Does Louis deserve a city honour?

Or at least he did if you read some of the ill-informed and spiteful comments on social media.

Or a nasty article on the Mail Online headlined: “Strictly miserable! Blubbing Louis Smith sparks Twitter storm by ‘refusing’ to shake teammate Max Whitlock’s hand after he beat him to a gold medal.’’

After being a journalist for more than 30 years I really should be used to this sort of nonsense, but it never fails to surprise.

Louis and his family and friends are enormously proud of him. Rightly so.

And so should the rest of us be.

This is the lad from Eye who went to Arthur Mellows Village College, who took up gymnastics as a hyperactive child to burn up energy and became the second best in the world at what he does.

Wow, second best in the world, that phrase is worth repeating. All those small-minded critics should ask themselves where they rank in the world at what they do.

I’m not the second best journalist in the world, but if I was I’d be chuffed.

I’d also be hugely disappointed if not once, but twice, I had just missed out on being the best.

I don’t know what was going on in Louis’s head after he came second and only he knows - but it’s not rocket science to realise he was in turmoil hence the emotion and tears.

If, and it’s a big if, and Louis denies it, his behaviour didn’t appear to be the epitome of goods sportsmanship, does it really matter? Cut him some slack for goodness sake. This was probably his last chance at being the best and he came up short. Just.

Hopefully this “Twitter’’ storm will blow over and Louis can be given the credit he deserves.

And part of that credit should be to award him the freedom of the city.

The mayor of Peterborborough Cllr David Sanders has already called for it.

To any city councillor who has doubts ask yourself this: “Are you the second best councillor in the world?’’

Talking of social mediathe following quote from former US president Theodore Roosevelt popped up on my Twitter feed.

“ It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.’’

It sums up Louis’s situation perfectly.

Free or not

Louis Smith wasn’t the only Peterborough lad to win silver in Rio. Former Orton Longueville schoolboy Nick Dempsey picked one up too.

Windsurfer Nick learned his trade at Ferry Meadows and the city should recognise his achievements too.

But when the PT tweeted that he and Louis should be given the freedom of the city he was a bit puzzled. He replied: “That’s interesting, thought I was given it on returning from the Sydney Olympics!!’’

We checked with the city council and no he wasn’t.

So don’t try driving your sheep through Cathedral Square just yet, Nick!

Think idiot

A 55-year-old man from Peterborough was clocked riding at 160 mph on the A47 at Thorney. I think it’s a fair assumption that his IQ is considerably lower than his speed (and his age,too). You just know that the punishment is not going to fit the crime. His bike should be crushed.

Diary Of A Bad Dad

I don’t know how long it will last but for now Pre-schooler T and Toddlernator the Terrible are a pair of loved-up siblings.

He worships ‘sis’, as he calls her, and she’s as protective as a mother hen (except when he turns the telly off when she’s watching Shimmer & Shine).

So it was a bit of a surprise when having left them to their own devices I was alerted by a bloodcurdling cry of anguish.

I rushed in the lounge to find T the T’s arm raised with a hammer clenched in his tiny fist hovering above Preschooler T’s head.

Before I could get to him he was raining blows on a cowering Pre-schooler T.

I grabbed the little hooly and took the hammer of fhim. It was a toy, of course, but made of wood and still capable of doing damage in the wrong (little) hands.

He was just having fun, not being able to differentiate between a balloon and an offensive weapon.

Fortunately, no harm was done, and Pre-schooler T graciously forgave T the T.

When we’d all calmed down I asked her: “Why didn’t you stop him?’’

She replied: “I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to hurt him.’’

Her passive response was quite touching. Something tells me, T the T won’t react the same way.