A Little Perspective, Please

I have, in my lifetime, seen the civilised world overrun by the Russians, the Saudis and the Japanese (well, they DID buy up all the good golf courses with money they didn't have). Now it is the Chinese, the Indians and the Brazilians that will put us in our place.

It is true that all three have burgeoning economies, driven by Western consumption of plastic crap and cheap clothes in the case of China, oil exports in the case of Brazil and call centres in the case of India. It is also true that Brazil is home to a population beset by bone-crushing poverty, that China cuts the kidneys out of the politically inconvenient when it is not using them for slave labour and India can't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

The little matter surrounding India's complete and total inability to manage the upcoming Commonwealth Games points up the fatuousness of the argument that India is on track to displace the UK and Western Europe, and the US for that matter, in economic dominance.  Could there possibly be a headline more unfortunate than this?:

Trained monkeys guard athletes at Commonwealth Games

The highly intelligent primates have been patrolling stadiums and accommodation blocks to scare off other wildlife including wild monkeys, dogs and even snakes.

Handlers from miles around the Indian capital have been drafted in to patrol the athletes’ village as the final preparations are made for the games.

Some teams threatened to boycott the competition after complaining that the accommodation was inhabitable and overrun with animals.

One shocked South African competitor even discovered a deadly cobra snake in his room.

Heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding near the Games Village causing many snakes to seek refuge.

Commonwealth Games organisers have also been particularly concerned buy the arrival of packs of wild monkeys which have been creating a nuisance around the venues by stealing food and attacking humans

No, really.  Seriously.

Half of the population still live in mud huts. Half of all the produce grown in India rots before it ever gets to market because of their inability to organise a road network or a functioning transportation system.  In a move so filled with poetry that it moves me to tears of hysterical laughter, Indians bought Jaguar.  You remember Jaguar.  The car.

Get real.

UPDATE:  Oh, dear!  Can it get worse?  Yes. Yes it can!!   Sheila Dikshit launches 'Ho Ho' tourist buses