The London Olympics Bill sneaked in to Parliament on the 14th July, with virtually no media coverage, due to the London bomb attack on July 7th and the launch of the Olympic Lottery scratchcard, which has now started the competion for "normal" National Lottery funds. This will now reduce the amount of money available for general "good works", including the support of grassroots local sports, which will not be compensated for by the "legacy white elephant" sports facilities, which will be left to be maintained and run at public expense, just like the Millennium Dome etc.
As predicted, the part of the London Olympics Bill which deals with advertising appears to seek excessive legal powers.
It appears that the NuLabour Government is planning to kow tow to the the corporate marketing weasels, and to give away the UK public's "mindshare" to the monopolistic International Olympic Committee, yhereby trampling on existing human rights and perfectly legal trading and advertising practices.
According to the Explanatory Notes, the aim appears to be
"to fulfil obligations imposed by the International Olympic Committee and made within the Host City Contract. In particular, the Contract requires that no advertising is placed outside Olympic venues so as to be within the view of television cameras covering, or spectators watching, Olympic events."
It is simply not good enough to claim that the International Olympic Committee may decide to change its rules sometime in the future. So what ? The IOC are perfectly entitled to make new rules for future Olympic Games, but now they have decided to inflict the 2012 Games on London, they should abide by our exiting rules and laws, and not the other way around.
The exact extent of the "sponsors monopoly zones" extending beyond the actual sports venues, should have been part of the impact assessments and of the public consultation for the London Bid, and should have be binding on the International Olympic Committee.
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