Blair Gives Games Green Light - London's Olympic Bid To Go A

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

As great as it is for British sport and all that, I find it quite disturbing that Tony Blair can give the OK for London's 2012 Olympic bid.

There have been different reports with different figures etc. I heard on Sky Sports News that it would be around £8 billion, strangely, Sky News said £10 billion (strangely because, of course, it's the same company). The secretary of Culture, Media and Sports, Tessa Jowell, announced, however, that the cost will be £2.375 billion.

The issue that disturbs me is that our government willingly shells out to stage an Olympic Games, however they cannot pay our firemen what they want and severly underpay our teachers and NHS staff. Mrs. Jowell also said that there would be £20 million funding from the Lottery and the rest would be helped by a £20 INCREASE FOR LONDON TAX PAYERS! This, coming from the same government that gave a firm NO when asked to raise taxes to pay public service men and women!

Don't get me wrong, staging the games will be excellent. I am a huge sports fan and would welcome the games normally. But under these circumstances it is farcical. And, ok, even if this money is to be spent on sport, the situtation of sports in schools is a mess too. The money could go to funding improvements in that instea dof relying on a campaign by Cadbury's which, by encouraging kids to eat chocolate and get fat, allows schools to save up wrappers to earn sports equipment.

It's ridiculous. But will anyone take action? No. Why? Because the media will glorify this no end.

I just hope the firemen catch on and point this out, which I'm sure they will.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

good luck to the firemen and women of England

[Urban Rubble]

What you have to understand is that whatever they put into it, they will make all that and more back. Do you have any idea how profitable the Olympics are for the place that is hosting them ?

Fuck the Olympics though, my family is from Atlanta and I was down there during the 96 games. It turns the city into a fucking zoo for about a year, you feel like a foreigner in a place you previously knew. I'll say it again, fuck the Olympics. Pray your city loses the bid.

[hawarameen]

the olympics are a lottery, billions are spent in preperation for the event and IF, IF you get it you may make some money back, but what if you dont get it?

[Urban Rubble]

I'm pretty sure they don't prepare before they get the bid all that much, and if they do I know for a fact they don't spend billions. After the bid of course they spend billions.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

What?

The bid is what we're on about. The bid, the campaign, will cost £2.5 billion (Jowell). Who knows what the cost will be if the bid is then successful.

(Edited by Socialsmo o Muerte at 6:41 pm on May 20, 2003)

[Urban Rubble]

Hmmm, I stand corrected. Either way, pray they don't come to your town, it sucks.

[Invader Zim]

I know that the manchester games were a hugely profitable event. But talk to moskitto he performs nationaly for a sport, he will tell you all the dirt on the olympics. He hates them.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

It's not the athletes or the actual olympics in question.

It's the politics. Blair's actions in allowing the bid.

[Saint-Just]

Quote: from Socialsmo o Muerte on 7:57 pm on May 20, 2003
It's not the athletes or the actual olympics in question.

It's the politics. Blair's actions in allowing the bid.

I agree, if this were a socialist country where everyone was given a decent living and we had a progressive society I would be in favour of creating such a grand spectacle to demonstrate the power of people's socialism. However it is not, and what can we expect from the capitalist domineerer Blair?

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

Also, I read an article on the BBC site just after Beijing had been given the Olympics in 2008. The article was slamming the Chinese government saying the spectacle would be used as a huge propaganda campaign.

This is exactly what Blair will try and do. Doubt BBC will report that though.

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

I hear today that a school in Surrey had to be shut at lunchtime because it had debts of up to £200,000...

Where's their funding going...

Oh, the Olympic Bid! That's ok then.

[canikickit]

Also, I read an article on the BBC site just after Beijing had been given the Olympics in 2008. The article was slamming the Chinese government saying the spectacle would be used as a huge propaganda campaign.

That's so true and so stupid. People just have an image of what "propaganda" is now, so more subtle modern-day forms aren't commented upon.

I fully agree with your initial post too.

[RAM]

The key to making them work is to make the profertable! Try not to build new facilites. Sell the Olympic Viallage and allow the venus to be run by companies after the olympice e.g. the Common wealth Games Stadium in Manchester is going to be used by Manchester City!

[Socialsmo o Muerte]

I don't think it was whether or not the Olympics would be successful, or how to make it work, that was up for debate.

It's the fact that afterefusing to tax Brits to pay their fire fighters, theyve now decided to tax Brits to pay for an Olympic bid campaign.