Surely better than kicking the cat..........unless you don't like cats, in which case why bother blogging? (I don't have a cat)
One year to go until the 2012 Olympics. Yay or Nay? I'm afraid I am and always have been a Nay. Same as I was for the World Cup bid and even as far back as the Millennium Dome (or the O2 to my gig going London based readers) The country's finances are in a parlous state and have been for many years, primarily because our economy has been mismanaged on a criminal scale by government after government, so what would seem to be a logical solution?
I know, let's SPEND £9 billion on hosting a 17 day sporting event that at best will encourage increased visitors to predominantly the London area for about ooh, 17 days. F***ing genius.
To paraphrase Eddie Izzard, I would love to have been a fly on the wall at that strokey-beard meeting! I realise it has created short term employment in the construction industry and other Olympics specific industries (like marketing and management consultants), but overall £9 billion could have been far better used to regenerate areas around the country not just the East End of London. Or maybe, just maybe, and I am being a touch controversial here, providing adequate rehabilitation facilities for injured servicemen and women, or schools, or provision for the elderly who's pensions have been mismanaged and cannot afford proper care.
There is a long list of better ways to spend £9 billion including genuine economic re-generation not a few large and juicy contracts to many firms that were incorporated just prior to the bid being 'successful' and once the projects are completed will no longer need to exist so the directors can take the profits and close the companies down. That's not re-generation that's get rich quick.
I was very telling that the culture secretary yesterday could not even commit to one of the original promises of the 2012 bid was that 2 million people would take up new sports as a result of the Olympic games. That was the only good reason for having them and we will not reach that goal!
Living in the Midlands as I do, I will undoubtedly benefit from the government's proposed high speed rail link, the next white elephant in a long and embarrassing line of white elephants. No wonder Nelly left and joined the circus, it made more sense. As a regular traveller to London by rail I can assure you that the extra 15 minutes cut from my journey will probably change my life for ever!
So what can I do with the extra 15 minutes of my life? Probably get another job to help me be able to afford the fare.
