre of London. Instantly myriad talking heads were on hand to blather on about how great this would be and how great it would be for London. The latter is where they're wrong: it would be great for Britain, but London doesn't really need such gimmicks. Through a combination of factors, London has managed to retain its position as a truly world class city. World class cities don't need gimmicky sporting events, certainly not any new ones, and certainly not ones that will most likely require a change in the law. When it needed it, London invented the modern marathon, we've got the Olympics (for better or worse - probably better on balance), but a city centre grand prix just feels a bit gimmicky, a bit cheap. I know that grand prix are anything but cheap - they are largely the preserve of the tasteless rich - but new grand prix are for countries that have more money than cultural heritage or are really keen for the world to forget that their governments are illegitimate thugs. Britain is none of the above, so it just feels a bit desperate to be considering pandering to such a spectacle in one of the world's great cities.
As a nation that desires prestige, we should be looking to big events to demonstrate that we're still capable of the sort of organisation that in the past allowed us to brutally suppress a fifth of the world's population. As a nation, we should also look to promote cities other than London, cities that actually need promotion. Have a grand prix round the centre of Birmingham, or round spaghetti junction, that would probably be more exciting. Bernie Ecclestone wouldn't be interested in this though, as it wouldn't have London's famous landmarks as it's backdrop. However, none of these landmarks needs a fast car driving in front of it to make it a destination, so London will gain nothing from such an event but traffic chaos. The Olympics have already proven that major sporting events do not add tourist numbers to London, as people not going to the event who might otherwise have visited have stayed away. If we are to have such an event in a British city, make it a city whose landmarks will benefit from being a backdrop. When tourists flock to visit the famous Bullring chicane, then we might actually have done something useful about Britain's prestige.
I guess even then I'm a bit meh about showing off our country by promoting a nearly redundant technology. This is fairly typical of the way in which this country has not helped itself to avoid decline: clinging on to the prestige of the past blinds us to the possibilities of the future. Why don't we have an electric car race around a city, in an elevated transparent tunnel - 360 degree racing. That would be genuinely exiting, progressive and wouldn't stop the city from functioning. Then we wouldn't be 'the country with the budget San Marino', we'd be the country with the race of the future. Prestige is what you make it, not what you borrow from mental old rich people.