Boltar wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 6 Jul 2005:

Can't wait. Hope all the extra tax I'll pay for this pointless waste
of money will mean the athletes and the locals in stratford have a
whale
of a time.

Improved transport links, new sports facilities, new housing - all a
waste of money? To say nothing of overall health improved as more
people take up sport? Anyway, I should think an awful lot of it will be
paid by Coca-Cola & similar sponsors - "they" say it won't be more than
a few pence per inhabitant overall.....
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 May 2005

In message , Mrs Redboots
writes

Improved transport links, new sports facilities, new housing

Virtually all of that is happening anyway, as was made clear in the
Olympic bid.

"they" say it won't be more than a few pence per inhabitant
overall.....

Have you not seen the figures?

The immediate direct tax on London council tax payers will be £20 per
annum for a band D property (for my small terraced house it will be £30
per annum).

As Baroness Blackstone confirmed in parliament two years ago, this
surcharge will continue until the cost of the games has been met. Even
then, the most conservative estimates were that this surcharge would
raise £56 million a year, and so would have to keep going for more than
11 years in order to raise the £625 million that Londoners are expected
to contribute.

This is before the inevitable doubling and then trebling of costs seen
in every Olympic bid over the last 40 years. No matter - we'll still be
paying, since Blackstone added "The duration and total cost of the
charge per household would depend on the overall cost of the Games" -
i.e. the more they spend, the more you pay.

The indirect costs to us all, Londoners and others, go into many
billions of pounds on top of that.

It pleases me not to be a wet blanket on a day like this, but I am
appalled at how people have been taken-in by the euphoria and have
failed to look at the costs - if the money involved was spent directly
on sport instead of grandiosity (especially sport at the local and
school level) it would have done so very much more good. Too late now,
of course - however much the builders and planners hike-up the costs, we
can't pull out now (as they very well know).

--
Paul Terry

Mrs Redboots ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying :

To say nothing of overall health improved as more people take up sport?

I don't buy that at all. Who ever took up sport (other than a brief trip or
two to the gym) as a result of watching the World Cup/Olympics/Wimbledon?

Why will the fact it's London rather than Paris make a difference in that
respect?

Anyway, I should think an awful lot of it will be paid by Coca-Cola &
similar sponsors

The billion and a half *running* costs, yes.
The two billion building costs, no. That's being added on to London council
tax for the next decade (as well as other sources).

- "they" say it won't be more than a few pence per inhabitant
overall.....

They do not. They reckon £20 per household (based on an exceptionally low
band, higher for higher bands) per year. Oh, and if the costs over-run (if?
IF?), it's coming out of general taxation.

That's all before the diversion of at least TWO THIRDS of lottery money
between now and 2012, of course. Your favourite charity got a lottery bid
in at the mo? Sorry, it's just been rejected.

All so we can have another seven years of the kind of chaos Wembley's
redevelopment is causing, with the end result being another Millenium Doom.

The good side is that Tony hasn't got a cat in hell's come the next
election. Ooops. He's already said he's not standing again. Hiho. We'll
have to take it out on Ken instead. Ooops. He's already said he's not
standing again.

I don't buy that at all. Who ever took up sport (other than a brief trip
or
two to the gym) as a result of watching the World Cup/Olympics/Wimbledon?



quote
But Coe saved his finest masterstroke for the closing moments of the
campaign when he delivered a very personal speech to IOC delegates during
London's final presentation in Singapore.

"When I was 12 years old I was marched into a large school hall with my
classmates and we watched grainy pictures from the 1968 Mexico Olympic
Games," he told the delegates.

"Two athletes from our home town were competing. John Sherwood won a bronze
medal in the 400m hurdles. His wife Sheila just narrowly missed gold in the
long jump.

"By the time I was back in my classroom, I knew what I wanted to do - and
what I wanted to be. Thirty-five years on, I stand before you with those
memories still fresh. Still inspired by this great movement."

/quote



--

Peter

Peter Goodland ) gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying :

I don't buy that at all. Who ever took up sport (other than a brief
trip or two to the gym) as a result of watching the World
Cup/Olympics/Wimbledon?

quote
But Coe saved his finest masterstroke for the closing moments of the
campaign when he delivered a very personal speech to IOC delegates
during London's final presentation in Singapore.

"When I was 12 years old I was marched into a large school hall with
my classmates and we watched grainy pictures from the 1968 Mexico
Olympic Games," he told the delegates.

"Two athletes from our home town were competing. John Sherwood won a
bronze medal in the 400m hurdles. His wife Sheila just narrowly missed
gold in the long jump.

"By the time I was back in my classroom, I knew what I wanted to do -
and what I wanted to be. Thirty-five years on, I stand before you with
those memories still fresh. Still inspired by this great movement."
/quote

1. I bet he wasn't the fat kid in the corner who always "forgot" his PE kit
before that.
2. That was Mexico. Mexico's a long way away. So is there a big difference
if it's London?

In message , Peter
Goodland writes

I don't buy that at all. Who ever took up sport (other than a brief
trip or two to the gym) as a result of watching the World
Cup/Olympics/Wimbledon?

quote
"When I was 12 years old I was marched into a large school hall with my
classmates and we watched grainy pictures from the 1968 Mexico Olympic
Games," he told the delegates.

(snip)

Seb Coe is the son of a cyclist and grandson of a sprinter. As a member
of the Hallamshire Harriers, he was already competing in serious racing
at the age of 12, and being coached as a sportsman by his father - in
other words, he didn't take up sport after watching the Mexico Olympics!

If you want to get kids started in sport, sitting them in front of the
telly is not the way to do it.

--
Paul Terry

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 10:44:20 +0100, Paul Terry
said:

Seb Coe is the son of a cyclist and grandson of a sprinter. As a member
of the Hallamshire Harriers, he was already competing in serious racing
at the age of 12, and being coached as a sportsman by his father - in
other words, he didn't take up sport after watching the Mexico Olympics!

He is also a politician - and worse, a TORY politician. It is only
natural then that he be a liar too.

--
David Cantrell | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david

"Adrian" wrote in message
. 244.170...
Mrs Redboots ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying :

To say nothing of overall health improved as more people take up sport?

I don't buy that at all. Who ever took up sport (other than a brief trip
or
two to the gym) as a result of watching the World Cup/Olympics/Wimbledon?

Why will the fact it's London rather than Paris make a difference in that
respect?

Anyway, I should think an awful lot of it will be paid by Coca-Cola &
similar sponsors

The billion and a half *running* costs, yes.
The two billion building costs, no. That's being added on to London
council
tax for the next decade (as well as other sources).

- "they" say it won't be more than a few pence per inhabitant
overall.....

They do not. They reckon £20 per household (based on an exceptionally low
band, higher for higher bands) per year. Oh, and if the costs over-run
(if?
IF?), it's coming out of general taxation.

That's all before the diversion of at least TWO THIRDS of lottery money
between now and 2012, of course. Your favourite charity got a lottery bid
in at the mo? Sorry, it's just been rejected.

All so we can have another seven years of the kind of chaos Wembley's
redevelopment is causing, with the end result being another Millenium
Doom.

The good side is that Tony hasn't got a cat in hell's come the next
election. Ooops. He's already said he's not standing again. Hiho. We'll
have to take it out on Ken instead. Ooops. He's already said he's not
standing again.

Seems I got out of London at the right time. I'm also getting out of this
country in about 4 years time - my timing seems to be just about perfect!
Dave G

On 06 Jul 2005 18:09:06 GMT, Adrian wrote:

That's all before the diversion of at least TWO THIRDS of lottery money
between now and 2012, of course.

Source?


My understanding is that there'll be a special Olympic Lottery. You're
welcome not to participate.

--
James Farrar

September's coming soon

James Farrar ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

My understanding is that there'll be a special Olympic Lottery. You're
welcome not to participate.

I will participate in the Olympic Lottery as fully as I currrently
participate in the National Lottery.