Well, the ball appears to be firmly in China's court so to speak. This has clearly become a global issue without democratic or diplomatic resolve, hence we see more protests, some violent.

I reckon the torch relay protests are terrific as long as physical harm is not caused. This is tarnishing the image of the Chinese government, and so it should, there is so much blood on their hands since the invasion of Tibet. This is the perfect opportunity for people to send them a message. If there is a boycott, then so be it, if the worst thing that happens as a result is the loss of revenue for people involved in the event, then that's a very small price to pay when weighed up against the heartache and trauma we've witnessed for almost 60 years as a result of the imperialistic actions of the Chinese Government.
Reply to Sam Fewster

To compete or not to compete , What was the Question ,
In response to your comments Andy , sport should not be a platform for protest , i believe it should be what it is meant to be, sport for the world to compete in and watch . I don't know if you have been to china , but i went there once and will go back again and i dealt with some common chinese people , from what i could glean from my expierence was , China is not the communist country that every one is led to believe , It is not a religious country , they have a few temples here and there but they are not into religion like the western world is and lets face it religion is the cause of a lot of trouble ( don't get me started ) .

If you want to work in china , own a house , drive a car , etc etc then there is no one stopping you . China is a huge country with a huge population and all she is trying to do is educate and feed her people and give them a life , sure she does a few things wrong and yes she probably has some problems with certain things to do with life , but no one is perfect , and that includes the western world , which we are part of.

In answer to your ? NONE , i say let the games begin, or let the games Bejing.

I think people should go there and see for themselves and this is what China is trying to encourage , they are inviting the world to their place and if they have certain rules and customs then we should do our best to join in peacefully ,

We only hear about the bad ,sad, and awful things in this world and that is the Media , , there are a lot more good deeds done than bad but let's face it the Media runs this world and they tell us only what they choose .

If people choose to protest then do it peacefully and from a distance , the Falon Gong and others have been protesting for years but the media don't put it into the papers etc , now they have a world platform in the olympics the media will milk it for as much as they can , wait till the torch comes to Oz , just watch the media frenzy , it will be disgusting , the last thing that they want is a peaceful relay , that will not be news.

Sorry about the rant ,
Let the Games Bejing .
Reply to Dazza

Archbishop Tutu says 'don't go' to the games full stop! Interesting opinions. Hard to ignore the facts about what has happened in Tibet...
Reply to Nick Maywald

i say LET THE GAMES BEJING also! my thought is that torch protests are an appropriate response as it doesn't affect the athletes (they are not used as pawns). and - i would still contend that unless protesters do something out of the norm, they won't get on TV! if they stand in the designated place waving a placard; that is hardly newsworthy these days - they will run the story about the car on fire on the freeway or a neighbours 'star' turning up to a film launch.
Reply to Andy Collins