This actually needs replying to!
Dizzia Rascal was chosen because he is local, and he has done a huge amount of work promoting the Olympics to the locals in East London. (Who, unlike the rest of the world, have had to put up with the construction work and preparations for years)
We weren't missing our bands - we had the Beatles and Queen and Rolling stones in there. Not live performances, but then most of the members of those bands are...dead. Every single piece of music played was British.
The IOC sponsers have permanent sponsorship deals, they sponsor
EVERY Olympics. They sponsored Beijing and Sydney, they will sponsor Brazil. No one accused any of them of being "culturally subjected" to America.
Talking of - it was very much evidence that we have our very own distinct culture to America's. Go look at the reactions of the American press - they were baffled, it was like nothing they've ever seen. It pointed out every way we're nothing like America. If anything it just demonstrates how strong out culture is, that so much of what you consider American culture is actually British in origin. Britain isn't Americanised, America is Anglicised.
You serious? They couldn't have been trying any harder to make a political statement, both to their own people and to the west.
Their ceremony was nothing but a show of strength. It was a giant ego-tripping "We can do it bigger and better than you", it was designed entirely around shock, awe and military discipline (the whole thing was done like a military parade)