More Olympic nonsense...

[Mercy1]

Just been watching the latest non event of the Olympic Games - no medals for anyone there, I thought...
Der der...one year to go to the best games ever (??), in the best city in the world (??). Their very predictable words, not mine.
Whatever, in reality TODAY was a nothing event (IMHO) and it looked that way.
Seemed to me that everyone there wished they were elsewhere!
A spluttering display of oldies wheeled out, a nutty mayor and a tuneless pop group.
I know I have grown very cynical over this jamboree, and I am sure many people are looking forward to it, but this was surely over-egging the pudding more than a bit.
It's going to be a long year...

 

[Howard]

I only said to Mrs Toad a few minutes ago , when the programme about 'Building the Olympics' came on , that it was still a year away and i'm sick of the self-congratulatory nonsense already.

 

[swannymere]

I think it was big V-sign to all the people who've doubted the Olympic facilities would even be finished on time, it's a shame that everyone is so negative about something which has the potential to showcase what's great about England, it's easy to be cynic.

 

[grober]

I think it was big V-sign to all the people who've doubted the Olympic facilities would even be finished on time, it's a shame that everyone is so negative about something which has the potential to showcase what's great about England, it's easy to be cynic.

I'm sure you meant to say what's great about the United Kingdom

 

[jocasta]

We get London Tonight as our local news and it feels like they have been talking about it everyday since 2005...as they did with the millenium dome before that.

I'm not holding out much hope it will all finish by the end of August next year, they are bound to have 'news' stories daily about how the Olympic site is being left to rot or some other nonsense.

Can you tell I'm a bit bored of it as well

 

[E CLASS]

I'm sure you meant to say what's great about the United Kingdom

Actually its what's great (if you agree) about London...

People forget that a city won - not a country.

 

[w124nut]

And I thought that I was the only one getting bored about the whole thing.

I am really glad that it looks as if the Olympic site will be completed well within time and within budget but I can't be bothered with all the self congratulatory razzamataz.

Well done Tom Daley, it was a great first dive into the pool. Now that was worth watching.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

People forget that a city won - not a country.

Yes, you're correct; London won. All those billions (from the lottery, national taxes etc) that have been spent will be of great benefit to the nice folk of the South East.

In general I am a fan of the Olympics, it would have been better for the country if it had been somewhere like Birmingham. Or Doncaster...

 

[renault12ts]

To be bored about the London Olympics is understandable because as the home Olympics you will be bombarded by all the building etc. This does not however make the event boring.

I think those who say they are bored are just plain silly. This will be a great event as it would be anywhere in the world... a prophet in his own land etc etc...

Give over. Get enthused, the rest of the world will be in London this time next year...will they be bored? I doubt it. Someone has to stage this event...this time its London.

When the games were announced in 2005, did you all think you'd hear nothing until July 2012???

I'm am bored by all those talking down the games.

 

[E CLASS]

£9 billion could have been better spent - even if we were to win every gold.

 

[renault12ts]

£9 billion could have been better spent - even if we were to win every gold.

£9bn? How much of that was in wages?

 

[E CLASS]

I've no idea - remember the budget started at £3billion (+ VAT of course Tessa Jowell you numpty!)

 

[renault12ts]

My point is it's difficult to say the money would have been better spent when a fair proportion represents the wages of the workers.

 

[stevieb15]

My point is it's difficult to say the money would have been better spent when a fair proportion represents the wages of the workers.

A very small amount I suggest, most of the money will go towards the capital projects.....which if past experience is anything to go by will be in sad decay within years.
Just another vanity project for polititians who lied,there can be no other word for it, about how much it would cost, no onme could have been that wrong by accident!

 

[E CLASS]

(Reuters) - The London 2012 Olympic Games remains on track not to exceed its 9.3 billion pounds budget, the government announced on Monday.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell gave the update in a written statement to the House of Commons as part of the most detailed financial breakdown of the Games' costs.
It followed a request in July by the financial watchdog, the National Audit Office, to draw up a detailed baseline for controlling the budget.

A total of 8.1 billion pounds will be made available to the Olympic Delivery Authority, including 2 billion pounds of contingency.

A total 1.2 billion pounds will be spent on non-ODA activities, such as elite and community sports, the Paralympic Games and security.

Here is an outline of the costs in millions of pounds, including VAT, unless stated otherwise:

Non-ODA costs:
Elite and community sports, 290; Paralympic Games, 66; Look of London, 32; security, 600, and security contingency, 238.

ODA costs:
Site preparation and infrastructure total: 1.94 billion pounds.
This includes work on: power lines, 282; utilities, 255; enabling works, 364; structures such as bridges and roads, 830, and other infrastructure, including landscaping, 206.

Venues total: 1.2 billion pounds.
This includes: the main stadium, 496; other Olympic Park venues, 574, and non-Olympic Park venues, 101.

Transport: 897.
This includes: Stratford regional station, 119; contribution to DLR upgrade, 86, Thorntons Field relocation, 47; contribution to North London Line upgrade, 110; other transport capital projects, 178, and other transport operating expenditure, 357.

Other parkwide projects total: 868.
This includes: logistics for site construction, 337; section 106 and master planning, 127, and security for park construction, 354.

Other costs include:
The government is forecast to contribute 492 million pounds towards the cost of the broadcast and media centres and Olympic village.

The programme delivery, including provision for performance-related payments, 647, and corporation tax and net interest, 73.

The 500 million pounds contingency, which has already been given to the ODA, was broken down also.

It included (in millions of pounds): site preparation and infrastructure, 177; venues, 100; transport, 21; other parkwide projects, 208.

Source: Department of Culture, Meida and Sport.

 

[markjay]

Many of the top-tier contractors were foreign companies, so the bulk of the budget went overseas as profit for the foreign companies. I know, tried to get some of the lower-level contract but it was nigh on impossible...

And they cleared-up quite a lot of light industry and other businesses from the Olympic site, some of them chose to take the compensation and shut down rather than start again. Now I know that many people were very happy that the 'unsightly' industrial area had been 'cleared up' and replaced with what will be luxury flats after the Olympics, as it looks much nicer this way, but before rejoicing with the loss of an industrial zone in favour of expensive residential flats we should remember that this country still needs industry, and industry does tend to be not very pretty. Or do we want to move all of the 'dirtiness' to China?

Now I am not saying that we should not have hosted the Olympics. But I am saying that wherever there's a winner, there's also a looser, and we should remember this - the Olympics are not a win-win situation, there was a price to pay.

 

[Scott_F]

When the games were announced in 2005, did you all think you'd hear nothing until July 2012???

The BBC has had a policy of including Olympic "news" in its bulletins since London won the bid. These items are becoming longer and more frequent (now almost daily) and we are still a year away. Nothing to do with them trying to ramp up interest ahead of their exclusive terrestrial coverage of course.

 

[DITTRICH]

The charity which I run the finances for is located in Canning Town, a mile of two south of the event. We are seriously considering putting the organisation into hibernation around the time of the event because transportation is going to be difficult. Our community facilities close to the event will be rented out for big bucks.
I too think that there were better ways of spending £9billion and better ways of presenting it to the public. Starting at £3billion was an outright lie that no-one corrected at the time. It wll generate some income for the UK and hopefully the tourist industry will reap some benefits as well as from the low £££ which I think is here to stay for a long time unless the euro falls off the cliff first. I don't think it will make a profit though but the way the government does its adding any profit they declare will be meaningless.

 

[jepho]

I don't think it will make a profit though but the way the government does its adding any profit they declare will be meaningless.

You can sing that...

 

[grober]

The BBC build up TO LONDON 2012 reminds me of Cecil B DeMille's famous quote
"I want this movie to start with an earthquake and then build toward a climax!"

Seb Coe would be proud------------- altho the preparations appear to have taken their toll on his marriage ----watch this space---wonder if the NOW were bugging his phone? we'll never know now I guess http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-149725/Seb-Coe-splits-wife-13-years.html