Hang in there, it's almost over, but be warned that when it is London's turn the intensity of media coverage both before and during the Games will be unbelievable.

I lack the patience to sit and watch the actual events, my interest being confined to checking out the gong list every now and then.

The media coverage has been badly tainted by desperation as they endlessly pick holes in the way the Games were organised or presented. They make a lot of fuss because one small, but cute child mimed an oriental ditty because the actual singer was, shall we be kind, somewhat homely in appearance – surely that's taking triviality to a new low. The press attempts to work up a good story from the various protesters, mostly about Tibet, has been a bit of a lame (Peking) duck, but I note environmental protesters are noticeably absent – unusual given the colossal amount of carbon produced by this mammoth extravaganza, not that a mammoth could survive too long in such a polluted place.

I suspect the protest mob did their homework and realising the Chinese cops are as hard as nails, very disciplined, efficient and, more importantly, there are droves of them everywhere, any stunt they pulled would be brief and missed by the world if the TV reporter blinked twice.

The Olympic Games have reached something of a crossroads with Beijing, maybe signalling the peak of what any conventional national economy can spend in order to stage them. This is reflected in the obvious and heavy-handed political spin-off attached to everything, and it might be a good idea to reflect that a similar point was reached in the Thirties with Nazi Germany when it was their turn. And just look what happened after that!

The Beijing Olympic Games will be closely analysed by the folk who now have the big job of matching the Chinese standard when the games arrive in London. I seriously hope the current weary and decaying administration is not in power by that time as they would surely bankrupt us in the effort of laying on anything more complicated than a brass band and a couple of pearly queens.

It is a brilliant chance for a bold organising team to tell the Olympic gladhanders that enough is enough, and we are going to get our collective feet back on the ground. It would not be impossible to weed out the big jollies for heads of states, etc. – let them come as ordinary citizens, hopefully paying for their own keep.

The Games could be just as effective without all that unnecessary pantomime at the opening and closing ceremonies, certainly, there is absolutely no need for any damned fireworks.

Even if Broon manages to hang on that long, it might be the case he will grudgingly take a small leaf from examples left to him by his predecessors, calling the London Olympics "The People's Olympics", or even, to quote John Major, "Back to Basics!"