UK Olympics budget farce

[lancelot]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6453575.stm

Anyone actually surprised that the Olympics is already 4 times over budget?

More important- did anyone actually believe that the government could stay in (or should I say- anywhere near) the first projections...?

I remember as soon as I heard the initial estimates I thought the governemnt was putting a woefully optimistic spin on it...I just dont believe a word out of their dirty lying mouths these days- and I think that is the real beef I have.

I just dont believe politicians are capable of telling anything remotely close to the truth...'Old news there' I hear you say... perhaps so, I just increasingly find it sad that our 'democracy' has become a shambolic farce such as modern Britain...

[Louis VI the Fat]

I was about about to open a thread on this, but I reconsidered. Because, well, you know, afraid you'd accuse me of Schadenfreude or some such. But now that you've brought it up...

More important- did anyone actually believe that the government could stay in (or should I say- anywhere near) the first projections...?

No, but it worked. London got the Olympics it so dearly wanted. You now have to honour of wasting 10 billion euros on a lavish two-week party for the world to enjoy. Poor InsaneApache, Blair will make sure his grandchildren will still be paying through their noses for his policy of personal grandeur.


* inserts vastly irritating and only mildly amusing jokes poking fun at London and the UK *

[InsaneApache]

Not tonight. You bugger!

[Incongruous]

The sooner little John gets hungry and eats Blair the better, cannabalism at it's finest!

But seriusley, at least the French didn't get the games :P

[BDC]

Well it redevelops some wasteland I guess.

Gods alone know how they managed to so totally underestimate the costs. Maybe they need solid gold running tracks of something.

[English assassin]

Anyone actually surprised that the Olympics is already 4 times over budget?

No. The budget we have now is what the REAL budget always was. The first budget was a lie.

The overruns will be the increases between now and the games. Bidding should start at 50% IMHO. More if Ken Livingstone has anything to do with it.

Can anyone explain why the **** we needed these games? Regeneration my backside.

[Incongruous]

Its all part on tony's Britain, a brighter Britain, For a brighter Future.

[Slyspy]

It seems that you can make the future bright simply by burning money.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Let's be honest, the Olympics are a bit naff and boring really, aren't they?

I'd much rather have saved the money and used it for a decent World Cup bid.

[Scurvy]

I'd much prefer the Olympics to the world cup, because the Olympics encourages expansion and development in all sport, not just football...

--> everyone knew the budget was going to rise, they always do --> the bid team have to minimalize it as much as possible, and do their best to ignore all the possible additions they might have to make, just to get the games.. what has been a farce is the governments attempt to play it down and telling us it won't increase in the future

--> I'm hopeful about the regeneration, the area in question could do with some improving, and it has the potential to be one of the +'s of the games, if they regenerate it right

not sure whether i wan't the games or not, as a londener it has many advantages (they're going to improve transport etc.) but the cost is thratening to overshadow the good potential

[IrishArmenian]

They should just cut out the overtly flamboyant introductions that they've had in the last years. That is probably half of their expenses out the window.
EDIT: I agree with BKS, let's have a better world cup. Isn't '10 in South Africa?

[Louis VI the Fat]

No. The budget we have now is what the REAL budget always was. The first budget was a lie.

When a budget quadruples within twenty months, and even before actual work has begun, one is inclined to believe it was a delibirate miscalculation indeed, yes. It seems Livingstone has pwned the British taxplayers into cleaning up London's mess. All with the consent of the Blair government:

Think back to January 2003 when the government was deciding whether London should bid. It required hard work by Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to convince a sceptical Cabinet, in particular Gordon Brown. The deal with the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, was finally done in Jowell's the DCMS office.

They agreed a budget of £2.375bn. The figure was considered realistic but one that would not frighten the Cabinet or the nation.

Livingstone made much of the fact that London's council tax payers would be paying an extra 38p a week, less than the price of a Walnut Whip. However, what has curdled the cream that might go on top of the Walnut Whip has been one particular problem - the cost of converting that part of east London for the Games.

Livingstone wanted the Olympics there because, as he put it, that part of London had seen no investment since Victorian times. However, as reports by consultants hired by the government have shown, that site is very difficult to build on because the land is contaminated. It requires a lot of remedial work and that does not come cheap - Jowell's budget now says it will cost £1.7bn.

Oh dear, from the looks of it, at least £1.7bn of the new budget is the result of either gross incompetence or a delibirate scam. Does nobody in London realise the intricacies of redevolping city property? Surely this can't be the only, or first ever, plot of contaminated land in the whole of London?

London mayor Ken Livingstone has said he will not increase the current 38p a week contribution Londoners pay on the council tax for the Olympic Games. BBC London's political editor Tim Donovan said Mr Livingstone may raid Transport for London reserves and use a £200m loan he has taken out for transport improvements in east London to help find the £300m.

In her commons statement, Ms Jowell said the mayor had agreed to re-write the memorandum of understanding to enable "profit sharing" - so the Lottery and future regeneration needs could benefit from any returns from the investment being made.

Mr Livingstone said: "Londoners will not pay a penny more than the current 38p a week contribution on the council tax to the Olympic Games. "Today's announcement delivers that promise. To get the Games for the price of a walnut whip a week is a bargain".

This is so wrong on so many levels. They will have to pay, one way or the other, if not through direct taxes, than through cutting back on other budgets, robbing the national lottery, borrowing money, increasing public transport fares, whatever. Today's announcement simply means Londoners got lied to and will have to pay a heavy price for it, no matter Livingstone's spin. Ten billion is ten billion and it will have to come from somewhere.

And what's all that Orwellian speak about 38p a week about anyway? Why not £20 a year, per taxpayer. And for how long? Since London won the bid in july 2005, until 2012?
So in reality, far from the price of a walnut whip, the Games really cost some £ 600 per household? And for what? To maybe see one game of women's football between Bangladesh and Moldavia? To see some Finns with unpronounceable names toss some spears on a drizzly tuesday morning?
That worth six hundred quid to most Londoners?


Maybe they can cut back the costs a bit by using the new Wembley stadium for the games?

That is - if it will finally be ready by 2012...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I'd much prefer the Olympics to the world cup, because the Olympics encourages expansion and development in all sport, not just football...

What sports are these? Track and field events? Swimming? Rowing? Who cares? These sports are all criminally dull unless you're actually taking part.

less than the price of a Walnut Whip.

I never noticed before, but this is a really bizarre analogy. I can't remember seeing a Walnut Whip in a shop for years.

[InsaneApache]

Independence for London, then the rest of us suckers in the provinces won't be screwed again by this deceitful, manipulative government.

Another plus would be that overseas visitors will no longer be able to claim that they 'did' England, when in actual fact they never moved more than 5 miles from the Thames.

Yes, independence with commissar Livingston as head of state. I like it, I like it a lot.

I aint seen a Walnut Whip for years!

[Hosakawa Tito]

The over runs are actually how they hide the "finders fee" for the IOC board members. What, you think any old schlub gets the Olympics merely by applying?

You all got a shot at any medals? I mean, it's your party, least they can do is make sure you get yours....

[Scurvy]

What sports are these? Track and field events? Swimming? Rowing? Who cares? These sports are all criminally dull unless you're actually taking part.

overall they are very popular, although admitedly not as popular as football/rugby/cricket singularly.... some people even think football iscriminally dull

Another plus would be that overseas visitors will no longer be able to claim that they 'did' England, when in actual fact they never moved more than 5 miles from the Thames.

now lets be honest, it contains all the best bits

[InsaneApache]

This made me chuckle.

Ann Treneman: Parliamentary Sketch

I know it is Tessa Jowell’s job to be upbeat about the Olympics, but there are worrying signs that the stress is getting to her.

She came to the Commons to say that the cost of the Games was now £9.3 billion and that even more lottery money was needed to help to pay for it. She presented this as an absolute triumph of prudence and planning. “It’s full steam ahead for 2012,” she cried.

“Scandalous!” harumphed opposition MPs. Tessa looked genuinely hurt at their pathetic lack of understanding. Didn’t they see that these were the “Legacy Olympics”? They were wonderful, super, fantastic!

The Tories totted up the cost in a disgruntled way. They denounced her “raid” on the lottery.

Tessa began to twirl her spectacles in disgust at their sheer lack of vision.

Don Foster, for the Lib Dems, was even ruder. “The confusion must end! The infighting must end!” he cried, almost a parody of an outraged politician. “The writing of blank cheques must end!”

Tessa barked right back: “I think that is a rant worthy of Victor Meldrew.” She then embarked on her own rant about people who believe “our dear friends the journalists” and not her own wondrous fantastic news about the great five-ringed legacy. “I have always invited the opposition parties to be part of the planning for the Games, to be champions for the Games, to be champions of the ambitions of young people,” she cried. “At every opportunity they default to a position of point-scoring and party political advantage, allegation and slur.”

This petulance begot even more slurs. Tessa clearly saw herself as some sort of Olympic martyr. It wasn’t convincing, for “make mine a whine” is never a good motto in politics.

Even MPs on her own side recoiled: “Can I caution you not to treat every question which raises an important issue to mean that somehow people are opposed to the Olympics Games?” chided Kate Hoey, who asked if there would now be grassroots lottery project cuts. “I welcome your support,” Tessa trilled to loud guffaws. I wasn’t sure it could get worse, but I had not understood how deeply hurt Tessa seemed to be.

A Tory stood up and asked about the rising costs. Tessa snapped back that she wished he would just come out and say that London shouldn’t have won the Olympics.

Oh dear. Then another Tory asked a highly critical question. Tessa jumped up and cried: “That was a vote for Paris!”

Someone else asked if council tax in London would go up further. “Another vote for Paris!” Tessa said in true “j’accuse” style.

Things were spinning out of control now.

I was hoping that someone, anyone, would now vote for sanity. But next up was the great Sir Patrick Cormack, whose Humpty Dumpty physique probably rules him out of any actual Olympic competition. “It is possible to be in favour and yet to express concern,” he noted gently.

“Those concerned about arts and heritage matters fear there is going to be a destructive distortion in their budget. They fear you will go down in history as the most expensive lady since Helen of Troy, whose face launched a thousand ships. They at least were operational.”

I heard someone say: “Well, she’s certainly going to go down!”

Tessa tried to let it go. She did not accuse Sir Patrick of voting for Paris. Instead, she noted he was “just a touch apocalyptic”.

Yes, well surely that is better than being just a touch paranoid. I do hope Tessa gets a grip: people may be out to get her but that doesn’t mean they voted for Paris.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle1522416.ece

[Brenus]

London got the Olympics AND the Preambule du Tour de France… I didn’t stop to laugh… The Tour de France will start in England…

[BDC]

1000 galleys wouldn't cost £10b would they? They're only made of wood, and manned by slaves.

I suggest we drop the Olympics, make 1000 galleys, and head for the Med to conquer somewhere warm and sunny.

[InsaneApache]

The Cycladies are very nice.

[InsaneApache]

Flippin' heck what a lot of hot air from the old windbag Caborn.....

Sports minister and Sheffield MP Richard Caborn has insisted bringing the Olympics to London will also benefit places like Yorkshire.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...re/6464487.stm

He's been in Westminster too long. Has he any idea of the time and strife it takes to either drive down the M1 or travel by train to the great metrolopse? It's a bleedin' nightmare. For a start the traffic always slows to a crawl well before you get to Hemel Hempstead. Not to mention the North Circular ...... as for the trains, I kid you not I flew out to Greece for about a third of the price Great Northern are asking to take me to the 'smoke', that's assuming that they will take me if I just turn up!

If he thinks the worlds top cheaters athletes are going to go and train in Barnsley or Appletreewick he's as deluded as his boss.

Oh and Ricky baby, Manchester is only about 40 miles from Sheffield and Leeds.....not 200, you moron.

[Scurvy]

To be fair to him, i really don't think he could possibly belive it himself - he said it on the policits show, so it's basically a sales pitch...

travelling from London --> Yorkshire by car is just fine , getting back is horrible

i'v only taken the train once, and it was fairly efficient and not overly expensive --> but athletes are never going to go live in Yorkshire (too cold to start with) when they can live in the capital

[InsaneApache]

travelling from London --> Yorkshire is just fine , getting back is horrible

See, see, I knew you'd come 'round to my way of thinkin' t'old lad

[Crazed Rabbit]

Livingstone wanted the Olympics there because, as he put it, that part of London had seen no investment since Victorian times. However, as reports by consultants hired by the government have shown, that site is very difficult to build on because the land is contaminated. It requires a lot of remedial work and that does not come cheap - Jowell's budget now says it will cost £1.7bn.

Is this true?! They're spending 1,700,000,000 pounds they don't have to because of a pig headed mayor? And I thought Nickels was bad...

Well, have fun Britain. Whilst you have to struggle through traffic for hours or watch on a TV you have to pay taxes on, I shall be reclining in a nice chair and watching the Olympics on a hi-def TV.

I do hope Tessa gets a grip: people may be out to get her but that doesn’t mean they voted for Paris.

Hilarious! Anytime someone disagrees with me, I am going to accuse them of voting for Paris!

Crazed Rabbit

[English assassin]

You all got a shot at any medals? I mean, it's your party, least they can do is make sure you get yours....

We are still working on having bar billiards and shove ha'penny classified as Olympic sports. Until then, probably not.

Now, about these walnut whips. I too have not seen one for about 20 years. Are they one of those things that are only still going in countries other than their country of origin, like Jonny Walker whisky and Rolf Harris?

Louis do you by any chance still have curly wurlies in Paris too? Only I used to like them, and you ca't get them over here easily any more. And I would pay good money for any Monster Munch you might see.

[Louis VI the Fat]

And there I was, thinking a walnut whip was just another one of those quaint English units of measurement. You know: "those curly wurlies are a pound, 3 1/8 pence and 1 1/4 shilling per stone and four please"
"Wot? Bonkers! That's 5/11 walnut whip you plonker!"

Louis do you by any chance still have curly wurlies in Paris too? Only I used to like them, and you ca't get them over here easily any more. And I would pay good money for any Monster Munch you might see.

Nope, no curly wurlies or walnut whips. Never heard of them. But you can get Monster Munchies anywhere. If you're desperate for them, try ordering them through this online supermarket.

[Ja'chyra]

Ah, Walnut Whips, you can get 3 of them in a pack from M&S though after you eat the first one you'll realise why no-one else sells them, kind of like watching the A-team 15 years later

Oh, curlie wurlies are now called squirlies Like a Curly Wurly but smaller

[Tribesman]

Is this true?! They're spending 1,700,000,000 pounds they don't have to because of a pig headed mayor? And I thought Nickels was bad...

yep they could have gone the other approach , used no tax money , got the olympic village built by a local college as its new student accomodation (eligable for grants from the tax payer) , got the olympic park built by corporate sponsorship and local authority(part of which is tax funded and another section eligable for grants from the tax payer and another part can be written off to avoid paying tax) , then you can get stadiums built by local teams (for which they can get grants from the tax payer and write off the expense to avoid tax) .
But hey it brought the regeneration needed to an area that was suffering from lack of investment , though the fragmented approach and avoidance of direct central funding meant that the transport infrastructure was abysmal the organisation attrocious making it (according to everyone I know who was there ) the worst olympics they had ever been to .

Then agian some "Christian" nut saw those games as an evil socialist conspiacy funded by multinational corporations(I can't quite work out how he made that link , but hey he is nuts)as demonstrated by the choice of a John Lennon song as the theme tune Oh and the olymics are gay and promote abortion apparently , so they have to be bombed or the evil government will take your guns away .

Well, have fun Britain. Whilst you have to struggle through traffic for hours or watch on a TV you have to pay taxes on, I shall be reclining in a nice chair and watching the Olympics on a hi-def TV.

[English assassin]

. But you can get Monster Munchies anywhere. If you're desperate for them, try ordering them through this online supermarket.

Fabriqué à base des meilleurs ingrédients, Monster Munch est un produit à consommer en toutes occasions par les gourmands

"Tonight, ambassador, dinner will begin with fois gras terrine, for your main course we have flown the finest lobster in from Maine this very afternoon, dessert is creme brulee delicately flavoured by saffron fronds hand picked by Spanish maidens on their way to their first holy communion, but for the savoury we have a real delicacy, Monster Munch"

Which I note are no longer vaguely foot shaped but seem to be ghost shaped. Also I am not sure they are pickled onion flavour any more, and they may in fact be mere imposters.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Curses, our gourmandises pwned. By an Englishman. The ultimate vestige of national pride, the very soul of France, the sanctum sanctorum of a civilisation, reduced to empty rhetorical posture.
Like a Van Helsing, English assassin has at last discovered the silver stake that will end it all and has driven it mercilessly through the heart of France. The unassailable is breached. Fifteen hundred long years of tussle and rivalry have thus come to their conclusion, our wretched soul smitten to ruin. I bow to the superiority of England, pray God to have mercy on my soul, and leave this world for the next in bitter defeat.