Is it worth £3.3 BILLION to hold the OLYMPIC GAMES in London

[JoolsToo]

here

Just pondering where that amount of money could be better spent

Preventing hospital departments being closed down
Herceptin and other cancer drugs
Education
etc etc

well said wanabee 74. couldn't of put it better myself.

It's not negativity about the Olympics, but the bottomless pit of public money that it will become. It seems like no project in this country can be organised without going tenfold over budget.

And yes, London is the capital, but other countries have managed to spread the wealth and power a bit more evenly, to the benefit of all.

No, I have no pride that we have landed ourselves with this disastrously expensive project that will leach money away from desperately underfunded local sporting facilities (our local swimming pools are either shut or in the most disgusting state), from our heritage and from the arts. Things I do feel pride in, actually.
I think this is going to make Wembley and the Millenium Dome look like bargain of the century.

LONDON council tax payers.

I want fucking free tickets then.

Why should I have to pay more because it's geographically closer to me? I can't afford to actually GO to anything!

Ah, hadn't read the whole thread.

Can I just say that I do like the Olympics, I'm pleased it's here, it will do a lot to regenerate a part of London that needs it, but why can't it go on everyone's council tax?! We already pay extra for the "privilege" of living in London...

'The Olympics' is doing nothing to regenerate the area. MONEY is. The Olympics is not a revenue generator.

I am exasperated about the money and the budget, but I am happy that the Olympics is coming here if that makes sense.

I think the people making the financial decisions are morally and intellectually bankrupt, and I would love to know how much of this money is being greased around by corrupt politicians and sleazy businessmen.

But the money wouldn't be spent there if the Olympics wasn't going there, Dara.

And they are regenerating local swimming baths too - Uxbridge lido is looking like it'll be used as a training site for Olympic athletes

(And actually, I will benefit from that - I just begrudge them adding yet MORE to my already mahoosive council tax)

I'm glad the Olympics are coming to Britain for all the reasons stated here but find the figures distasteful. It also irks me to hear of local pools and playing fields being closed down and sold off- there's something wrong with that.

yeahbut - no the Millennium Dome was all Tony's handiwork!

I suppose it helps if you think the Olympics is an interesting event. I think it's a dreary, depressing and uninteresting spectacle, from the embarrassing opening jigging about in costumes to the drug addled cheats and anorexic adolescents doing pointless stuff to win tin medals. So naturally I don't leap up and down with excitement that it is going to cost me extra on my council tax and take money away from the local services I do use in an attempt to help my children learn to swim. And let's face it, anyone who is going to watch the events are going to watch them on the telly anyway, so what difference does it make if its in Syria or Stratford?
I'd rather have the Eurovision Song Contest

But Hunkermunker, it could be spent there. No reason why not. The Government makes the decision.

Yep. It could be spent there, without the Olympics. But it never would be.

Well maybe there's a reason for that. Like it's not the best use for this enormous, phenomenal sum of money.

No I don't intend to watch it on tv I intend to go and watch it in person. In fact by the time it happens I should be living in Essex - nice travelling distance for me then - perhaps I could rent out my spare room

Dara they wouldn't spend the money because how would they justify doing so. If you spend the money regenerating one area, purely for the locals, you then have to justify why you are regenerating that area and not every other area in the country - it would simply not happen.

FYI

Background to the Dome Project
The Dome project was conceived, originally on a somewhat smaller scale, under John Major's Conservative government, as a Festival of Britain or World's Fair-type showcase to celebrate the third millennium. The incoming Labour government elected in 1997 under Tony Blair, greatly expanded the size, scope and funding of the project. It also significantly increased expectations of what would be delivered. Just before its opening Blair claimed the Dome would be "a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity". In the words of BBC correspondent Robert Orchard, "the Dome was to be highlighted as a glittering New Labour achievement in the next election manifesto".

the relevant link

hate to digress, but the way I remember it the project was already going to happen & it was left to the incoming government to make it happen in whatever form.

As I said before, I enjoyed it as a day out myself, & I look forward to the London Olympics.

I'd be happy to contribute to it too.

does this mean if Labour are ousted at the next election that the Conservatives will be blamed if the London Olympics is a flop due to corrupt builders & national apathy?

There is no point in regenerating an area if the people who would supposedly benefit can't afford to live there any more. And some regeneration was underway beforehand and the money could have been found from other sources.

The "regeneration" is a cynical lie.
Look what happened in Greece. Once the project hit financial problems everything that wasn't for the benefits of the luvvie athletes got killed stone dead.
Crossrail is going to be killed.

Fact is that a huge area of land that could be developed into something useful is going to be turned into white elephant stadiums, and in some cases the stadiums will be knocked down, leaving the sort of mess we have now.

If you simply gave the land to your least favourite bank, they'd build offices, homes etc, not because they are nice, but because they can make money from it.

Read up no the terms the government signed.
Local businesses are to be firmly shut out of any opportunity to make money and thus generate jobs and sustainable development.

Local kids will get jobs selling tickets and burgers for which ever American outfits the government of the day got paid by.
Big deal.
The firms that occupy space in and around the site are being shoved out of the way in moves that would not look out of place in the way China is "sanitising" Beijing for it's Olympics.
Thus the net effect of the Olympics will be to reduce long term employment in the area.
But I'm painting too rosy a picture here.
Most are asusming that the stadiums will be hard to support once the Olypmics are over.
Get real.
Look at Wembley, tube upgrades, etc. It's a toss up between the buildings not being in any usable form at all, or them falling down of their own accord.

What do you suggest DC?

Syria. Now there's an idea. That would confuse the terrorists.

Totally agree with dara on this.

I have an aquaintence who is a lawyer dealing with the compulsory purchase of property and land for the Olympics. He is earning £500,000 a year. He is only one of a large team of lawyers, all on this level of salary. I found that quite shocking TBH.

The loss of the 2 football pitches at Hackney Marshes is for 2 football seasons. They will then be restored I have been told. All the pitches at Hackney Marshes will be drained and improved, so there will be a 'beneficial legacy'.

It's true that the two out of use pitches will be used for Olympic parking - disabled parking and park and ride coach parking. I do not know if the pitches will be tarmaced over or what, this is still being decided, but the pitches will be restored - is what I have been told. The general draining and improving of all Hackney Marshes pitches will happen, anyway.

The stadium the present government were supposed to provide for the World Athletic Championships didn't even get built. Paris got it instead and built one at 6 months' notice. Tbh after that I am amazed we were awarded the Games in the first place.

Totally agree with DC, the only ones to profit will be the multinationals. The local character will be totally obliterated.

DC, In our borough, an olympic host borough, many training courses are being set up in building trades (for instance)designed for local people. So if they want to get the relevant skills they will have the opportunity to apply for building jobs created by the Games. These people will not simply 'forget' the skills afterwards - having these skills and experience will help propel them into a long term career elsewhere.