I noticed this morning that there's roadworks going on just around the corner to make a 'table' for the walking events.

Obviously that'll improve transport for all Londoners (who have been paying extra for the whole affair via their council tax).

And the stuff about some sort of vastly improved transport system is tosh. One slightly improved route to Stratford does not count as widespread improvement to the transport system.

Thanks for that.

My pleasure.

Did you have a point you wanted to make?

I asked a question to another poster about their post, thanks.

And I gave an example of expenditure that tallyed with that.

I suppose there are two ways of looking at it really, as a London council tax payer and as a UK tax payer.

I was posing the question to Robinson, as (I believe), he lives in the North of England and therefore won't pay council tax in London. Only Londoners are paying extra than they were (in their CT). The UK Government, via the ODA, stand to make a profit out of the games, like the majority of modern Olympic games before them (baring Montreal & Beijing). Therefore, claiming 'stupid amounts of money being wasted' is a stupid statement to make.

We're funding the policing of this torch relay, for instance.

How much will the UK taxpayer benefit?

The UK government is slashing and privatising services – with the privatised companies slashing wages. Who will profit from these games and what will be the benefit to the UK taxpayer in general and to residents of London specifically?

There has been talk of a 'retail boost' of approximately £60m over the Olympic period. But that'll primarily be big companies (at the new mall) that already make millions and, as we know, use every means possible to avoid paying tax.

How will the ordinary resident of one of the 'Olympic boroughs' benefit?

They won't.

In my opinion

100% Wire wrote:They won't. In my opinion Oh, I agree. Story from – amazingly – the Daily Mail on landlords forcing out tenants to make more through lets during the Games. And of course, there's the stuff I've mentioned elsewhere about the impact on local businesses.

100% Wire wrote:They won't. In my opinion Oh, I agree. Story from – amazingly – the Daily Mail on landlords forcing out tenants to make more through lets during the Games. And of course, there's the stuff I've mentioned elsewhere about the impact on local businesses.

I'm still surprised that local small shops haven't been forced to shut their doors for the duration for not being official sponsors of the event, but possibly supplying unbranded goods to visitors instead.


Sorry, I meant "suppliers of valued services to the games" instead of "official sponsors of the event" there.