We have had several comment postings and emails looking for somewhere to protest against the hype and vested interests involved in the London 2012 Olympics bid
We do not have the resources to run such a campaign, but these websites should help you find out more about the dubious business case for the bid and to join in protests which might just frighten off the International Olympic Committee from inflicting the Olympic Games on London and United Kingdom taxpayers.
Hack the Bid - SMS test messages and Emails showing opposition to the London 2012 Olympics bid
No to London 2012 - message forum and organising protests against the London 2012 Olympics bid.
N.B. opposing the London 2012 Olympic Bid does not mean opposing the idea of UK sports people winning lots of Olympic medals at a Games somewhere else, which the vast majority of people even in the host city, will only ever see via television.
I don't get some people, you can e-mail any protest against the London bid to London 2012, follow the contact us link on the front page. Why text message a bunch of people who can't think of a decent arguement against the bid?
No dissenting voices against the bid are displayed on the frontpage of the official pro bid website. They are not conducting any kind of vote or survey, despite all the public money which has financed them so far.
The anti websites are, in a very small way, and without any funding, redressing the balance a little bit.
Which of our arguements against the bid
http://www.mayor-of-london.co.uk/cgi-bin/no-london-olympics-2012.pl
do you disagree with ?
mol says:
"Which of our arguements against the bid do you disagree with?"
Well, I got as far as number one before I started queasy.
They say:
"3rd World members of the International Olympic Committee [are] notoriously corrupt"
Gosh. Those *terribly* corrupt brown people. *rolls eyes*
I give up. Are you UKIP or the BNP?
You should at least have followed the links to the BBC reports about the vice president of the International Olympic Committee actually being charged with corruption specifically to do with a Games bid, in his own country of South Korea.
There are several other IOC officials from small third world countries who have have been involved in similar scandals, and a few businessmen have also been charged, mostly in the USA.
Useful link about the extent of international corruption:
http://www.transparency.org/
What has this got to do with the BNP or UKIP ?
Well your 4th point about the UK's track record is pretty ropey. If you look at the build side of the Millennium Dome, it was on time and on budget, as is Wembley now it's being built. The Commonwealth games is a pretty massive example of how the UK can produce a multi sport event on time and on budget.
As for Corruption, well don't you appuld the IOC for rooting out corrupt members, or are you blaming them all for mistakes made?
On Jobs, the after effect in East Manchester have been massive, reduced unemployment and increased wealth, for what was one of Manchesters poorest areas. The Domes effect on jobs in the Greenwich area has been massive, the organisation which help local people into Dome jobs is still using it's resources and networks to help local people into work. A large number of Dome staff have gone onto well paid full time jobs.
If London wins the games, would you begrude the potential new Social housing which will come out of any Athletes village? or the new aqautics centre which the Mayor has already said he will subsides for Londoners use? Or how about the pools which will be sent around the country for the next generation inspired by an Olympics in there country? Now if you begrude ?240 for that, you're probably the type who complain when money isn't spent all on the NHS and Education.
You talk about a secret report, do you know who commissioned it, or do you think it was produced in a dark room to ruin Londoners life?
The Commonwealths were a massive terroist target, but did the terroist get at them, in a city which is regarded as a far softer target then London?
The front page of the London site does not show messages, and it's only if the user chooses to have there name displayed as "Backing the Bid" that it will. The message box on the site, allows for protests or anti the bid remarks.
Your arguements don't seem to be based on fact, they seem to be based on prejudices you have and misinformation. Do your research, especially into the Dome and the Commonwealth games before shooting your mouth off.
Perhaps Rothko should also do some research:
The Manchester Commonwealth Games were *not* "on budget" - they were technically bankrupt and the taxpayer had to bail them out to the tune of over ?100 million.
The Wembley stadium was due to cost ?250 million, and is now going to cost over ?750 million.
If the East End of London or Manchester or wherever, needs and deserves regeneration from public funds, then such decisions should not depend on an Olympic Games.
The 2012 bid "budget" does not include anything for Security, apart from actual guards at the staia themsleves. The UK Government and taxpayer is going to have to spend at least as much as Greece did on extra anti-terrorist security, i.e. over a billion, which in itself will be hugely disruptive to the rest of London.
The Mayor will not "subsidise" anything for Londoners' use - he is planning to take at least ?240 from each council tax payer to pay for the Games, and we will also be liable for any cost overruns.
The Hack The Bid website shows any pro bid comments on its front page, as does this one.
So when the Mayor said this, you weren't listening?
__________________________________________________
Mayor's £10m pledge for venues
Ken Livingstone has pledged £10 million a year to ensure London's Olympic venues enjoy maximum usage in the years after the Games.
The Mayor of London said it was vital that the state-of-the-art facilities were enjoyed by both elite and community athletes after 2012.
And his backing would also help the facilities to host major international events long after the Olympics themselves were over.
"It would be an absolute scandal if we created these things and then saw them dismantled and not used," he said.
"They have to be available to the people of the city and of the deprived areas these Games are intended to regenerate.
"The other benefit of ensuring they stay open and in use is that it will help us bid for and stage a succession of world-class sporting events that will make London a major sporting capital."
The Mayor, speaking as London 2012 addressed the media at Athens' Main Press Centre, added: "With sports complexes of this kind, you always need a degree of subsidy. And the funding we are talking about is a thousandth of my budget.
"Compared to what it will bring to London, in terms of a constant rolling programme of major international events coming to what has been one of the most deprived areas of the country, it is a contribution to making sure the venues keep going and I believe it to be well worthwhile."
You must forgive me for not being impressed by any financial promises made by so skilled and cunning a politician as Ken Livingstone.
His Congestion Charge was going to contribute over ?65 million a year profit for the public purse, when all it has done is inflate the profits of Capita plc. There has been no noticable effect on air pollution either, which was another claim.
His promises not to increases Bus and Tube fares were broken within 3 months of his election.
Not everyone tacity says "yes"!
- Where's the vote for this? Or is it an imposed decision?
- Who pays? And what are the real costs?
- What about Londoners suffering from the overcrowding on the transport system?
- Can we trust the organisations? Remember the Dome!
- What "public consultation"? Where is democracy?
- What about inspiring children with art or science? Surely great thinkers are what we need, not more Beckhams in this global economy?
Just say no!
Jason.
It's an obscene amount of money to waste on what is essentially a self-aggrandising two week junket for the rich and famous.
South Londoners especially will see little benefit despite having to pay for the thing for many years.
If East London needs regenerating it can be done without this huge waste of money.
Bear in mind that very few Olympic Games have made a profit; Montreal is STILL paying for it's 1976 games.
If we have to have this thing inflicted on us, then do it the Parisian way; invest and regenerate FIRST and then get the entire country to pay for it. Most Londoners have as little chance of actually going to the Games as anyone anywhere else in the UK. Londoners are to pay for a large part of the Games and then see loads of the facilities distributed to parts of the country that paid nothing. I expect that some will argue that the rest of the UK will pay for it via Lottery funds, but London will pay it's share of that too.
Hi, I'm a journalist interested in interviewing someone about their opposition to the Olympic bid. does anyone have the phone number or e-mail address to someone central in an anti-2012 group? Thanks.
There are so many whiners on this site. What's wrong with a bit of self-aggrandizing? Is it really that hard to put on a party hat and wave a flag? We spend nearly 24 hours a day moaning about the NHS, Transport, Corrupt politicans, School dinners, the war in Iraq, etc etc etc. Can;t you just let it go for a few fucking minutes and try and have some fun.
We could afford to have a lot more fun without the financial burden and disuption that having the Olympic Games inflicted on London will lead to.
The Olympic Games should be held at a permamnent venue - the vast majority of people will only ever watch them on television etc. anyway.
i like muffins so much that i cant bare for my local muffin stand to be replaced by a world class stadium.
i agree. The dough making factory for my favourite bagel is going to be replaced by and area of the stadium. It think we should get together and spit on the people organising the olympics puh!!!
The Olympics are a wonderful event and it is good that they will be held in the UK, even if we only ever get to see it on TV. I'm sure the games will have long-lasting benefits to areas of London. What I oppose is the fact that I, as a resident of South London, should be forced to pay for this out of my council tax. How is that fair?
What right does the Stalinesk dictator esconced in City Hall have to impose an extra tax on London ratepayers without consultation or reference .He should either remember, or be informed that he is the Mayor of the people and not to the people. He has been elected (unfortunately)to represent the people not present his own distorted marxist agenda
Hello,
im young and stupid obviously. but im going to ask a silly question, is the olimpics is so bad, why are we having it?
@ carl - the reason why we have been inflicted with the burden and inonvenience of having to pay for the 2012 Olympics, is to do with the vanity and self importance of various politicians, most of whom, like Tony Blair, and hopefully Ken Livingstone, will no longer be in office by 2012.
the vast majority of Londoners will not even get to see the events live. They will watch them on television or the internet, just like any other Games, anywhere else in the world, except that every Council Tax payer in London will have to pay at least £240 more than the other taxpayers of Britain for the privilige, even assuming that it is not a finacial disaster on the scale of the Dome or Wembley Stadium or the Sheffield International Student Games etc. in which case the financial losses will be passed on to us.