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Democracy, freedom of speech and how idiotic journalists don't really get either

Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is now the greatest female pole vaulter of all time.

She is 31 years old and wants to start a family and is about to.

But the BBC and other Western media are in high dudgeon over comments she made (in English) at a news conference after winning her third women's world pole vault title.

Now here's the thing my friends the comments that are causing journalists across the western world heads to explode were made in response to questions asked of her by those self same journalists.

They were asked of her in her country about laws relating to her country, passed unanimously by both houses of the government of her country with the overwhelming support of the citizens of her country. For those of you slow on the uptake that means democratically.

And when this well educated and accomplished woman speaking in the language of the idiotic reporters, rather than her native tongue expressed her support for the laws of her land - er well the meltdown began.

Now if you haven't watched the BBC item linked above go do it and then as a thought experiment, imagine if one of the "commentators" in that piece had decided to support Yelena Isinbayeva's sentiments or even her right to speak her mind and ask yourself what would happen to that person.

We know the answer to this - his or her career in sports journalism would be over because in the West freedom of speech no longer exists

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