The Opening Ceremonies humane dimension.
The salute to England's National Health Service wasn't political it was saluting United Kingdom's deep affection for all things humane.
It was a constant thread through all of the ceremony.
Noting the joy of the 7/7 announcement ceremony they took a brief moment to remember those that were killed the next day in a terrorist attack (and that other threads have pointed out was edited out by NBC for the Seacrest/Phelps interview).
But this wonderfully generous view of humanity was seen through out the entire ceremony. It was appropriate for a country that has taken telling adventurous children's stories where good always wins into a national industry. They didn't salute their tradition of childrens stories because it helps with their national trade balance they did it because it helps give a better view of the world.
Its a world where everyone should be able to see a doctor if they need to.
Now I have been roundly lampooned in my family for having the worst singing voice in human history even bringing all of the loud cathartic weeping to a standstill at a funeral while people looked around in my direction trying to find out 'what in the hell that noise is". So how is it possible that you can have an integrated choir of hearing and deaf children sing like angels when they sang the British National Anthem. There are two issues here. One is that they would be so clever to think to invite them. The second is that some music teachers were so brilliant to think of such a choir. Singing and signing together. How wonderfully humane.
Read about the choir here: http://www.thekaos.org/#/the-kaos-signing-choir/4534466631
And then they had dancers in wheel chairs. Did you see that. Wonderfully athletic dancers jumping around and then if you looked carefully you could see dancers wheeling around in wheelchairs.
There is a common value in British society that no one should be left behind, not in singing, not in dancing and not in health care.
It wasn't always that way. They had a conservative opposition that wanted a minimalist government.
Then World War II landed on their doorsteps and they learned that they really did literally need each other.
After the war that sentiment was used to form the NHS. It wasn't easy.
Doctors were initially opposed to Bevan's plan, primarily on the stated grounds that it reduced their level of independence. Bevan had to get them onside, as, without doctors, there would be no health service. Being a shrewd political operator, Bevan managed to push through the radical health care reform measure by dividing and cajoling the opposition, as well as by offering lucrative payment structures for consultants. On this subject he stated, "I stuffed their mouths with gold". On July 5, 1948, at the Park Hospital (now known as Trafford General Hospital) in Manchester, Bevan unveiled the National Health Service and stated, "We now have the moral leadership of the world."
Through the combined sacrifice and terrible experience of WWII where the whole nation was under attack a profound change occurred in Great Britain where a simple empathy for every single other citizen became the norm. That is what was on display last night. It was beautiful to see. Everyone benefits from it, even the conservatives for they too have children in wheel chairs and children who have to sign when they sing and children who need to see a specialist.
Well done English cousins, well done.
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Many people don't appreciate the English for reasons of history but they still retain much of what we've lost -- or never had here in the "States" -- in terms of a humane sensibility.
Plus, they really ripped off the corporate non-humane mask off of Romney. 
K & R 
