Red Arrows fly umarmed training aircraft. OK - ignore that one it is very weak I admit. In the world at large there is a somewhat trying tendency toward historical revisionism that would have us be ashamed of Britains past. We have a various times done beastly things to most of the people's of the world. WE have either enslaved them, killed them and nicked their lands, wealth and bits of interesting architecture - much of which is in the British Museum. Guilty as charged, or at least my Great Grandparents were, but actually, not me. I happen to be quite proud of the British Military, they get given shitty jobs to do by deeply cynical politicians who do not give them the resources that they need to do the job properly. The Olympics is an international event - with a British flavour in 2012, no doubt 2008 will have a Chinese flavour. The Red Arrows do represent the British military tradition and so the should perform. A bunch of small red planes trailing red, white and blue smoke is hardly a cassus bellae.