To think that the Olympics is a disgusting spectacle of thuggery and corporate whoredom

[MonkeysNuts]

The last one was in China where no-one would be surprised to hear about abuses done in the name of the spectacle.

It seems however we've imported this totalitarian state to the UK.

To wit, boy riding his bike assaulted by the Torch Guardians:

All the food vendors at the Olympics banned from selling chips, because McDonalds sell them:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2172168/London-Olympics-2012-McDonalds-force-Olympics-bosses-ban-restaurants-selling-chips-unless-FISH.html

Ground-to-air missiles sited on blocks of flats

stoptheolympicmissiles.org/

13,500 troops deployed, more than in Afghanistan, thousands more, many unpaid, private security staff, attack dogs, sound torture device
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18042528

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/10/london-olympics-lockdown-2012-games

All cashpoints shut down at Olympics sites if they take cards other than Visa, non-Visa cards banned for payment
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2153008/Visa-branded-cynical-bans-rival-cards-Olympics.html

Advertising exclusion zones around all the Olympic sites

www.london2012.com/business/advertising-and-trading-regulations/

£675m taken from charities to pay for it

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9366935/London-2012-Olympics-Charities-who-lost-funding-to-pay-for-the-Games-wont-see-their-money-for-another-decade.html

Total fuck-up for central London for transport/living for weeks.

Tourist numbers massively down

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9311869/Third-of-London-hotel-rooms-empty-for-Olympics-as-normal-tourists-stay-away.html

Olympics sponsored by shit: McDonalds - shit foreign food; Heineken - shit foreign beer (all other beers banned, arrests likely for anyone trying to promote/sell them); Coca Cola - shit foreign drink.

The Olympic ideal was supposed to be pure athleticism, competing for nothing more than honour, instead basically we give our country over to a bunch of plutocrats who get their own Zil lanes to whisk them from Mayfair (they couldn't possibly demean themselves to stay in Stratford) to Stratford and around the country to other venues and to a few big corporations who, in return for putting up a tiny fraction of the cost of the Olympics, get to dictate what we can and can't do in our own country. Did we really want this? A militarised city, where the armed forces are there essentially at the behest of a foreign force, namely the IOC?

Never heard The Simpsons described as a documentary before. Have I been misled all this time?

So has Westfield regenerated the area and provided local jobs or not?

Sorry, that was to Peetle - has the Westfield shopping centre, that you are so cross about, regenerated the area and provided local jobs or not?

This project was conceived before we won the Olympic bid and was expected to take 40 years...instead it is expected to take 15 years, and costs were split.

It's like Christmas. True meaning has been lost and it's all about making money.
Yes, that's a nice simple accurate way of summing it up.
Originally the Olympics was about amateur sportsmen and women. Now it includes multi-millionaire footballers, and sponsored athletes who arrive in flash free cars.
It is quite possible to hold a true amateur event without sponsorship. Pre-WW2 games did just that.

So has Westfield regenerated the area and provided local jobs or not?
What on earth has that got to do with the Olympics? The Westfield in west London wasn't tied to any special event.

Why would you want a totally amateur event though? I want to see the fastest runners and the usain bolts, not randoms.

sallyingforth - I was referring to Peetle's complaint that in order to get to the Olympic site you need to pass through the shopping centre. I wondered what the complaint was, in view of the fact that the Olympics has brought this regeneration project forward by 25 years, part funded it and created local jobs.

Thanks Peetle - hate the Simpsons - meant nothing! And I agree totally about design being subjective - it's how I earn my living, but I fully see that there is no right or wrong - it just opinions.

Have you actually entered further into Westfield than the walk to the Olympic Park? I promised it's full of 'normal' high street shops, including Primark and Forever 21 type stuff. And it was built now (and drew far more retailers) because of the Olympics.

From what I understand, the Atheletes' Village is being converted into homes for key workers, which can only be beneficial to East London.

I know the traffic will be shit, I know that the set-up has cost a fortune in tough times, but for goodness sake, lets not pretend that there aren't a lot of positives in the mix.

"Why would you want a totally amateur event though? I want to see the fastest runners and the usain bolts, not randoms."

In a genuine amateur Olympics, the top flight athletes would remain amateurs because they would want to compete.

Roger Bannister was an amateur.

The olympics were foisted on the country by the spendaholics of labour. At least the private companies like McDonalds and Coke invest millions to reduce the costs as does NBC TV of the USA without these companies the games would be another few billion on top of the costs to date.

McD's only expect to make about 3 million in their restaurants at olympic venues which is nothing compared to how much they have paid out to support the games so if seems only fair that they along with the other sponsors are not the subject of hijack marketing which would be rife if there were no laws in place to protect them. With the large crowds who will be around the olympic parks all day you can just imagine how many companies would be haranguing everyone in the queues etc. if there were not semsible plans in place.

www.flickr.com/photos/save_greenwich_park/sets/72157628458286857/
www.nogoe2012.com/Information.html
www.nogoe2012.com/CampaignNews.html

The Olympics themselves are odious enough.
But the mind numbingly arrogant behaviour of LOCOG takes the biscuit.
AND
NONE of them pay tax on their salaries (Like Christine Lagarde) because all UN / International sports bodies get away with being tax exempt.
Effing freeloaders.

McDonald's are sponsoring a sporting event to improve their public image and sell more burgers not just during the Olympics. McDonald's and their junk food are contributing to obesity and consequently NHS costs. to think that McDonald's is sponsoring this event and incurring most costs than benefits is ludicrous.

McDonalds have been sponsoring the Olympics for years and of course they do it for marketing opportunities but they are not responsible for obesity. All other companies were free to bid to be the official sponsors of the Olympics but obviously did not offer enough. Obesity is caused by people eating too much.

International sports bodies do not automatically get tax free status. That was given to the games by labour.

The use of greenwich for an olympic venue is a fantastic mixture of a British Heritage venue and the games.

I think McDonalds have contributed to people being obese by offering huge portions loaded with calories and advertising directly to children.
Until they make a rule that you have to run 10km before they'll serve you fries then their sponsorship is totally inappropriate.

Surely the sponsors should be Nike and Adidas?

Really Nike because goods made by child sweatshop labour is better then 100% meat from british farmers in a sesame seed bun by british bakers.

You don't have to buy the large portions. You can stick to the regular sizes and take personal responsibility for being fat if you eat too much.

TalkinPeace2 -

It is usual for fund salaries, like those in most international organisations (like the UN), to be tax exempt to ensure equal pay for equal work regardless of nationality.

McDonald's sell unhealthy food, they improve brand image by sponsoring healthy pursuits and so they avoid pressure from people who wish to regulate unhealthy foods and they sell more junk and the nation gets fatter. And no they are not the only company who make junk food but they are one of the best known. And just because they use British meat doesnt give them sainthood.

Increasing the size of their portions increases their profits but it also increases the amount of food people eat at their junk food shops. Personal responsibly doesn't mean much when we all pay the cost of obesity and it's just going to get worse until the cost of treating obesity cripples the NHS then maybe our gov will grow a set!

Since the McDonald's are evil threads are plentiful on here I can't be bothered correcting you out of our silly views springgoddess. If you do a search or two you'll find plenty of threads that are full of actual facts contrary to your viewpoint.

Adidas are a sponsor Miggsie.

LOCOG staff do pay tax.

There are obviously negative things associated with the Olympics, but there are also loads of people happy to peddle rumours, rather than find out the truth.

I hate organised sport, junk food, waste and corruption. It is unlikely that I would be a big olympics fan. The whole thing is bread and circuses for the masses.

Everyone seems to agree that we should all celebrate the hard work and dedication of the athletes. I couldn't give a shiny shit how fast some woman can swim down a pool. She would be better putting her time and energy into making a nice quilt or something useful. But that is just my opinion.

adeucalione says it is normal that they do not pay tax.
ajandjjmum says they DO pay tax.

I have NO problem with international salaries NOT being taxed at source.
What is GROSSLY OFFENSIVE is that they are "exempt" from tax.
IE no matter what M. Hollande does to tax rates in France,
French citizens canny enough to work for the UN avoid all tax anywhere in the world.
Sorry, but that is WRONG.
UN salaries should be treated as untaxed income in their country of citizenship.
Time to stop the gravy train of the mega rich.

Novack - do you work for McDonald's? You seem very defensive about their activities.

''I was reading about a small company in Shropshire that won the contract to make the mascots, who have now won a worldwide contract to make toy cars for BMW''

You mean this?

news.sky.com/story/919369/olympic-toy-maker-breaching-worker-rights

TalkinPeace2 - my comment was a general one and did not specify LOCOG or the IOC. I was providing a reason why their salaries, and the salary of Christine Lagarde) might be exempt from tax in response to your statement that they were. That'll teach me to take your assertions at face value.

BlackOutTheSun - yes, that's the company I was referring to.

No don't work for McD's but have no time for the propagandists on here about them all the time spewing their nonsense about junk food at the UK's most successful restaurant chain.