Hosting the Games of the XXX Olympiad, London and Britain has shown the world our true essence.

As a nation we Brits are kind, hospitable and composed. As athletes we are jubilous in victory yet gracious in defeat. As a city, London is elegant and captivating. A fusion of different cultures and the backbone of steeped history and tradition visibly intertwined in song, dance and food. As citizens, we daily celebrate our similarities while continuously learning from our differences.

London showed the world, we can effortlessly blend our past with the present and deliver an exhilarating tapestry of all that is British and beautiful about our unique isles and what makes Britain and her people Great.

A huge thank you to everyone who in any capacity made the London 2012 Olympics a worldwide success, we celebrate you.

Come on Britain!

It’s time to put behind us all the negatives and focus on the positives. Forget about G4S, the Korean flags debacle, the strikes that happened and the ones that didn’t the unrealistic bounce demands, the crazy traffic, the mad weather, David Beckham being left behind and the politics of it all. These next coming weeks are not about left and right, rich or poor, or even right and wrong, they are about Britain, London and Team GB.

We waited seven years and twenty one days for today, and it took the Olympics sixty four years to make it back to London and the UK. This morning, when those bells rang all over our great country, I know most of you felt the same way I felt, excited, proud and very British.

Like most people, tonight I will be home watching and celebrating the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and will spend the coming few weeks cheering and routing for Team GB to break all records and bring home lots of Gold.

Please join me in support and celebration!