- 9 Jul 08, 11:33 AM
I live in Hackney, which makes me lucky for lots of reasons. London Fields Lido, Clissold Park, Dalston Rio, The Dove on Broadway Market...Hackney has it all (providing you don't mind controlled parking zones, gang warfare, fly-tipping and foxes doing horrible things to each other in your garden at night).
But most of all I'm lucky because Hackney is one of the five host boroughs of the London Olympics. And if you're one of the million or so people who live in one of those boroughs, there is a simple answer to the question "will hosting the Olympics have a positive impact on your life?" It's "yes".
OK, I get the local paper stuffed through my letter box so I know there are a few groups with their own particular gripes about a large swathe of east London being turned into a building site, but for the vast majority of us having the Olympics on our patch is an undeniably good thing.
Could, however, I say the same if I lived in Aberdeen, Bristol or Coleraine?
Probably not if Monday evening's BBC Radio 5 Live debate on how the nation feels about the Games is anything to go by.
Host Brian Alexander was joined in the studio by Lord Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012's organising committee, and Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, for what John Barnes once described as 90 minutes of "sheer hell".
Coe, apparently, had told the programme's producers he was hoping things would get a bit punchy. You know, an irate call from somebody who preferred Steve Ovett, or a complaint from a pensioner in the Hebrides who thinks it is unfair the people of Stratford are getting a new swimming pool when they already have the Royal Shakespeare Company for kicks.
I wonder if he is now pondering that old saying about being careful what you wish for.
But at least Coe seemed to enjoy the cut and thrust of being told the Games were either "only for Londoners", "a shocking waste of money" or both, and he certainly gave as good as he got.
Jowell, on the other hand, at times sounded like a sixth-former who had spent weeks cramming for a question on Disraeli's foreign policy only to turn over the paper and find questions on the decline of the Liberal Party - I've been there and it's a dark place.
There were moments when I thought she might give up trying to sell London 2012 to the sceptical regions and nations and say "OK, have it your way, let's move the whole thing to Coventry...or Paris".
Struggling to pin down exactly what London 2012's "legacy" for the nation would be, Jowell retreated behind the old trick of throwing seemingly massive amounts of money at us - £100m extra for this, £140m over three years for that - and making jam tomorrow-type promises about new opportunities for all.
When asked outright for something a tax payer in Cardiff or Carlisle could look forward to, Jowell could only come up with the dubious claim that legions of foreign sports stars would be arriving some time soon to begin their Olympic preparations.
I say dubious because London is a temperate kind of town that doesn't require a great deal of acclimatisation, is handily placed for most nations from a time zone point of view and is ever so convenient for many of the bigger Olympic teams - do you really think the French, Germans and Italians will train in Yorkshire when they can do that at home?
Once the likes of Bath, Loughborough and Sheffield have sorted out who is going to get the Australian, Chinese and US teams (although sporting centres like La Manga may have something to say about that) what does that leave for the rest of the UK?
No, the best answer to the "so what am I going to get out of London 2012 over here in Belfast?" question came from Coe. He took a leaf out of JFK's book to simply turn the question around - you'll get from the Games what you choose to put in.
Take up a new sport, pick up an old one, get involved at local level or just sit back and enjoy the show, whichever you choose there will be plenty to get excited about.
He also correctly identified the real, nation-wide potential of the Games - this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to raise (all) sport's profile in this country and reverse decades of under-investment and political indifference.
London 2012 clearly has to be about more than a fortnight's great sport and new leisure facilities and transport infrastructure for me and my neighbours - as welcome as all of that will be, even I have to admit £9.3bn does not represent wonderful value for money.
So it has to be about using sport to improve lives, inspire youngsters, rejuvenate the not-so young, reach marginalised communities and generally make us all feel slightly better about ourselves and the country we call home.
Coe, Jowell and everybody else involved in the London 2012 project now have to communicate that message to the type of people who called in on Monday and deliver on these promises in fours years' time and beyond.
The task for people like me, Brian Alexander and Monday's star caller AJ is to keep their eyes on the prize.
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I live in Hounslow. Unlike the residents of Aberdeen or Cardiff, I really do have to pay for the Olympics because in my council tax bill each year it quite clearly states that £50 (or whatever the figure is) of this bill goes towards the Olympics. This has happened for the last 3 years and will continue, if I’m lucky for the next 7.
I already participate in a number of local sports clubs but I will see no benefit whatsoever from the Olympics. There’s no money being spent on improving, or even building new, swimming pools or running tracks across London (or even the UK). It’s all being spent on one, in Stratford, for all 6 million of us in London that, as far as I can see from the plans, will be half dismantled after the Olympics anyway.
As far as I can see, all the money for the Olympics is either being spent on a couple of buildings in Stratford, or being directly given to 300 athletes and about 150 coaches to run, jump and whatever in the name country (although its probably a lot more people than that as I know age group athletes and B-team athletes benefit from lottery/state funding as well as the top athletes who go to the Olympics).
I read an article recently where the journalist wrote “the best thing about the Olympics is that everywhere you go you will always see someone having the most important day of their life”. The fact is, I won’t see this when the Olympics is on; all I will see is a large security fence around Stratford with a large number of security people stopping me from getting in, whilst I have the privilege of paying for everyone inside to have the best day of their lives.
The irony is, if the Olympics were financed like every other sporting event through sponsorship, crowd revenue or even entry fees I would have absolutely no problem with the Olympics being in London. I just really resent having to pay for the thing without ever being given a choice.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Hold on a minute there, SS_Hates_Jazz, while you may be making a larger contribution towards the Games than a non-Londoner (which seems only fair to me), the good people of Cardiff and Aberdeen are paying for the Games too, largely through their lottery tickets but also through their taxes.
And while you're partially right about the overall lack of new facilities, I don't think it's fair to dismiss the new ones (stadium, pool, velodrome) being built in Stratford so readily, and the others aren't just being dismantled, they're being dismantled and reassembled somewhere else. I should also point out that building new sports facilities for us all to use isn't actually LOCOG's job. The biggest provider of sporting facilities in this country by far is local government, so you get your opportunity to shape that debate every few years at the ballot box. Likewise with central government.
Which leads me, I think, to the most important thing London 2012 can do....it can bump the whole issue of sport up the political agenda so that local councils won't so readily close that leaky pool or moss-covered tennis court. To blame London 2012 for diverting funds away from this type of thing is also a complete red herring. We've been under-investing in sport for decades - was that London 2012's fault too?!?
As for how much of the Games you will be able to see for yourself, well, that's kind of up to you. Yes there will be security and yes you will need to buy a ticket....so far so unremarkable. But even people in faraway Hounslow should be able to save their pennies and get a ticket for something.
And to answer your final point, the Olympics are funded by all those methods you suggest (and television, of course), it's just that massive events cost a lot, particularly ones which involve huge infrastructure improvements that will continue to benefit the host population for years after the Games leave. I'm also fairly sure bidding for the Games was a Labour manifesto pledge, so I suppose you did get a choice of sorts.
NeilOxford - I agree with you that AJ did overstay his welcome a tad and got a bit childish when Coe tried to challenge his cynicism but his call was the most exciting part of the show and he did pick up Jowell for her slightly patronising reference to gangs.
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My apologies, when I said I heard AJ it was actually where 5Live played a previous interview they had with him before he spoke on Monday's show.
It was in this interview that he went on about the Olympics offering nothing for the poor and only being about big business.
I was listening in the car and had arrived home when they had just got AJ back on so didn't hear what he said to Tessa Jowell.
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Oh, I see. I think I missed the bit where they explained they had spoken to AJ before. But it sounds like he said much of the same stuff.
He started well and had both Coe and Jowell on the back foot about how London 2012 was relevant for young kids in Hackney who would never play most of the sports on show or be able to afford tickets to watch them. But he ended up just being chippy and confrontational.
Coe handled him OK (better than Jowell by far) but slightly ruined it by saying "stay cool, AJ!" as the producers hung up on him. Oh dear.
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Coe was certainly much more adept at coping with and handling the criticism than Jowell. I think he made a fair point in that people can't just expect to sit back and watch the Olympics change them, but need to be proactive and become involved to take advantage of the opportunities that arise.
As for this "London regeneration should be payed for by Londoners" argument - do people really understand what they are arguing for?
I am no Londoner, but I am realistic and recognise that Londoners contribute much more to the public purse than they recieve. If the boot were on the other foot, I don't think we'd be seeing these complaints. If London should only get what it pays for, the sad truth is it should be getting a whole it more than the Olympics...
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Matt you are wrong, wrong, wrong.
I love the olympics but what is happening in London is cynical and depressing. I will give you one fact to prove it:
Hackney Marshes, a rare, ancient green space and nature habitat in East London is being used for the Olympics. OK - I could just about accept that.
However, when the Olympics finishes this beautiful and loved space will become a distribution depot for the largest supermarkets in the UK. I find this a grotesque use of the land for the long term and a national disgrace. Shame on the government for selling East London short!
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"Take up a new sport, pick up an old one, get involved at local level or just sit back and enjoy the show, whichever you choose there will be plenty to get excited about."
This argument simply does not hold water. Whilst the Olympics may raise the profile of sport as a whole, that is just as true for this year's Games in Beijing as it is for 2012. The "local level" argument only really applies to Londoners, and if you want to take up a new sport the fact that the Olympics is in London shouldn't make any difference.
What a waste of time, effort and money.
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First of all anyone from all over the country can come to London to watch the Olympics if they want to. You can't say the same for the Chinese; the country is far to big.
Secondly I could have been a Londoner, I chose to be a New Yorker as I knew my taxes were lower in the first place for one. But we get to pay in part for the New Yankee stadium in the Bronx. I don't think it would fly with Londoners to have to pay for Arsenal's new stadium.
And finally Londoners give more in taxes than they recieve and is only city in the country that 90% of foreigners ever want to see. Without London the UK wouldn't get a second look from the rest of the world.
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The Commonwealth Games in Manchester were touted as being beneficial to all of the North West.
All I got were the traffic jams as they built the City of Manchester Stadium.
I'm not interested in running, jumping, throwing things, ice skating, gymnastics or anything else that the Olympics are associated with. Neither are the majority of people I know.
It's being touted in the same way the Millenium Dome was, and we all know how good that was for the whole country...........
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A perfect example of democracy at work!
Allowing any idiot to stick their oar in and ask stupid irrelevant questions.
Its the London Olympics. Not the English or British Olympics - but London.
The first important world sporting event in the UK since '66.
Oldpeople from the Hebrides so just go back to worrying livestock.
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I am a little undecided as to how I feel about the olympic games. On the one hand I hope they do raise the profile of sport everywhere in the country. But on the other, I do have to sit and wonder what's really in it for me.
Firstly, I don't mind contributing something towards the cost of the games - but we should really have been given the choice. Secondly, it is not the responsibility of the London Olympics to promote sport in this country - it's the responsibility of the government - and we all know that for years this has never been given the proper funding that it requires. We'll all be made aware of that, when our best olympic athletes manage to scrape together about 2 golds during the entire olympics. Marginally more than maybe Papua New Guinea will manage (That great sporting nation).
And finally, what is really in this games for me? I play tennis at a local club in west london, and football in a local park. How do I benefit from the Olympic Games? Will my tennis club be given a massive boost of capital? Will the park football pitch be given nets without holes in? The answer is NO - because the Olympics have nothing to do with this. it's the local council's responsibility. Are Tessa and Coe suggesting that local councils will improve sporting venues within local areas just because the Olympics is in East London, and it's "raised the profile of sport"?
I seriously doubt it.
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Only in the UK. Only in the UK would we manage to find this amount of fault in the fact that we are hosting the greatest sporting event in the world. The Olympics are an amazing event, and we should be proud that we have the chance to host them.
Why can't we think like Sydney did, that this is a chance to show how great the UK is? Why must we always find the negatives? So you're paying an extra £50 in council tax for a few years, have one less pint in the pub every month and you've pretty much covered it.
I'm sick of living in a country where we refuse to see positives when they are there, and constantly look for negatives and try to smash down people who are taking risks and trying to change things. If you want to moan about public money being spent, moan about MPs expenses, or their massive 2nd home allowance. Let's celebrate that we get the chance to host the most amazing event in the sporting calender, and stop constantly moaning.
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^ Hear hear, well said that man.
For some people it's always the glass is half-empty. If you're so desperate to be miserable, fine, the rest of us will be enjoying the games.
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Excellent comment Odarroch, it's something that's been irritating me for years.
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Unfortunately, the London 2012 Olympics have been marred by the uncertainty and eventual increase in the budget proposed for the games. That's done enough to negatively affect the opinion of the 2012 Games in a lot of minds.
However, I still struggle to see why people just don't get the benefits that the Games will bring. Sure, you might not see it at the local level, but what do you expect? Do you expect every single sporting club to suddenly get a £10 million grant to make sure that their pitches are world-class, better than premier league grounds?
It's not just about investment. By raising the profile of sport in the UK (there's enough UK -wide reporting about the Olympics) then there's the hope that peop[le from all walks of life might try to get involved with sport.
There have been events, there will be events to try and get engagement from many groups into sport and who knows? It might just drive the Government to investing where it has seriously underinvested over the past god knows how many years.
As for Londoners paying what amounts to less than a pint a month and complaining about it, are you really missing it? Or are you just scared that the influx of tourists, spending more money in the captial, driving a London economy (which in turn drives the UK economy), are just going to get in your way, walking slowly when you shop on Oxford Street?
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Morning all, and thanks for your contributions. Here are a few final thoughts from me:
evilspindoctor: I live about 10 mins walk from Hackney Marshes so I'm going to have to pick you up on your comment.
First, I agree that are some v nice bits of HM and overall it is a welcome patch of greenery in an otherwise concrete jungle, but I think you're overplaying the "ancient" and "loved" angle. Just sticking to the sport side of things, for a mo, the famous football facilities there are terrible. Bogs in the winter, tarmac in early autumn and spring. The grass (when there is any) is rarely cut and the lines are usually non-existent. The changing rooms are a disgrace (the showers work about every other visit) and security is terrible (my entire team got robbed a few years back). Oh, and they are also among the most expensive pitches in London and you have to bring your own nets. So far, so much the fault of Hackney/Sport England/the FA.
OK, you're right, some (but not all) of HM is going to be used by the Games and not returned to its original use (bringing jobs and investment into a still relatively poor area, by the way), but what is returned will be greatly improved. It's all part of the deal.
On top of that, access to this "rare, ancient, green space" is at present absolutely shocking by anything other than your car/bike. I still play for a football team that is largely based in S London. We play on Sunday mornings. Have you tried getting to HM for a 1000 kickoff using public transport?
So the fact that a huge, international project is forcing London, private companies and the government to invest in upgrading the North London Line, extending the East London Line and improve bus services, bike lanes and road links can only be a positive.
And finally, on HM, the most beautiful bits will still be there afterwards. And even if we are giving up a few dozen acres of it, what we gain in leisure facilities, new parks, jobs, transport, raised profile etc etc etc more than compensates.
I could carry on and answer mightymauve's and born2bevile's points but this answer is already too long and you can probably guess that I disagree with their arguments (Can you really not see the difference between a "normal" Olympics abroad and one here? And do you really think Manchester got nothing out of the Commonwealth Games other than traffic jams?)
Basically, I'm with Odarroch.
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exactly wot is the benfit of the 'london' olympics??
why wasn't there a backing for the previous english bids, birmingham '92 and manchester?? always london london london.
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In my humble opinion, Matt Slater still seems to be seeing things from a distinctly London-centric point-of-view. To me there really is very little difference between an Olympic Games in Beijing and one in London - in all likelihood, the vast majority of UK citizens will be no more involved in either than watching events unfold on TV.
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I could not care less about the Olympic games being in the UK never mind London.
What does concern me though is as Coe and crew seem so enthusiastic have they got their hands in the Till as has been sugested.This is what we need to know.Because as we all know wherever there is a Tory,the Brown paper envelope is somewhere in the region.
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i just want to know the dates so i can take an extended holiday.
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On 6th July 2005 when the decision was made by the IOC that London would host the 2012 summer Olympic games I became one of the lucky £60 milllion plus residents of the UK that would benefit from firstly having a greater chance the rest of the world of getting a ticket for the greatest spectacle on earth and also being in the right place to profit from all the fantastic sporting, economical and educational benefits that would come from such an event.
Yes the 5 odd weeks that the Olympics and Paralympics will take place over will cost a hell of lot money and I completely understand probably the vast majority of UK residents when they disagree with this. But I think it is imperative we look at the bigger picture that is the ‘Legacy’ of the London games. Firstly the obvious legacy benefits – a first class transport system within London, stadia second to none (many will be temporary that will be able to move around the UK to suit future events) and the massive financial impact of having millions of visitors around the period of the games. London and her residents will benefit the most but the UK as a whole will see huge benefit. Leading up to the games international athletes will be using facilities near you to train and acclimatise, not all of us will be able to see Australia, USA and Russia in practice but we still have a fantastic opportunity to see International athletes on our doorstep – that doesn’t happen every day. Not everyone will be able to stay in London, all cities and towns within two hours of the stadia will see an influx of tourists and when the games are over I would expect to see many people venturing off around the country to sample the wonders that the UK has to offer.
Our Olympic bid had a huge emphasis on Legacy and I think it will be hugely beneficial to have had this view right from the word go. No modern Olympics has benefited the country in the long term in terms of participation in sport Sydney/Australia participation in sport actually went down, Seoul was a massive white elephant, Barcelona showed promise and you can still see the derelict stadia left at Athens. But having this view of the legacy that we will experience right from the start and the policies from across a number of sectors are already addressing the Olympics then will have the foundations in place for the when the Games come around to really have a benefit.
Coe is spot on, it is about us to make sure we benefit from the games, it is about being pro-active and when the ‘legacy train’ goes whizzing round the country it is for people at a local level to put their hands up and say ‘I want some of that’. It is for schools to organise an art competition based on countries participating in the Olympics which then leads into regular events. It is for businesses to have a 5 a side competition that spins off into a regular Tuesday night league. It is for a community centre to have a cake making Olympics, the impact the games will have is up to you, I for one will be jumping up and down trying to take the biggest slice of the legacy train as possible. It is far to easy to complain and take a negative view and target your views at a central level, to Seb Coe and all the fat cats within the House of Parliament. It is about voicing your concern to your Local Authority and pushing for sport to be placed firmly in Local Area Agreements.
If your sport clubs really want to benefit from it there will be pots of money cropping up closer to the time, albeit small pots but it will be enough to help the running of a club. New 2012 coordinators are cropping up within Local Authorities – get onto them and ask what is happening in my local area.
The Olympics is in my eyes the greatest single event, both sporting event and not. I am proud to say that we will be hosting the games and I will be able to say that we have with great pride. I will be buying, borrowing or stealing my tickets, I have already volunteered (I would gladly take un-paid leave to volunteer).
If you dont want it, dont go - I will have more of a chance of getting a ticket. At the end of the day it is an opportunity to once again show other countries that London is the greatest city in the world.
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in response to dj99994. They were backed just the IOC said they would only listen when London put in a bid.
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I fully agree with odarroch.
It's a pity that bitching and moaning aren't Olympic Sports, as the UK would sweep the boards!
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But the 2012 Olympic commitee still havent purchased all the land to buld the stadiums on, hence the ever growing cost, simply because they are getting desperate for the land so offering residents double treble now its so funny. I still believe half the Olympics events will end up in Manchester or Edinburgh anyway, as im not budging my livelihood and business for a quick buck. Incidentally im on the proposed new swimming pool site still living and running my business from there like hundreds others. and intend on being here in 2012 as well. What a joke that this government is still trying to hide the real facts.
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Slater, are you after a job as one of Coe's publically-funded cronies?
Really, your article is one of the most nauseatingly kowtowing articles I've read about the London Olympics.
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University research funding across the whole of the UK has been drastically reduced for the next few years. By 30% for 2008-09. This would suggest that we have our priorities for public spending very wrong. This at a time when better funding for research is clearly required if we want to compete internationally. Many individual researchers, the UK in general and many others across the world who might benefit from the outcomes of this lost research stand to lose out. In effect, they are being asked to pay a lot more than 50 quid in a council tax bill.
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melgs1984. You have a very Londoncentric view of the Olympics. Read the reports already produced about the potential economic benefits for areas outside London. They indicate that the UK outside London and its immediate area will benefit very little and will end up as net contributors.
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I live in Stratford and totally against 2012 as being a complete waste of tax payers money - still we're getting a John Lewis, so I guess that makes up for it.
If you think 2012 will beat the opening ceremony yesterday, think again.
The embarrassment starts in a couple of weeks when a bunch of hoodies start promoting the London games in 2012 and Chinas closing ceremony - hardly anything special compared to what I saw yesterday.
By the time we get to 2012, fireworks will have been banned by the health and safety police force which is gradually bring the UK to it's knees. The risk of being deafened by the fireworks the probable cause of the ban.
The opening ceremony in 2012 will be a huge display of flashing coloured low energy light bulbs as to seen to be a green olympic games.
Still my house price keeps rising so it can't be all bad!! Anyone want to rent my spare room over the Olympics, only £1000/night? :-)
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It is astounding that the only way Tessa Jowell seems to be able to sell the 2012 games to the British public is by constantly wailing with an air of desperation that those games were won « from the French », that London « beat » Paris.
Is she that incapable of selling those games on their own merit?
I hate to think what she would be saying if London had won from Berlin!
Pathetic…
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I, most of my friends, and my mother work in the Arts and Humanities (mostly history and fine art). At first I was happy to get the Olympics, even though I live in Birmingham, but as we have all seen our funding slashed over and over again, and the Games still four years away, and I am feeling less and less enthusiastic. Although sport can be an important part of keeping healthy, the valuation of sport above history or art is frustrating, especially for someone like my mother, who is severly disabled (through illness, thus ruling out paralympic-type activities) and cannot enjoy any kind of sport except through watching it on television.
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How many of you in London know that they are to build a new shooting ground at Woolwich at a cost of £26million and then knock it down again. This is a total wast of tax payers money for you and me in Scotland. There is the home of shooting at Bisley but because the Olympic committee dismissed it because it is not within 45 mins travel of the Olympic Village. Well neither is Hampden, Cardiff or Southampton but they are playing football there. I did contact my local MP who wrote to Tessa Jowel, which I have received a copy of, but to no avail. Everyone should write to their MPs and try to stop YOUR money being wasted.
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I completely agree with post #13. We have to be the only nation in the world who can find only negatives in what can be one of the greatest things that will happen to the country (London in particular), as well as for sports in the country too.
For all those of you who have just ranted on abut how sports don't interest you, and making the assumption that it doesn't play a part in 'most peoples' lives, you might just want to get out on a Sunday and have a look at the number of Sunday Leagues etc and how well attended they are too. I personally cannot wait for the London 2012 Olympics.
We must be the most boring and dullest nation on this planet, we get an opportunity and all we can do is moan, gloat and complain, if only these were Olympic sports, wouldn't we stand a chance of bringing home some medals. Even then the attitude would be..."I can't be bothered..."
These historic games coming to our doorstep has surely got to be a good thing, we have to rise to the challenge and really make something of it.
To this day, Sydney and Athens are talked about, Beijing has followed suit too. There is nothing you can do by moaning, why not put that energy in doing something positive for the games, give it some good press for a change, because in four years time London will be the heart of the Olympic games, and the world will be looking down onto London alone, and that will be our moment to show to the world what we are capable of.
Beijing's games just shows how much positive change has been brought for the people and country too...soon that opportunity will be ours. So please cut out the moaning and let things be, because you wont be moaning when you feel the benefits of the profile of the games alone.
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#33, agree with you 100%, time to be positive for once. At least in China everyone isn't moaning about "money being spent in Beijing", they're proud for the whole nation (and with 56 ethnic groups they're far more diverse than our few regions). Won't even get into the economics of how many billions London subsidises the rest of the country by each year.
I'd like us to put on something to be proud of, but much as I'd like to be positive I am really concerned as to the impression people will get of the UK after some recent experiences in London. Now that we have the Olympics, they're not going away, I think we should all focus on how to make things the best we can. We can learn from the Chinese and their thousands of friendly volunteers.
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As a young British national (I'm 17), I have to wonder when exactly it was that adults became so cynical. Do you not feel any sense of pride that our country, our capital city, has been picked to host the greatest sporting event in the world? Yes, perhaps it will cost you slightly more in tax a month, and before you think it, yes, I do pay taxes, but look at the benefits it will bring to this country: international recognition, an increase in the interest of sport to young people and a feeling of PATRIOTISM.
Something which, clearly, a majority of you are devoid of...
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Born2bVile unfortunately tipifies the indifference that exists in this country with this statement: "I'm not interested in running, jumping, throwing things, ice skating, gymnastics or anything else that the Olympics are associated with. Neither are the majority of people I know."
Regretably the majority of people in this country are only interested in watching a bunch of 11 massively over-paid, badly behaved, irresponsible man-childs kicking a round ball between themselves, feigning injury when they don't get what they want. All this whilst consuming excessive amounts of cheap, tasteless continental larger!
Comments like Born2bVile's show the narrow mindedness of all the people who say "why do we have to have the Olympics here"? Look at the fantastic performance of your Becky Adlington, or the coxless 4, or the Team GB cyclists - how can this not be addictive viewed, let alone a fantastic example to all. These atheles aren't being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for nothing each week, going out to clubs and behaving disgracefully. Beck Adlington, for example, has had to subsist on less than £10,000 a year from Sport UK. These athelets are a fantastic example to everyone in this country, a living lesson in physical and moral courage, determination and the principals of fair play and sporting excellent. Why wouldn't we want this celebration of sport in our country?
And if you don't like it, Born2bVile, put a re-run of last seasons chav-ball premiership on for the two weeks, and leave the rest of us to host a fantastic fortnight of sporting excellence. Maybe we should tax football clubs to help pay for the Olympics ... now there IS an idea!
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Two things here annoy me.
Firstly, those outside London don't really have a leg to stand on when complaining why they have to contribute to the London Olympics through their taxes.
This is because Londoners contribute a greater amount towards everything else that takes place in the country through their higher tax burden (i.e. higher prices, higher pay, but no higher tax allowance).
Londoners don't complain that they are working harder and paying more tax than anyone else, while the rest of the country spend millions doing up their city centres in the name of 'regeneration' or paying for their jobless to smoke cigarettes and have babies.
Secondly, I would have nothing against paying for the games if it was going to be OUR games. But it won't be - it will be owned by sponsors and corporations.
There are a lot of people getting rich out of this spectacle. Don't forget that that £9.3bn eventually finds its way into someone's pockets. For some it's a bonanza. For the rest of us it's cost we can't really cope with right now.
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I know previous posts have already said it, but I find it so hard to believe that people can go their whole lives dismissing and rubbishing any good thing that comes to Britain. I'm not sure whether it is sadness I feel, or pitty for the people who constantly moan about everything - do they gain any joy from anything?!
I have a sneaking suspicion that the people above who are complaining about how much the 2012 Olympics are going to cost, and those same people who 10 years ago were rubbishing all the Millennium projects, including the Dome.
We've held some spectacular events in Britain, Manchesters Commonwealth, Rugby World Cup in Cardiff (Millennium Stadium funded by the Millennium fund) - not bad for such a small country! We do it, and we do it well!
The rugby world cup came to Cardiff in '99, and god was I proud, my tiny country putting on a mazzive sporting event! Granted not the olympics haha, but the top rugby stars from around the world had descended, and there were millions watching. We got an afternoon off school to watch the opening ceremony, and it was a great afternoon :) Maybe I just spent those few weeks around rugby fanatics, but I don't really remember there being that much negative press, and I'm sure this did the event good!
A post above mentioned the fireworks wouldn't be as good as Beijing, oh boo hoo, of course their not going to be, that it what China does well; so they did it well. We have to show the world what we do well, and do it well; I expect some pomp and ceremony in there somewhere haha!
We have the olympic games now, and we should take it with both hands and show everyone in the world, especially those cynics in this country, what we can do with it!
I fully expect that this and other positive posts will be met with negative replies, but we shall enjoy the next 4 years and beyond, and you can....well you can do what you do best, and moan.
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Once again Londoners expected to benefit and assumed the rest of the UK would pay for it.
Roy, I for one was delighted to read recently that Londoners are being asked, via their Council tax to make a contribution towards the cost of the Olympics.
Why should the people of Manchester or Aberdeen contribute directly for facilities that they will never use.
Given the recent economic woes Londoners should be thanking their lucky stars that a regeneration project is already underway in their city. One that will help kickstart the local economy . Instead we here the same old nonsense that Londoners pay more in taxation than they receive.
Central Governemnt costs an awful lot of money to run, it employs thousands of staff not to mention the upkeep of all the palaces etc. Do you think the London tax payer alone pays for the upkeep of all this or for the historical buildings in London which attract tourists galore to spend money in London each year. The rest of the UK subsidises tourism in London but receives very little from its infrastructure.
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Oh dear.... the NIMBY'S are out in force!!!!
I live in Bexhill, God's waiting room. However I can't wait for the 2012 Olympics. I know that it will never occur again in my lifetime in this country. To hell with the thoughts.... Only Londoners will benefit etc.. etc ...
In China do they only think that Beijing will benefit? of course not. Although the Olympics are awarded to a city, it is the whole nation that benefits and the sooner all the prophets of doom and other sad muppets realise that sport is probably the greatest legacy that man can leave behind is actually coming to London (+) in 2012 and I for one cannot wait. Enjoy and seize the moment, for if you don't, life itself will pass you by.
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Saw the majesty of a rising nation making their statement. Saw the spectacular closing Chinese show, and the GB follow on. Very cheap GB! Now feel that UK will be making their statement of a declining nation by making the next Olympics the CHEAP Olympics. We criticise Chinese products for cheap and unreliable products, and after seeing their display to the world, we will give the world real Terminal 5 disaster (but it will be cheap: we hold our National status cheap!)
Well done the athletes, we took your efforts and celebrated them. Thank you. We will probably repay you by giving the cheapest, grubbiest games ever. (Bumbling Boris will have his wallet tucked well down.)
Even surpassing the post-war games when we were truly poverty stricken.
How will we repay this golden generation, and the one to come? By short changing them and complaining about the cost (but loving the dividends the sweat of the athletes give GB?) This is the opportunity to show the world we are not dismal whinging POMs, but great welcoming party animals, that welcome the world... that have much to give.
Lets thrash Sydney! Lets have fun and stop looking in our pockets - we can afford it . We cant afford to show the world the misery of our money grubbing pessimists if we want to progress. Which side are you on? Miserable pocket examining old countryists on the decline? Or young, vibrant, can-doers that see this to strut our stuff and as an investment opportunity in our future to relish?
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Am I the only person who was left rather cold by the London's performance in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games? It was quite insensitive to feature a bus split wide open which was reminiscent of the 7/7 attacks in Tavistock Square. Leona Lewis' performance was surprisingly good, but I felt that the whole London segment was very two-dimensional and show London to have a stunted cultural and artistic growth instead of having a futuristic outlook. I'm aware that the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) wants to portray a youthful London to attract a younger audience, but I would like to stress that not every British taxpayer is young and so they should consider catering to all tastes - not every Londoner is interested in West End musicals, indie-rock music, remakes of classic British hits and D-list reality show winners. They should also seriously consider the embarrassing 2012 logo which at first sight resemble abstract people sodomising. The LOCOG should remember that we're hosting the world's greatest sporting event, not an Andrew Lloyd Webber production. I will be 25 in four years. I hope I get my money's worth and feel proud to be a Londoner after watching the games.
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Yes, London's presentation during the closing ceremony wasn't our finest hour (or 8 minutes), but I think we will get it right on the night. After all, this country is stuffed with theatrical designers, choreographers, talent of every sort. The only constraint on the opening and closing ceremonies will be the usual one of money. And, yes, Boris we know you have to pretend you're taking your new job seriously by banging on about keeping an eye on the budget. But don't lose sight of the main prize - that 2012 is going to be perhaps the greatest opportunity London as ever had for showing itself to the world.
Incidentally, am I the only one who thinks that the swimming pool and velodrome for 2012 (admittedly only on paper at present) look architecturally more exciting than their Beijing equivalents?
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