Listen to any radio phone-in, or visit any online forum discussing London
2012 and the inevitable question of the cost of the games to the taxpayer, is
inevitably raised.
My visceral reaction is an inner scream and the stifling of a rant about folks who know the ‘price of everything and the value of nothing’, but that won’t wash if the majority of the country is to get as excited about the Games as I am.
I think the first point must be to acknowledge the concerns that some people have regarding the cost of the games. Times are tough and even though I think it’s a jaundiced view, the Olympics can be seen as 21st Century ‘bread and circuses’ for a country where some Britons still go hungry and homeless.
Of course, this is a perfectly legitimate view to hold and immediately captures the moral high ground; how can one defend one penny spent on leisure and recreation if that could otherwise be put towards another dialysis machine?
You can never win a debate with anyone with such trenchant views. However, for me, such people are ghetto area, no-platform tub-thumpers who will never listen to any other point of view and can be left at the margins. I prefer to engage with folks who will at least listen to an alternative perspective.
Personally, I’m not a great one for macro-economic theorising and attempting to get my head around the economic pump-priming that capital spending on the Olympics and the effect on the balance of payments of tourist visiting London next month will have on the economy. I believe the net benefit will be to generate a surplus, but I will leave that to Lord Coe and Robert Peston to argue!
I think it’s more a question of attempting to fire the imagination of the naysayers about the overwhelming positive and galvanising effect a successful Olympics will have on the nation. Not just in terms of medals won or PB’s achieved by our athletes. How about this being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the world to see Britains not as boorish hooligans, but as friendly and hospitable (for the most part)? What about the opportunity for us to throw off the grim, stoic persona we seem to portray on the World stage and to, you know, welcome the world to the biggest carnival going?
I don’t know what the opening ceremony will be like but imagine a showcase of Britain’s artistic talent? Fill in your own cultural heroes and paint your own picture here, but Wayne Sleep choreographing Darcy Bussell, dressed by Stella McCartney executing routines set to Noel Gallagher’s music? Sounds exciting to me!
As someone vaguely connected with a potential Olympian I am extremely privileged to witness first hand the effort and sacrifice our children, brothers, sisters and friends are putting in. I share the straight-up pride they have in themselves, their teams and their nation, a pride that you wish you could bottle up and give to everyone viewing the Games through the prism of what money could better be spent on.
Regarding the Olympics, priority number one for me is to support their attempts to get to London 2012 and to then be at concert-pitch for their events in a few weeks time.
But after that, I really want to be part of something that is going to enervate the nation and bury the negativity that (seemingly) so many still have about the Olympics in London.
My visceral reaction is an inner scream and the stifling of a rant about folks who know the ‘price of everything and the value of nothing’, but that won’t wash if the majority of the country is to get as excited about the Games as I am.
I think the first point must be to acknowledge the concerns that some people have regarding the cost of the games. Times are tough and even though I think it’s a jaundiced view, the Olympics can be seen as 21st Century ‘bread and circuses’ for a country where some Britons still go hungry and homeless.
Of course, this is a perfectly legitimate view to hold and immediately captures the moral high ground; how can one defend one penny spent on leisure and recreation if that could otherwise be put towards another dialysis machine?
You can never win a debate with anyone with such trenchant views. However, for me, such people are ghetto area, no-platform tub-thumpers who will never listen to any other point of view and can be left at the margins. I prefer to engage with folks who will at least listen to an alternative perspective.
Personally, I’m not a great one for macro-economic theorising and attempting to get my head around the economic pump-priming that capital spending on the Olympics and the effect on the balance of payments of tourist visiting London next month will have on the economy. I believe the net benefit will be to generate a surplus, but I will leave that to Lord Coe and Robert Peston to argue!
I think it’s more a question of attempting to fire the imagination of the naysayers about the overwhelming positive and galvanising effect a successful Olympics will have on the nation. Not just in terms of medals won or PB’s achieved by our athletes. How about this being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the world to see Britains not as boorish hooligans, but as friendly and hospitable (for the most part)? What about the opportunity for us to throw off the grim, stoic persona we seem to portray on the World stage and to, you know, welcome the world to the biggest carnival going?
I don’t know what the opening ceremony will be like but imagine a showcase of Britain’s artistic talent? Fill in your own cultural heroes and paint your own picture here, but Wayne Sleep choreographing Darcy Bussell, dressed by Stella McCartney executing routines set to Noel Gallagher’s music? Sounds exciting to me!
As someone vaguely connected with a potential Olympian I am extremely privileged to witness first hand the effort and sacrifice our children, brothers, sisters and friends are putting in. I share the straight-up pride they have in themselves, their teams and their nation, a pride that you wish you could bottle up and give to everyone viewing the Games through the prism of what money could better be spent on.
Regarding the Olympics, priority number one for me is to support their attempts to get to London 2012 and to then be at concert-pitch for their events in a few weeks time.
But after that, I really want to be part of something that is going to enervate the nation and bury the negativity that (seemingly) so many still have about the Olympics in London.
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