75% Say No To Olympics

"We're not idiots here. We have actually given more thought and careful planning than any other city has ever done before" (Tessa Jowell)

Today's 2012 opinion poll confirms what we always suspected: our arrogant spendthrift rulers have landed us with a huge bill for something 75% of us don't even want. The poll details are:

• 75% of us will definitely not attend
• 28% of us "have no interest in sport" at all
• 73% expect no benefit to their area
• 80% say it will not inspire them to participate in sport

Let's remind ourselves of the numbers. The official cost estimate is currently £9.3bn, or around £400 per household. But that excludes various "extras", and BOM's estimate of the all-in total is £20bn, or £800 per household.

To put it another way, if the 25% of adults who apparently want these games were billed for them directly, they would be paying about £1600 each.

The BBC are in denial, and their sports correspondents are busy explaining how it's "taking time to get the message across".

On the contrary, the message has come across loud and clear: our grandstanding politicians, cheered on by the BBC, have landed us with staging a hideously expensive event three-quarters of us simply don't want.

There could hardly be a clearer illustration of how our rulers ignore the wishes of ordinary taxpayers. Our only purpose is to pay the bills.

PS Amazingly, despite the overhwelming evidence of poor/non-existent planning pre-bid, that Tessa Jowell quote is what she actually says- see BBC vid.

Comments

[Hardeep_Singh]

This rather sorry episode is no different from the supposedly iconic millenium dome, remember that well for approximately £1 Billion you most certainly should!

Like that previous white elephant these games are nothing more than a temple for the ego of socialists who feel that the games will somehow nullify all the social and economic disasters they have caused.

However lets not get too carried away and blame the Olympics after all the games appear to be the innocent whipping boys for politcal errors. The current Chinese dilemma is tarnsihing the games which are meant to be non-political. Yet both the Chinese and subsequently British are using them for precisley that reason what a shame. So let's endeavour to distinguish between the games and the associated burden of political overtures. However if we had more competent leaders both social and political I'm sure the games could be delivered within more realistic timeframes and more practicality.

Labour's version of management seems more reflective of a student union than a central government. I doubt very much they have the ability to get the job done on time and within sight of budget constraints.

I fear that after 2012 more and more matches, races, games, etc will be staged overseas where governments will think nothing of getting the job done. They'll be no silly delaying tactics like commissions and public inquires that serve little purpose other than waste both money and time. Other nations will think nothing about laying concrete and establishing a major airport along with state of the art facilities to deliver people to and from these events. We unfortunately just aren't in the same league.

BTW do we have anything approaching adequate facilities for our athletes to train at in order to win medals.

[chris]

if there was a section for really hate athletics and would never in a million years ever attend any such event let alone the government squandering my hard earned wages on such utter rubbish then i would at last be truely represented instead of being ignored by "greedy", i mean new labour.

it's like making a urinal out of £20 notes!!

[ciaron]

I'm sorry, but the figures you quote do not imply that 75% do not want the Olympics. 75% will not attend. If 75% did, we'd need bigger stadiums.

[victor winston Grana]

All Professional Sport, is played by people, who are avoiding real socially worthwhile emploment.

It beats working.... Its just another gravy train, for them and theirs to get their Snouts stuck into.

If Martian came down , and eat them all we would much the richer for it..

Make it a condition of being a Professional, that you have to do 5 years down the Mines after your Sporting Holiday is over.
Watch them Pale.

V.W.Grana

[Nicholas Creenan]

Formula One stages well attended events throughout the summer at international venues year after year without state funding - in fact they even contribute the odd million to party funds! Let the Olympians do the same.