London 2012 has had more than a few mentions during party conference season, but who gets the gold for glory grabbing?
Share 0
inShare0
Email 
Mo Farah got several name-checks at the party conferences. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
David Cameron
Glory-snatching rating: 6/10
What he said:
I was trying to think of my favourite moment. Was it telling President Hollande that, no, we hadn't cheated at the cycling, we didn't have rounder wheels, it was just that we pedalled faster than the French?
No … for me it was seeing that young woman who swam her heart out for years … nine training sessions a week, two hours a time. My best moment was putting that gold medal around the neck of Ellie Simmonds.
And I am so grateful for what all those Paralympians did. When I used to push my son Ivan around in his wheelchair, I always thought that some people saw the wheelchair, not the boy. Today more people would see the boy and not the wheelchair – and that's because of what happened here this summer.
And the Olympics showed us something else. Whether our athletes were English, Scottish, Welsh or from Northern Ireland … they draped themselves in one flag.
Now, there's one person who didn't like that … and he's called Alex Salmond. I'm going to see him on Monday to sort that referendum on independence by the end of 2014.
Ed Miliband
Glory-snatching rating: 5/10
What he said:
You see, the problem isn't the British people. Just think about the Olympics and Paralympic Games. It was a triumph for Britain. And why did we succeed? We succeeded because of our outstanding athletes, from Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of a parachuting Queen, to a boy born in Somalia, called Mo Farah. Mo Farah. A true Brit. And a true hero for our country.
We succeeded because of the outstanding volunteers, the games makers who are here with us today, all 70,000 games makers. They put a mirror up to Britain and showed us the best of ourselves. We succeeded because of our outstanding troops, our outstanding troops, many of whom were drafted in at the last minute.
Nick Clegg
Glory-snatching rating: 2/10
What he said:
This summer, as we cheered our athletes to gold after gold after gold, Britain remembered how it feels to win again. But more importantly, we remembered what it takes to win again. Whether from Jess Ennis or Mo Farah, Sarah Storey or David Weir, the message was the same: we may be the ones on the podium, but behind each of us stands a coach. And behind the coach, a team. And behind the team, the organisers, the volunteers, the supporters. And behind them, a whole city, an entire country, the UK nations united behind one goal. What a contrast from a year ago when England's cities burned in a week of riots.
Boris Johnson, mayor of London
Glory-snatching rating: 8/10
What he said:
The Olympics succeeded because we planned for years and we worked together. Public sector and private sector. And we put aside party differences. And, yes, this is the right moment to say thank you to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Tessa Jowell. And, yes, Ken Livingstone. Ken, old chum, there is no coming back from that one. You have just been clapped at Tory party conference … But for the success of these Olympics there is one Conservative we need to thank today: one prime minister who loves sport and who to this day is championing cricket in inner London. Oh yes, it is thanks to John Major, who put in the lottery, that we have gone from one gold medal in 1996 to the sporting superpower we are today.
Jeremy Hunt, former culture secretary
Glory-snatching rating: 4/10
What he said:
The 2012 Olympics made us proud this summer. But the commitment of Team NHS makes us proud every day of every week of every year. On behalf of everyone here – and indeed the whole country – I want to thank them all.
Maria Miller, culture secretary
Glory-snatching rating: 1/10
What she said:
The Olympic stadium. A sea of union jacks. Hearing our national anthem. Pride in being British. Danny Boyle's Isles of Wonder Olympic opening ceremony was watched by 27 million people, 27 million people who saw the best of Britain: Kenneth Branagh bringing to life Shakespeare's Tempest made our spines tingle. James Bond, skydiving with the Queen, reminded us of our fantastic film industry. Our musical heritage, from Elgar, the Beatles to Arctic Monkeys, spanned the decades. It is not an exaggeration to say that this year the eyes of the world have been on Britain …
This summer put Britain at the centre of the international stage and we are capitalising on it. We are using this attention to drive growth and investment. The Great campaign, designed to promote Britain, has been seen across the world. Inspiring and imaginative, it is showcasing the best of Britain. Our artistic and cultural heritage are wonderful platforms from which to attract and to secure investment. To those that say it was just a summer of sport, just a jubilee, I would say realign your vision. Look beyond the moment and see what Britain at its best on the centre of the world stage can mean. Think of the jobs it can and has created. The influence it can and has exerted. The investment it can and has brought. This will be the real legacy of the Olympics.
Ed Balls, shadow chancellor
Glory-snatching rating: 2/10
What he said:
The lesson of the Olympics is that if we approach major long-term infrastructure projects by building a cross-party sense of national purpose then we can deliver. And yet, it took 13 years from the opening of the Channel Tunnel to complete the High Speed Rail link to London. Crossrail was delayed for decades.
Tessa Jowell, outgoing shadow Olympics minister and former Olympics minister
Glory-snatching rating: 9/10
What she said:
When you were watching the Olympic and Paralympic summer was anyone out there thinking that Britain was broken? I don't think so. This summer we showed ourselves as we are at our best: a country of progressive values, with an inclusive and joyous patriotism which celebrated our open, diverse and tolerant society. It was a terrible summer for prejudice, intolerance and cynicism.
Our modern Britishness so perfectly embodied. Mo Farah, a man from Somalia, wrapped in the union flag, as proud to be one of us as we are proud of him. And Nicola Adams, who not only showed that there are no no-go areas in sport, but that there is not men's sport and women's sport, but just sport.
And our Paralympians who showed us that disability is not a bar to athletic greatness. On the contrary: the limiting factor for any athlete in any sport in any circumstance is what his or her body can be pushed to do, which is why so many of our Paralympians proved themselves to be among the greatest athletes in either Games.