You must have felt a tad of disappointment when your funding was cut though, you wouldn't be human if you didn't look at the Olympics budget, underwritten by succesive governments with the same tax payers money that pays your wages, and think, "What I couldn't do with just half of one percent of £10bn", there's only one taxpayers pot and everything that gets funded by government has to come out of that - the £10bn isn't magic money that appeared from down the back of the settee, some of it probably came from your budget cut.

Sport in the public eye does a tremendous amount for the participation.

Have you ever tried to get a tennis court in late June / early July? Compare and contrast with how easy it is to get in April / May in good weather.

Problem is that its very transient, and people soon forget about it. Hopefully the kids will be engaged enough to reduce this effect, or it could be a lot of money spent on a 4 week spike in activity, followed by falling into the same inactive rut

Nope, it's the [i'supersize me'[/i olympic contribution to promoting healthy eating among schoolkids and everyone else. Don't forget to hand out the Chicken McNuggets at those school games - Usain Bolt swears by them as the key to his success.

Because the Olympics is the only Golbal sporting competition to have McDonalds and Coca Cola as sponsors.

Really are a fekwitt of the highest order.

I said that the construction jobs were real enough for both projects and therefore the jobs created for the Olympic construction work would also have been created had the funds been spent on a more important infrastructure project ie: my suggested airport/hospital example.




It has obviously escaped your attention but there has and is an ongoing debate about either an additional runway at Heathrow or a brand new London airport in the Thames estuary. And again you do not seem to be aware of the commercial/employment long term benefits that a new airport will create.



Just how many real jobs have been created by the Olympics then? excluding the construction ones that would be the same on another infrastructure project?

If you are going to count corporate sponsorship and ticket sales then you should also count the huge cost of security and inconvienience in addition to the loss of the usual high income from tourism during this time as most sensible people will avoid London at this time like the plague.

Really important point about that extra 2 weeks in the context of long term jobs!

It would seem that there are a few wide eyed and open mouthed adults too that have bought into the hype!

Good for you.

Of course, I doubt you have a monopoly on losing someone close in such circumstances and being moved to raise funds for a worthy cause as a result of it's impact.

There are many worthy charities and many worthy contributors to them. I'm sure all those good people would welcome you churlishly dismissing any recognition of their efforts as "media inspired bull non events".

You're a bitter old cynic. We get that. On the other hand many people are quite happy to recognise the efforts of many worthy individuals through the medium of the torch relay. Just like there's many of us that are happy that our taxes have contributed to staging the Olympic games.

Been there, done that. Once took one of your paintings remember.

What hasn't escaped my attention is that response is full of assumptions but short on answers to the questions I posed.

What are you assuming are my assumptions then?

And I note you haven't been able to give a total to all these jobs you assume have been created.

Merely pointing out your lack of knowledge, nothing else.

Great stuff, while i and the other millions around the world enjoy the occassion, you can climb under a rock muttering miserable ramblings, now which would i prefer to be?!

Both sentences I quoted are assumptions on your part. Unless you actually know what I am and am not aware of, which you don't.

Another assumption.

Why is it people like you have to get offensive to those on the other side of the debate? It doesn't support your opinions by doing this you know.

I wish you well with your 4 week enjoyment of the occassion. Will that be at your employers expense or are you taking the whole 4 weeks off on annual leave?

People like you?? You know nothing about me. I dont mind at all people with contrasting opinions, when theyre balaced with some positive appreciation of the occassion. But dismissing people as gulible, and belittling comments are not constuctive at all. Ive already said earlier that i can inderstand people having some concerns with the budget.

Hypocrite.

You have used derogatory terms and condescending language towards posters who disagree with you.

Not so.

And if you are aware of the need for extra air taffic capacity in London and the economic benefits that will bring then why pretend otherwise.

So.

So you now have some doubts as to whether I am aware or not. Were you earlier comments then, not assumptions?

I know that you chose to use a put down first.

Nope, thats not what I said, try again though.

"Took" being the operative word, I think remuneration has to be exchanged before you can say "purchased" doesn't it ?

Name caller

I may well respond with interest but I try not to be the first to descend that path.

Personally, I think I overpaid.

Hang onto it, prices are about to go into the stratosphere for my work.*

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I am more than happy to call names. I am more than happy to post in a condescending manner to those who disagree with me. I am more than happy to belittle many of the feklkwitts who "contribute" to this forum.

I'm a big boy though and what I won't do is be a hypocrite if someone responds in like fashion.

As you have done above.

I note you don't deny the charges of hypocrisy and that is to your credit because your hypocrisy is plain for all to see and I just felt you needed calling on it.

I am not really interested in you awareness or lack of. My comments on the economic benefits of alternative projects to the Olympic games are not based on assumptions