July 2005 Archives

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.

It looks as if the Parliament Square peace protestor Brian Haw has won his legal loophole case in the High Court regarding the new restrictions on demonstrations without prior written consent, within the excessive Designated Area around Parliament.

Unfortunately this ruling, based on the fact that his protest has already started does not apply to all the rest of us.

It is ironic that the alleged main target of the controversial sections of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 is actually the one person who is exempt !

The BBC reports that one of the terrorist suspects arrested in Birmingham today, was incapacitated with a Taser stun gun.

Obviously the pulsed 50,000 volt electric shock might not be enough to set off any sensitive suicide bomb explosives, as not much actual current is used, but the Taser is designed to disrupt the human nervous system. People shot with a Taser writhe about and convulse, and there is no way to predict if, say their arm and hand muscles are going to extend or contract.

If the idea is to prevent a would be suicide bomber from pressing or releasing a bomb trigger, then surely using a Taser is an insane risk ?

If the Police were confident that the suspect was not carrying a suicide bomb, and there has been no evidence so far of any "bomb belt" type devices whatsoever, they have all been bulky rucksack bombs, then was the suspect, say, brandishing a knife ? That is just about the only sort of weapon when the use of a Taser might be justified.

The Times confirms initial reports that the innocent Brasilian Jean Charles de Menezes spent 10 minutes on a No2 Bus between his flat near Tulse Hill and the Tube station at Stockwell where he was killed by the police.

If they (mistakenly) suspected him of being a suicide bomber, and it is clear from the photos that he did not resemble any of the 4 men being sought whose CCTV images have been published, then why was he allowed to get on to a Bus before being challenged ?

Are Bus passengers considered to be more expendable than Tube passengers by Operation Kratos armed police rules of engaement ?

There is still no press releases on the Metropolitan Police website www.met.police.uk about the "wrong man" or naming the Brasilian mnational, or the public stements of "regret".

The Metropolitan Police Press Office obviously works over the weekend, why can't they keep their press releases on their website up to date ?

The man who was shot yesterday on the Tube train at Stockwell, yesterday was not "linked to the terrorist bomb inquiry".

We said

"We really hope that they have shot, and presumably killed, the right man"

The Metropolitan Police have "expressed regret", at the killing.

It is not clear if the shooting was actually done by Metropolitan Police officers or by army or other personnel. The Metropolitan Police statement on Friday implied that it was Metropolitan police Officers who were involved


"A man was challenged by officers and was subsequently shot."

"As is routine, officers from the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards have been informed."

The man apparently emerged from a block of flats which was under surveillance, and his thick winter coat and hHis racial appearance seem to have made him into a suspect. The fact that he ran away from the team of 3 people who were following him , and was chased onto a Tube train, presumably contributed to him being pinned to the floor and shot 5 times as a suspected suicide bonber posing an imminent threat to life.

What is going on ?

Will there be more trigger happy killings of innocents ?

Will a future suicide bomber who is cornered by police succeed in detonating his bomb because the police or others are inhibited from taking swift action as a result of this killing ?

The fact that this man was not one of the wanted bombers must have been obvious yesterday, why has it taken so long for the tragic mistake to be acknowledged ?

The press briefings claimed that this man was a suspected terrorist, with hints that he was actually one of the four wanted suspects.

Why were they lying to us ?

Why has there been no update of the Metropolitan Police website with the press release which the mainstream TV media have been broadcasting.

A Sky news reporter is now adding back sttory details, claiming that the block of flats under surveillance was under suspicion because of documentation found in one of the failed rucksack bombs.

The worrying bit of his report is the claim that the suspect was allowed to get onto a Bus !

Why was he not challenged before he got onto a Bus , if they thought he was a suicide bomber ?

What happened to the Stockwell to Vauxhall "smoking bag" incident around 9.30am before the shooting at Stockwell at around 10am?

Does this mean that there has been another attempted bombing attack, with the suspect then being chased and shot ?

Dramatic eyewitness accounts on BBC News 24 of a "Pakistani looking man" being shot 5 times by plainclothes Police at Stockwell Tube station on the Northern Line.

We really hope that they have shot, and presumably killed, the right man.

Sky News / Reuters are claiming that the same type of explosive was used in today's bomb incidents as two weeks ago.

If, as reported, this was TATP triacetone triperoxide, then it is conceivable that it came from the same batch as two weeks ago, and that this volatile mixture of impure explosive compounds had degraded over the past two weeks, hence the misfires.

Alternatively, since it is known to be so unstable, perhaps it was stored in a wetted state for safety, and it was not dry enough to detonate properly.

No doubt the Metropolitan police will not officially release any details for some time, and there will be "anonymous intelligence sources" who are quoted by the media, possibly even foreign intelligence officials, who always seem to know more about these details than the Uk authorities bother telling the UK public.

Two weeks ago, in response to the easily predictable increase in road traffic, the Mayor Ken Livingstone suspended the London Congestion Charge for a few days.

Why has he not done so again ?

It is inconceivable that full services on the Tube lines affected will be restored by tomorrow's rush hour.

There has been no official confirmation that the explosions today were caused by actual bombs which misfired or failed to explode properly, or if they were dummy devices, little more than a firework, which were never intended to cause real damage.

Therefore, there is lots of speculation and a lot of false conclusions are being drawn.

People running away from the scene of a supected bomb incident are not necessarily guilty, they may just have been terrified, especially after the attacks of two weeks ago.

Even if someone apparently has "wires" in/on their clothing or person, what does that signify in this world of mobile phones and personal music players etc ?

On past experience, the blogosphere and the mainstream media are likely to be spreading rumours and conspiracy theories and media spin aor deliberate disinformation:

We do not want to read:

  1. that Israeli or United States diplomats or government officials, were allegedly "warned" before the the explosions.

  2. that anti-terrorist training seminars being conducted by security consultancies at the same time as the incidents.

  3. that Tony Blair and NuLabour staged these incidents in order to justify even more repressive anti-terrorism laws.

  4. that the people carrying the bombs were unaware of what they were carrying, perhaps thinking that they were acting as mules for smuggled drugs etc.

  5. that MI5 or MI6 or the Metropolitan Police etc. staged these incidents in order to get more money out of the Treasury

  6. that right wing groups staged the incidents to stir up hatred against Muslims.

  7. that an MI5 mole has inflitrated an Al Quaeda cell, but has succeeded in sabotaging the construction of the bombs.

  8. that it was anarchist artists who staged a mock "art terror" attack.

  9. that the two people arrested at gunpoint in Whitehall had anything to with the explosions.

  10. that the Prime Minister Tony Blair had any more clue about what was going on than anyone else, or that he has somehow provided firm leadership in a time of crisis.

  11. that the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone had any more clue about what was going on than anyone else, or that he has somehow provided firm leadership in a time of crisis.

  12. that the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Ian Blair had any more clue about what was going on than anyone else, or that he has somehow provided firm leadership in a time of crisis.

  13. that even more CCTV cameras could somehow have prevented these attacks.

  14. that the NuLabour compulsory biometic ID database and ID card scheme could somehow have prevented these attacks.

  15. that several similar attacks have already been foiled in the past, but in secret.

  16. that other cities around the world are increasing their visible security measures on their public transport systems as a result of today's incidents

  17. that foreign intelligence agencies or reporters in foreign news and media organisations have more detailed knowledge about the incidents than UK based ones

  18. that some obscure extremist website has a an unsubstantiated statement claiming responsibility for todays incidents.

  19. that the mobile phone system failed to cope with the extra load

  20. that the landline telephone system or the internet failed under the load

  21. that traffic "chaos" reigned in the streets of London as a result of these incidents - there traffic jams every day in London, they just do not make the headline news - there is no "gridlock".

  22. that somehow "chaos" reigned in the streets of London as a result of these incidents - there is no breakdown of law and order, no looting etc.

Have we missed any of the obvious conspiracy theories or media spin and disinformation themes ?

The Buses seem to be running, apart from the road closures, but the Tube system, whilst not completely shut is much more widely affected than the three lines where the attempted bomb incidents occurred.

Transport for London

"Services are currently operating as follows and include service suspensions that were already in effect following incidents on 7 July 2005.

Bakerloo - suspended between Paddington to Piccadilly Circus

Central - normal service

Circle - suspended

District - suspended between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington

East London - normal service

Hammersmith & City - suspended

Jubilee - normal service

Metropolitan - suspended between Moorgate to Aldgate

Northern - operating between Morden to Stockwell, Kennington to Edgware via Bank and Morning Crescent to High Barnet and Mill Hill East only

Piccadilly - operating between Cockfosters and Arnos Grove only. The Heathrow Express is currently accepting valid LU tickets and travelcards for services between Heathrow Airport and Paddington

Victoria - operating between Walthamstow to Highbury & Islington and between Victoria to Brixton

Waterloo & City - normal service"

Arrest in Whitehall

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The BBC have now broadcast the pictures of the man being arrested by police armed with sub-machine guns, near Downing Street, taken by the camera team inside the Downing Street security gates, who normally provide commentary with the Number 10 Downing Street Door in their background shots.

They also have broadcast pictures of the arrest from Whitehall, on the Ministry of Defence side of the road.

The man did not appear to be armed, but does have black hair and a tanned complexion (no beard), which may just be enough to make you into a suspect these days.

BBC News 24 reports:

Whitehall was closed off , then reopened,. Now there is another incident in Whitehall, with one man near the Ministry of Defence, opposite Downing Street, being arrested in handcuffs, and taken into Ricchmond House (Department of Health) by armed police.

Apparently no weapons or bags etc - was this just someone demonstrating or shouting in public near Downing Street ?

For no good reason the Police have just asked the trusted BBC news team in Downing Street (i.e. behind the Gates) to turn off their cameras !

Maybe there was no explosion at the Oval, or perhaps it was so small that there is litlle damsge. Reports on Sky News that it is a "suspect package" incident,

Who knows ? Still nothing official from the authorities, except for the "don't panic " stuff from Sir ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

It all looks like a botched attack or some dubious attempt at a hoax (which is still a serious crime), even though there do not seem to be any physical injuries - plenty of people will be suffering from shock and psychological injuries.

Compared with two weeks ago, the official infomation being given to the public by the authorities is no better.

The use police sniiffer dogs who are checking the evacuated passengers at Warren Street is noticable, something which was not in evidence two weeks ago. Presumably because of the lack of physical injuries, some of the passengers and staff are being questioned on the spot.

The ever increasing size of the cordoned off areas also seems to be an unecessary disruption to traffic. This implies a lack of information or overreaction by officers on the scene.

Why is a 400 metre cordon needed around a deep underground station like Warren Street ? Why is the whole of Shepherds Bush Green , amjor road junction now sealed off ? Why is "half a mile" of the Clapham Road by the Oval sealed off ?

This is the wrong kind of risk assessment - if there had been real bombs, extending the cordons bit by bit, every 20 minutes or so is insane.

Dummy nail bombs ?

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Talk from London Underground being talked of as dummy bombs with detonators but no real explosive.

There is secondhand talk of "an English person" being the one who was carrying the Warren Street device.

Reports of armed police entering University College Hospital, near Warren Street - perhaps the suspect is being treated there ?

One injury at Warren Street

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One injury at Warren Street - not clear if this is from the rush to evacuate the strain and station or not.

Reports of a person at Warren Street and one at The Oval, who seem to have been carrying bags which exploded/gave off smoke perhaps either a misfire or just a firework sized explosion. The two people apparently ran off, leaving behind a rucksack at The Oval.

Still no talk of injuries, no pictures of "walking wounded" like two weeks ago.

Is this a really botched copycat attack, or is it some pathetic and unfunny hoax ?

Code Amber declared on London Transport i.e. trains moved to the next station and evacuated.

Even though there are not yet any reports of injuries, the disruption to the London Underground and Bus systems is likely to be substantial.

Explosion on a Number 26 Bus at Hackney Road / Colombia Road in East London

The Bus seems to be intact i.e. possibly a small explosion on the upper deck

Talk of detonators exploding at Warren Street mistaken for gunfire.

No injuries reported , yet

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Eye witness account on Sky News of an exploding bag, possibly a small nail bomb, according to Reuters on a train at Warren Street.

Evacuations due to "incidents" at 3 Tube Stations - Warren Street, Shepherds Bush, and The Oval.

Smoke apparently seen at Warren Street.

Claims of an exploding bag.

Central Line trains still running at Shepherds Bush i.e. perhaps it is the Hammersmith & City line part of the station at Shaprds Bush (some distance from the Central Line one)

The High Court has today found for a 15 year old boy from Richmond on Thames, who was challenging the Government's Dispersal Zones which have been set up on many parts of London under the Anti-social Behavior Act 2003.

A local authority can declare an area to be a Dispersal Zone, where any police officer or community support officer can disperse a "group" of people, who appear tobe in some ill defined way "threatening", telling them to leave the area and not to return for 24 hors. This applies to people of any age, and a "group", is, astonishingly defined as only "two or more persons"
The vague definition of "threatening" means that many innocent people can be be dispersed, simply for what they are wearing, or, perhaps effectively just on racial or religous or appearance.

This power is unnaffected by the ruling of Mr. Justice Brookes today.

In addition, any person (i.e. even a single individual) who "appears to be under the age or 16" and who is not accompanied by a responsible adult, could be forcibly taken home or to "a place of safety" e.g. a police station, between the hours of 9pm and 6am - effectively a curfew for under 16s.

It is the catch all nature of the law, which does not make a distinction between under 16s who are causing trouble and those who are not, which was the issue, and which the High Court has now ruled as illegal. The plaintiff, supported by Liberty, argued that, for instance, he would not be able to go to an evening performance at the cinema in Richmond, without risking falling foul of this law on the way home.

Needless to say, most of the "trouble" caused in these town centre Dispersal Zones e.g. Richmond, Twickenham, Camden, the central zone coveing Soho etc., is not caused by under 16s, but by drunken adults.

The NuLabour politicians at the Home Office, who are never willing to admit that they so often get the balance between security and liberty wrong, look set to appeal, wasting more of our public money.

There have been something like 800 "false alarms" caused by "suspect packages" or bags since the bombs attacks on Thursday 7th July 2005 in centrral Lomdon.

A security conference reported by the BBC, has come up with the suggestion that:

"People who leave bags on trains, buses and the Tube should get an on-the-spot fine, security experts suggest."

This idea does seem to have some merit, what do you think ?

The official book of condolences for the victims of the London bombs on 7th July 2005 is now available to be signed via an online form or via email: condolence@london.gov.uk

Make a financial donation to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, either online via credit card (the web form does eventually protect your credit card details via SLL/TLS encrypted https:// webpage) or as detailed below:

"Dozens of people have died and more than 700 were injured in four explosions across London on Thursday 7 July. The Mayor of London has established the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, in association with the British Red Cross, to raise money for the victims and their families. The British Red Cross has already donated £50,000 to the Fund.

The money raised will be held in a Trust and used to assist the victims of the attack, their immediate families and partners in a variety of ways. For example, they may be used to relieve sickness and disability, physical or mental, caused by the attack or to relieve financial needs. The money may also be used to support other appropriate projects that the funds allow.

The funds will be distributed by the Trustees of the London Bombings Relief Trust, who will be appointed by the Greater London Authority.

Ways to give to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund...

  • You can make a donation online using the form below
  • by telephone on 08705 125 125
  • by post to: London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, c/o The Mayor of London, Freepost LON18968, Sheffield S98 1ZA

London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund is a charity."

There is a call for a Madrid style mass demonstration against terrorism:

Another Pledgebank Pledge:

"I will at the earliest opportunity, assemble in London in a public demonstration of respect to the victims of the July 7 atrocity, defiance of the murderers who carried it out and solidarity with the people of London but only if 100 other people will too."

http://www.pledgebank.com/solidarity

However, even if you are demonstrating against terrorism, and praising the Police and other authorities, you will still fall foul of the Designated Area around Parliament if you do not apply for prior permission , in writing "at least 6 clear days" or "24 hours" before time. The criminal penalties include up to 51 weeks in prison and/or £2500 fine for organising or £1000 for simply demonstrating, even on your own as an individual.

See the Parliament Protest blog for more details.

The BBC reports

updates from Sir Ian Blair's press conference 11am Friday 8th

At least33 38 37 more than 50 dead !

5 7 dead at Edgeware Road
21 dead at King's Cross/Russell Square - several bodies still to be recovered
7 dead at Liverpool Street / Aldgate East

Unknown number 3 2 13 dead from the bomb on the Bus in Tavistock Square

Other injuries: 300 approximately 700. Of those, 350 were taken to hospital by ambulance and the remainder presented themselves at hospital.

100 people held overnight in hospital, 69 of whom are still in hospital on Saturday.

22 15 people are still in a serious / critical condition on Saturday.

Latest official figures from the Metropolitan Police

Thanks for all the messages of support

Whoever is responsible has utterly failed to terrorise the British public.

They cannot kill us all, no matter how hard they try.

We will resist the blasphemous God forsaken tyranny that the terrorists seek to impose on us.

We will not let the terrorists provoke our Government into achieving the terrorsts aims by proxy, and destroying our fundamental freedoms and liberties in the name of "security".

Our hearts go out to the casualties of the 4 terrorist explosions in London today,
on Tube trains at Edgware Road, between Kings's Cross and Russell Square, between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street, and on a Bus near Tavistock Square/Woburn Place, according to a statement in Parliament by the Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

There are TV reports of "several explosions" across London, possibly about 6 blasts , according to Sir Ian Blai the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

So far pictures of the aftermath at Aldgate Tube station ("90 casualties" / injured) and the top deck of a London Bus near Russell Square station have been broadcast.

The Government is saying 20 fatalities so far.

The public transport networks seem to be at a standstill.

There is talk of the Mobile Phone networks either being overloaded or being shutdown.

What lasting benefits does "winning" the 2012 Olympic Games Bid bring London, over and above what was already promised, "win" or "lose", during the Bid process ?

Cross Rail, which it is acknowledged cannot be completed by the 2012 deadline is happening anyway. So is the Stratford Channel Tunnel link infrastructure.

The aquatic centre, the veldrome and the hockey pitches are being built and financed sepaaretly anyway, according to this recent Parliamentary Written Answer

What is the long term benefit to London and the rest of the country ?

The planned level of profits for the Games is only £'100 million on an investment of over £4 billion (more if the extra security costs are actually accounted for properely). As can be seen right now with Wembly Stadium, £100 million can easily be lost due to the construction problems alone.

The legacy white elephant Olympic Stadium scheme has a peculiar plan to dismantle 20,000 seats after the event, and dump them on some other, as yet unnamed local authority to create a mini-white elephant stadium somewhere else, neither of which will have a steady revenue stream afterwards, as they will not be ideal for football or concerts or any other uses.

There are far cheaper and easier ways to create a 4,000 unit housing estate than as a "legacy" of the athletes' Olympic Village.

Most of the money generated by ticket sales and intrusive, monopolistic commercial sponsorship and advertising will not end up in the London or UK economies at all, it will go to the International Olympic Committee, and the international telecommunications and TV networks who will broadcast the event worldwide.

Similar promises about "regeneration" and "long term local jobs" were made for the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, but they have failed to materilalise.

The International Olympic Committee is not particularly concerned with legacy issues or costs on the host cities. Understandably they have their own sporting agenda and international city planning is not their job or responsibility. They are careful to wash their hands of any financial risks or losses by the host cities or governments.

The forthcoming Olympics Bill, will codify the Chancellor's promise of a massive tax subsidy to the International Olympic Committee, so their profits and expenses will not be liable for UK tax ! Any cost overruns will be financed by the UK Treasury, who will then claw the money back from the London Council Tax payers and the National Lottery.

So where is the long term benefit of "winning" the "right" to stage the 2012 Olympic Games, over and above the benefits already promised during the "win or lose" Bid process itself ?

A bad day for London, now that the International Olympic Committee has inflicted the 2012 Olympic Games on us.

No doubt the NuLabour politicians like Ken Livingstone and Tony Blair will try to claim some credit, even though neither of them are likely to be still in power in 2012, so they will not have to pay the political price for the inevitable cost overruns, which we the taxpayers of London and the rest of the UK will have to fund.

Livingstone has already announced that each London Council Tax payer will have to pay £20 a year for 12 years i.e. £240, even if the Games do not make a loss , which is extremely unlikely.

Another open public meeting to discuss and plan peaceful resistance
to the restriction on demonstrations, lobbying of Members of Parliament (even by a single individual) without prior written permission and with arbitrary conditions imposed etc. "in the vicinity of Parliament", will be held next week:

"The meeting will be split into 2 - one half for those who are interested in the Mass Act of Defiance - and the other half for everyone else to discuss other events and actions, publicity, press etc etc.

The meeting will be held from 7pm to 9.30pm on Wednesday 13th July at
the Diorama Arts Centre (room D4), 3-7 Euston Centre, Regents Place,
London NW1 3ND - just near the Euston Tower.

Directions to Diorama 2, 3, and 4 from Warren Street station - Exit the station and turn left to face 40-story Euston tower. Cross the road heading towards the tower. Turn left in front of the tower, carry on, and turn right after Pret-A-Manger. We are in the ground floor of the building with the 4-story, pop art, electric fan painting. Look for the doors beneath the signs that read D4, D3, D2. See map: http://www.diorama-arts.org.uk/findus.htm"

More information and discussions at the new Parliament Protest blog

Despite the Designated Area around Parliament Square having come into force last Friday 1st July, there is still no guidance available from the Metropolitan Police or the Home Office websites about what exactly the new procedures and rules for applying for the automatically granted prior written authorisation(s), to which arbitrary Conditions can be applied (after 1st August).

As an experiment, in order to establish a baseline precedent response from the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, we have submitted our guess at what a written Notice for Authorisation to Demonstrate in the "public spaces" of the Designated Area could look like.

This was submitted via Recorded Postal Delivery, and is of as general a nature as possible, i.e. asking for anytime, anywhere, indefinate blanket permission within the Designated Area, and for clarification of the Metropolitan Police's definition of a "demonstration" according to this law.

We look forward to the response, and to any conditions that may be applied to us when we try, for example, to lobby our Member of Parliament within the "public areas" of the Houses of Parliament.

We would have coughed up our 96p for Recorded Delivery on Saturday, but, of course, the three nearest Post Offices have been shut recently, and for some reason they only work a half day on Saturday anyway.

We will soon know which unlucky city has "won" the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. Despite a number of postings on this website on the topic, we think that there are more important issues to campaign about, but we will be depressed and angry, if the Games/Circus is inflicted on London.

We are not alone e.g.

"Hi,Glad to find a website saying NO to the games. I have just emailed the IOC and the official bid site to voice my opinion. You may like to encourage people to copy my email and send it themselves.

Dave

copy of sent email:

Hi,
sorry to piss on your party here but, contrary to popular belief, the
majority of the united kingdom DOES NOT want the 2012 olympic games to be held in London.

In a country where the government sells off playing fields to housing
developers and encourages schools not to participate in competetive =
sports for fear of upsetting the few, this whole bid borders on =
Hypocracy.

We don't want it, the only people that will benefit are those that live in London and surrounding areas, new tube lines and infrastructure won't be of much use to the rest of the UK will it, and no doubt it will cost the rest of us in the UK a fortune in one way or another."

The people of London will pay even more (at least £240 extra Council Tax, plus an unknown share of any of the inevitable cost overruns) than the rest of the country for the dubious privilige of a commercial sports entertainment and advertising event, which almost all of them will only ever watch on TV, and which will cause so much disruption. Any benefits from the improvements to the transport infrastrucure, are, we are told, going to happen anyway, with or without the Olympic Games.

"I am writing to as many people as i can to discourage this bid, = including the IOC and various media organisations to help destroy this Myth that the people of the UK are actually behind the bid.

We don't want it !!!!!
Forget it,
Good luck to Paris...let the French pay a fortune for 2 weeks of sport not us!!!"

The Games have grown far too large, and they stopped being Amateur events many years ago. The constant temptation to cheat by using dangerous performance enhancing drugs is also a scandal.

Will Tony Blair or Ken Livingstone promise to emprison any competitors or officials involved in any Olympic drug scandals ? We doubt it somehow - so much for being "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime".

About this blog

This website comments on the policies of the Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority and actually pre-dates even the referendum which took place before these public bodies were set up.

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Do not confuse that lot with the ancient office of the Lord Mayor of London either.

Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers

There are many good people trapped in the bureaucracies which run London. If you are thinking about blowing the whistle on shadowy and powerful people in Government or commerce, and their dubious policies then you need be very careful these days. The mainstream media and bloggers also need to take simple precautions to help preserve the anonymity of their sources e.g.

Links

Wikipedia article on the Mayor of London

Wikipedia article on the London Assembly

The Evening Standard newspaper - fulfills its role by scrutinising the Mayor and the GLA etc. rather more effectively than the politicians and bureaucrats do.

Mayor of London press releases

London Assembly press releases

MayorWatch - commercial news site about the Mayor of London etc.

Campaign Button Links

Watching Them, Watching Us, UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign
UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign

NO2ID - opposition to the NuLabour Compulsory Biometric ID Card
NO2ID - opposition to NuLabour's plans for Compulsory Biometric ID Card and National Identity Register centralised database.

asboconcern logo
ASBO Concern - alliance of organisations and individuals who are concerned about the abuse of NuLabour's Anti Social Behaviour Orders.

MI5 encrypted contact web form use 999 or 112 to report immediate threats
Encrypted MI5 web response form NuLabour's "Climate of Fear" is not the same as the real fight against terror.

gamesmonitor_logo_150.gif Games Monitor - "Games Monitor is a network of people raising awareness about issues within the London Olympic development processes. We want to highlight the local, London and international implications of the Olympic industry. We seek to deconstruct the 'fantastic' hype of Olympic boosterism and the eager complicity of the 'urban elites' in politics, business, the media, sport, academia and local institutional 'community stakeholders'. "

Peaceful resistance to the curtailment of our rights to Free Assembly and Free Speech in the SOCPA Designated Area around Parliament Square and beyond
Parliament Protest blog - resistance to the Designated Area resticting peaceful demonstrations or lobbying in the vicinity of Parliament.

Save Parliament: Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (and other issues)
Save Parliament - Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill Act

Ken Livingstone Links

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