The Olympic Bid Farce..

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

I started a post a while back when the British government said it would back London's Olypmic Bid. Of course, the bid has now begun and the figures have been released.

Though I am a die-hard lover of sports, London making this bid is ridiculous.

The government and London Mayor have agreed a package that allows for £2.375 billion of public funding. This will comprise £1.5bn from the National Lottery and up to £625m from London Council Tax. The remaining £250m, if needed, will come from the London Development Agency.

An additional budget of some £500 million has been set aside for transport development specifically for the Games.

Over £17 billion is being spent in London before 2012, with roads, trains and the Underground all due to benefit. The prospect of spending £5 billion on transport development prior to the announcement that London was bidding for the games was branded by the Transport secretary as "barmy" (Source: Daily Times), thus meaning that the bid alone has persuaded the government to agree to that along with an extra £12billion.

So we reach a total of around £20 billion to prepare London for an Olympic Games which, of course, it may not win. As it happens, Paris is the 11/8 favourite to win the bid anyway.


The reason that this is ricidulous, of course, is that with the NHS in a state, the education system in need of improvements, the firefighters still demanding more money and top-up fees on the horizon, £20 billion could and should be being spent on much more worthwile things.

Yes, £20 billion won't solve all of those problems, but it would go some way to helping the NHS. It is clear that there should've been a referendum on this issue. Using that amount of public money for such a thing is absolutly crazy.

Only bourgeious politics and bourgieous business can benefit from this Olympic bid. Yes, we will get some good sporting entertainment the romance of the Omypics on TV, but that will mask the fact that behind the curtain of it all, the money-spinners will be rubbing their hands.

The sad thing is that the media and Blair talk about how glorious the Olympics are, which I don't disagree with, but this blinds people into forgetting the REAL reason the government wants the Olympics. To get their honour and prestige back after the farcical goings on of the last few years and to keep the elites happy.

[Intifada]

they are using this to cover up all the shit theyve caused here at home and in the middle east, kinda like what bush is doing with the proposed space trips.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

Of course yeh.

I heard Bush's speech about that and he, like Blair, fails to mention the cost and who is going to pay.

They just paint their "dream" to distract us while they slide their hands into our pockets.

[Saint-Just]

The government could improve the NHS and all public services if they chose to do so and the electorate supported them doing so. And, we could make a bid to hold the olympics too.

I hope we win the bid to hold the Olympics, it will be great for the country and for us all to go and watch the Olympics.

[Hate Is Art]

yeah, I would like to London win the olympics, and it will bring money into the city.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

And there was me thinking people on this board has sense.


"I hope we win the bid to hold the Olympics, it will be great for the country and for us all to go and watch the Olympics."

Chairman Mao, I think you have failed to read beneath surface. It will be great for the country; with "country" being code for the bourgeious elites and businesses. And though I love sports, I'd rather have the country visit the hospital safe in the knowledge that they will get the best treatment possible than watch a few well kept men race over a small stretch of track.


"yeah, I would like to London win the olympics, and it will bring money into the city."

Indeed, but money for what? For education? For more effective policing? For adequate nursing? I don't think so. It will bring money in for private enterprise to grow and grow further.


Clearly Blair's polished up image of this Olympic Bid has worked for you. Good on him.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

The Olympics have become ruled by politics.

Munich, Atlanta, Barcelona were all clearly being used as political tools. Beijing will also be inevitably.

If Britain wins, 2012 will also be used as such.


And as we knows, world politics is now bourgeious politics, ruled by private enterprise. Thus, private enterprise will beneift more than any gold medal winners from the Olympics.

[Saint-Just]

Chairman Mao, I think you have failed to read beneath surface. It will be great for the country; with "country" being code for the bourgeious elites and businesses. And though I love sports, I'd rather have the country visit the hospital safe in the knowledge that they will get the best treatment possible than watch a few well kept men race over a small stretch of track.

We both improve the health system and hold the oylmpics very easily. If we do win the bid great revenue will be brought into the country. However, if we do not win the bid we will have wasted money. Realistically the government makes many choices that we, as socialists, see as poor socialists. but at least with the possibility of holding the olympics we could get some enjoyment. I agree that if Paris is likely to win it is silly to spend so much money trying to beat them.

[Edelweiss]

Originally posted by Chairman [email protected] 18 2004, 02:00 PM
I hope we win the bid to hold the Olympics, it will be great for the country and for us all to go and watch the Olympics.
What a truely leftist poisitions..."good for the country"!? WTF? Since when do commnuists care what is good for their (imperialist, bourgois) state??? I very much doubt that the olympic bid will be of any benefit for the British working class. And since when do communists care about how great it will be when foreign investors bring revenue to the country? You are speaking like a fucking representant of the ruling class, not like a communist.

[Commie Girl]

:D Cuba should get the Olympics...then the U$ wouldn't go!!!

[Saint-Just]

Originally posted by Malte+Jan 18 2004, 11:29 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Malte @ Jan 18 2004, 11:29 PM)
Chairman [email protected] 18 2004, 02:00 PM
I hope we win the bid to hold the Olympics, it will be great for the country and for us all to go and watch the Olympics.
What a truely leftist poisitions..."good for the country"&#33;? WTF? Since when do commnuists care what is good for their (imperialist, bourgois) state??? I very much doubt that the olympic bid will be of any benefit for the British working class. And since when do communists care about how great it will be when foreign investors bring revenue to the country? You are speaking like a fucking representant of the ruling class, not like a communist. [/b]
Yes, but the reality is that I live in Britain and am part of British society.

I&#39;ll be quite happy if they are in France anyway since then I can go and watch there.

[FAB]

I live in Germany but i don&#39;t see me as a part of the german society. i have the intention to destroy the german society and build up a multi-national proletarian society.

and When the olympic games cames to my town i would demonstrate against this capitalist happening&#33;

[Edelweiss]

Düsseldorf, my home town, was also running for the olympic bid 2012, but luckily already was kicked out already in the national decision (Leipzig made it).
However, here is the picture of a great action of some funny leftists who "hijacked" an offical "Düsseldorf 2012" flag which were hanging in front of the city hall:

http://www.zakk.de/kok/hintergrund/Wir-haben-sie-72.jpg

:D :D :D

[cubist]

Just look at the dome what a waste funds, why not pay the NHS some more......

its lyrics from a punk song my mates band wrote,

somes up this little labour venture too, though upon successful bid the tourist industry will bring in a shit load. i wouldn&#39;t waste the money on the of chance of making more.

[toastedmonkey]

Socialsmo o Muerte and Malte are spot on with this one.
Its a distraction from all the crap they pulling at the moment.

I think its interesting how the press hasnt picked up on the manchester situation. A country can only put one bid in for the olympics every so many years, and that bid has to be endorsed by the government.
I find it peculiar how the government picked london to host the olympics and not manchester.
On the news the other day it showed what London needs to do, this included turning traflgur square into a diving arena and developing some wasteland in hackney.
Surely manchester would of been a better choice as it already has all the facilities after recently holding both the Commonwealth games and European Champions League final, which were very successful indeed.

[AC-Socialist]

I think DN is partialy right. Im well aware of our temptation to spill our anti borguese rhetoric at this time. And indeed, at times it is deserved. However, many of the money coming in will be used to renevate the east-end by building new council properties.
I realise what im saying may be considered blasphemy to many (even to me) but although there are going to be big business winners the people should also prosper. Thats my first post complete, short and sweet. See ya around.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

Of course that&#39;s true. But any funding for council housing, like you suggest, will just be a concession. They&#39;ll just use that to show that the Olympics were worth something and that the people of Britain have benefitted from it.

But underneath it all, the bourgeios elite will have had a field day (or few weeks as it would be). The governments discreet use of propaganda and public concessions will come into practice again and the masses will, of course, fall for it.

Nothing good can come out of hosting this Olympics for the people as a whole in any long term way. Though I will admit to my weaknesses and it will provide a great few weeks of entertainment. But my entertainment is not as important as the welfare of the masses.