I'm definately in Queenslander and Baths camp on this one. If someone offered me flight tickets back to Blighty just for the period that the games were on, I'd bite their arm off. I honestly wish I could be there. But for those that are living through it, I can completely see why they might not take the same view - it must be chaotic already.
Blimey!! Cheerful ain't ya? I love it that the Olympics are here....really can't wait! Have tickets for a Wembley football semi too!!! There's bound to be unnecessary hype, but you don't have to watch mate!
My company (US based) has advised no business flights to UK from a week before the games to a week after the Paralympics ends. My UK offices are virtually cut off for 5 days due to combination of torch relays and bike road races. We are going to have to milk the visitors dry to make up for the economic impact. All the 'officials', celebrities and sensible visitors are staying in central or west London, bringing no economic input to east London, which is the place that needs it, and buggering up the transport as a result.My unscientific survey ( ie talking to mates) has the level of enthusiasm about the same as for the royal wedding, ie couldn't care less. The Olympics and Paralympics are great ideas but have gone the way of so much else, bloated, commercialized, full of cheats and freeloaders (Paralympics too sadly, faking degrees of disability). I'm sure many will get a great kick out of it and being involved, but the vast majority won't. We should have done a 1948 Austerity Games, pared down, on the cheap, athletes and officials sleeping in classrooms etc, in keeping with the times. And then most of the professional athletes would not have turned up, and none of the freeloaders would have bothered.
We've already had two trials that caused total chaos. A cycling event through SW London to Box Hill paralysed a large part of South London and Surrey and a Horsey trial in Greenwich did the same to SE London. People I know who run businesses have been told to book all their holidays while the Olympics take place and those caught in the gridlock are often people who run their own businesses. All very well when times are good but in the current financial plight it doesn't look so good. Those who aren't affected are good at lecturing, especially from 12,000 miles away...
I dont give a crap about them, it used to be about amateur athletes giving their all for their country. Now its all about corporate money and sponsorship like the WC.
In times of austerity like this, the olympics and the building programs, and whatever you say, the increase in overseas visitors, are exactly the way to come out of recession...I don't really want to poo-poo your Angela Merkle point of view, but this summer of events may yet save the country from the worst ravages of recession...and just a point I am not lecturing from 12,000 miles away, more like 50! I appreciate you will suffer the congestion this summer, but there will be a legacy of buildings and facilities left behind that you (not me or Queenslander) can use. Anyway Sooper, in the words (almost) of Billy Bragg..."lie back and think of England, even if you don't know who is in the team"
Beth, look at the 'legacy' of the recent Olympics. Hasn't really done Greece much good has it? The Sydney Olympics were great, from afar, but the analysis now is that it did nothing to increase sporting activity in the country ( ie improve health), and the stadium still hasn't paid for itself, even with staging cricket matches there. Hopefully we will do better, but the building jobs are over now and the minimum wage fast food outlet ones will be soon as well.
Come on....that is one of the points of the Euro crisis, Greece used European money to finance the games, it was never self-financing. It destroyed them! Sydney did a whole lot better but the sports legacy was not an issue in Australia... where it is in this country. Your last point SB. No the building jobs are not over, still 6 weeks to go....there is still alot going on (there on Friday) and then follows the redistributing, redesigning, removal, refurbishments which will continue for another year. I hope it will be successful, so far so good. We are on time, within costs....most of the tickets are gone, the remaining tickets are nearly all footy (in very high capacity grounds hosting preliminary matches) or restricted view tickets. I am excited by the games (always have been) but I do want it to succeed as its my country, my home town....and I will be doing my bit...
Really? Let's have a (boring) look at what garbage means then. (As Sooper points out, it's only garbage as you put it because you're not affected.) The local business mayhem and traffic congestion caused by the 'super-highways' from which all other transport is excluded threaten to be a major problem for many. My opposition stems from the fact that the Olympics was 'awarded' to, and set in an inner part of London - without consultation with local residents or businesses. I run a fleet of a few hundred licensed cabs - and fifty SEN vehicles (disability transport) - committed to ongoing local authority and commercial contracts that are likely to be severely disrupted by both sets of games. The boroughs containing and around the stadium are major clients and areas of operation. As an industry, we made several attempts over the last three years to bring our services into the Olympic plan on the grounds of greatly increased demand - and including standard passenger transport stuff like Boff's fun job - but the Boris brigade wasn't the slightest bit interested. Now it's either a case of maintaining services and letting our customers down with all the congestion and no-go areas; or cancelling work and leaving the drivers without income. I've spoken to lots of other businesses who fear their catchments will be greatly reduced because parking will be badly affected. Our SWOT analysis isn't looking good on this one. The only 'opportunity' that comes out of this will be a massive increase in bookings from ticket holders and the lesser Olympic lights, e.g. family and friends of competitors and backroom staff etc. and who either choose or have to stay with London-based relatives etc.. Problem with that is we can get them only so far. Without access to the super-highways (ordinary roads that have been requisitioned), we have no idea where we will have to leave passengers (some with luggage / equipment) to fend for themselves. Extremely poorly organised from a transport point of view. Apologies for the detail but if I'm only looking at things from my own angle, I (and no doubt you) would have been much happier if Oxfordshire had been saddled with the games instead. Garbage indeed!
I didn't need persuading Brix, but your description of the impact is as bad as I feared. The only way to stage manage an event like this is to trample all over ordinary people. So that's what Boris and Seb learned in China.
"a major world event that has no place in our overcrowded little back yard" It was this that I took issue with. I get fed up with people saying England/Britain isn't up to this....isn't up to that!! We are excellent at putting on this kind of spectacle. I'm sure you don't want any jubilee celebrations either!! However, I accept that on a local level there would seem to be a lot of difficulties and very real concerns for businesses....IF what you say in your last piece is accurate. From my detached view point, I would have imagined that taxi firms would have a field day with the increase in fares and scope for putting up charges! Lastly....I'd be more than happy if some/all of the Olympics were held in Oxfordshire.
Only quoted you 'cos you referred to tickets, is all. Sorry if you construed this to be a rant at you. It wasn't at all. Your piece merely reminded me of my colleagues and acquaintances that are in to the Limpiks in a big way and somehow assume that everyone else "simply must be, dahlink".
Toyally agree,waste of money,cant wait for the whole thing to finish.Just a money making scheme for Coe and his mates.
I'm ducking out of this one as you local lads seem to have the right hump....probably with good reason!!
Think of all the good having the Olympics does for people here.....Like me when i'm working every hour god sends to sort out their bags when they arrive here. I mean to say.....i DO need a new telly and the Mrs has been going on about a Holiday this year and it's got to be paid somehow
