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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think that with all the talk of benefit caps and cuts, a TRILLION national debt.11 BILLION spend on the Olympics

129 replies

therehastobemore · 26/01/2012 14:50

is a fucking joke

FFS

OP posts:
yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:18

You do realise that a lot of that money is being paid by private companies and the lottery, right? It's not all coming out of the government.

Also, we were awarded the games in 2005. The crisis started in 2007 - do you honestly think we could have said "actually, we can't do the games after all?" and still have been taken seriously as a country. The economy would have suffered a hell of a lot more because no one would want to trade with a company that did that.

It's provided lots of jobs in the east end of London, a really deprived area. They've built better transport links all over London which will continue to benefit us all for decades to come, a huge new shopping centre and hotels, travel companies and airlines will make a lot of money.

Frankly, if you don't understand anything about economics, maybe you shouldn't attempt to debate it.

Finally, stop farking whinging. I'm more sick of reading people whinge about the olympics than I am of reading about the olympics.

KatieMiddleton · 26/01/2012 15:20

YANBU.

While the games will undoubtedly be good for bringing in money from overseas some of the spending decisions are vulgar and unnecessary. It doesn't need to be so expensive.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:20

So therehastobemore, you think that instead of having anything in our country like stone henge, we should just focus on pure functionality?

Yeah, that'd be a nice place to live.

MrsMicawber · 26/01/2012 15:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Zideq · 26/01/2012 15:21

For reference the link below is a good read on the legacy of the Sydney Games.

www.abc.net.au/news/2010-09-15/sydney-games-a-lasting-legacy/2260648

MrsMicawber · 26/01/2012 15:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

noddyholder · 26/01/2012 15:24

Historically the host nations have made nothing after the event despite the grand claims before hand. There are too many people suffering in this country atm to indulge this sort of thing. We need to invest in young people/education and hang fire on cutting benefits for the most vulnerable before we even think of yachts and stadiums.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:24

MrsMicawber, the Greek crisis has nothing to do with the Olympic games. How are the two at all linked?

I'm sorry you feel I'm patronising, it is infuriating to read people talk about things when they clearly have no idea how they work.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:25

So noddyholder, what do you suggest we do?

Cancel them?

Because then countries will lose all faith in us, stop trading with us, our credit rating will be fucked and we'll be in a wholly worse position.

KatieMiddleton · 26/01/2012 15:25
noddyholder · 26/01/2012 15:26

I think we are heading there anyway!

KatieMiddleton · 26/01/2012 15:27

Have I missed something? I haven't seen anyone suggest cancelling the games. Let's just lose some of the more ostentatious and unaffordable aspects.

Zideq · 26/01/2012 15:27

yellowraincoat, the games is diverting private money and charetable monies from other areas to the games. I agree it is to late to take back some of the decisions but some of the continued spend is obscene lots of the legacy objectives included in the origianl bid have been lost with the OPLC not knowing who would be taking over the key bits of infrastructure.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:27

No, we're not. Compared to most countries in Europe we're doing ok and we're seen as relatively stable.

noddyholder · 26/01/2012 15:29

We are seen as stable as the BofE will print money at any given opportunity to paper over the cracks but per capita we are in just as much debt and more than some countries.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:30

Zideq, do you really think that private companies are thinking "oh well, we would have donated this money to charity, but we'll give it to the Olympics instead"? That's not how it works. Companies have set amounts they'll give to charities. The money for the Olympics comes from a totally different place.

The sheer number of people who have jobs in east London due to the games is massive. These people are therefore paying taxes and not on benefits.

Yes, I agree, we spend a lot on stuff that might be deemed unnecessary. But if we don't have a big show, people will equally whinge that the games were crap and pathetic.

You can't win in this country. We are such a nation of whingers.

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:31

Being in a lot of debt isn't actually that bad though. The point is that we are able to generate a lot of money quickly, something that other countries are unable to do.

Sevenfold · 26/01/2012 15:33

well said Noddy

yellowraincoat · 26/01/2012 15:38

Note, Zideq - "the Conservatives have claimed". I used to be a reporter - "x has claimed" is a standard thing to write when what is being said is BS massaged figures sent from a political camp.

At the end of the day, the Olympics are happening. Complaining about them won't change that. Every time someone whinges about it, it becomes more and more ingrained that the Olympics are shit. Instead of complaining about the situation why not try to work within it? Try to enjoy it instead of moaning about it - unless you actually plan to do something with your displeasure.

noddyholder · 26/01/2012 15:38

There is debt and there is debt though yellow.The national debt is out of control. We could easily have our rating downgraded following this announcement this week. We have also distanced ourselves from the US and the EU and so who knows what our status will be 6 months from now. For every .25 pc rise in interest rates 1000s of people would lose their homes. This is all debt related. I think it was irresponsible to even bid for the bloody games as the UK has been on this course for years.

MrsMicawber · 26/01/2012 15:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Zideq · 26/01/2012 15:40

Yellowraincoat, you are right a lot of debt in certain circumstances isn?t bad the issue in this country is what has created the other than the failure of the financial markets debt other than the failure of the financial markets i.e. it hasn?t been spent on short term things like arms during the wars but continual spend like the NHS budget etc.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 26/01/2012 15:40

I have made a completea about turn regarding the sodding Olympics.

I live in a minor Olympic Borough and I was up for them. Thought people were being grumpy about them.

Over the last 18 mths I have got more and more furious about the whole bloody thing. I work in this borough with disabled children and their families. Services are fucked. Families are left with next to nothing. Children are suffereing and its going to get worse.

Meantime a huge even that most of us cant afford and cant get tickets to even if we could is about to happen on our doorstep.

Our green spaces are being concreted over for fecking car parks and the like.

we are being told on a daily basis how we must all suck it up and get on with it because we are in crisis and all in it together.

Yet billions is being spent on a sporting event.

In better times I would be happy for all the young, healthy, motivated people getting a chance to perform for their countries.

At the moment I just think how many hours respite, how many wheelchairs, how much assistive equipment, new housing, support, therapists could that money have paid for.

It is happening in some of the most deprived boroughs in the country. Its like a fucking smack in the mouth.

I NEVER thought I would feel like this.

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