Olympic Games opening ceremony: is this a joke?

[Playbill]

I have just been told that the opening and closing ceremonies for next year's advertising extravaganza - sorry, Olympics - is going to cost £41,000,000.

How can this be possible? How many fireworks will they be letting off?

Bet the French breathed a sigh of relief when they 'lost out'.

This will put us on the same level as the Eurozone countries - debt wise.

[Mamyalynne]

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1082751.html

[Mamyalynne]

Unbelievable isn't it??

[Playbill]

Thanks mamylynne.

Seems my information is 24 hours and £41 million out of date. Still cannot understand how wasting that much can be justified.

[grffindoor2011]

The Olympics is a waste of space. Only companies in London will benefit as will ticket touts, one man and his burger van and the Government.

The fact is, the Olympics will have only aid to have us pay more taxes ultimately.

Simply having the Olympics now is like a man who has just lost his job going out and spending his final pay packet on 300 hash browns from McDonalds.

The poor shall suffer but at least we can see a load of multi cultural men and women run like idiots for 10 seconds whilst others throw spears and discs and 100000 nobless Snags overpay to see it.

[sp1814]

I can't believe how little pride people have in their country sometimes.

Shame.

[boxtops]

We can only hope that some of the many who visit the UK for the Olympics will also do the tourist trail. Since many of them may be coming this way through Dover/the Chunnel, we live in hope. Meanwhile, from one extreme to the other, the knitted bunting rolls on.... http://www.dadonline.eu/node/351

[jake-the-peg]

People have a strange inability to cope with "large" numbers

//£41,000,000 will put us on the same level as the Eurozone countries - debt wise. //

Yes, or we could just sell a painting

http://www.ndtv.com/a...-million-pounds-94197

[flip_flop]

I groaned when we were awarded the Olympics. I also groaned when, two years after being awarded the Olympics the budget jumped from (from memory) about £2.5bn to £9bn - how can the originaly budget of £2.5bn be so massively wrong.

I don't think the East End needs a velodrome, and I personally couldn't give a tinker's cuss which African wins the 10,000m.

This has nothing to do with national pride - I'd've loved England to have been awarded the World Cup, because the infrastructure is already there.

[naomi24]

I know only one person who takes an interest in the Olympic Games, and she sits on the organising committee.

[Kayless]

we spend 120billion on work shy scum, take it out of there. Frankly I'd rather have the Olympics.

[Playbill]

jake-the-peg

Perhaps I should have made my point a little clearer.

The £41 - or now corrected figure of £81 million - is the topping on the cake of the predicted £9 billion plus (and rising almost daily) total cost.

Is that large enough for you?

And who benefits apart from the corporate 'partners'? Junk food, banks and power companies have no connection with sport.

BMW would be fine if a motorsport event was going to be included. On the other hand, I understand that there will dedicated lanes for them to use when transporting the numerous vips to to and fro. Finally proving the old adage that BMW drivers DO own the road is true.

[Kayless]

I'd rather have the Olympics 10 times over than give free money to work shy scum, is that clear enough?

[jno]

sp1814, you have to remember that the British are still puritans (except when drinking). They do not like the thought of people enjoying themselves, unless it can be shown to make a profit.

This is the country that once banned Christmas.

[ichkeria]

"sp1814, you have to remember that the British are still puritans (except when drinking). They do not like the thought of people enjoying themselves, unless it can be shown to make a profit.

This is the country that once banned Christmas. "

Yes, and I'd stick Cynicism, Moaning and False Patriotism into the Olympic Games and watch us top the medals table with ease :-)

[jno]

I've got a ticket and I'm going along to enjoy myself. However, I'm not British so it doesn't count.

And of course maybe I'll be able to pick up some cheap labour

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1083077.html

[andy-hughes]

In the Middle Ages, a king or baron who wanted to be remembered would finance a cathedral.

Their modern equivalent - government ministers, sign up for things like The Dome and the Olympics.

I am against the entire concept of the Games which costs far more than it can ever give to its host countries, and even worse when we cannot afford it.

Worse still are the opening and closing ceremonies, which are a firework display writ large (wtih proportionate costs increased) - they flash and boom, we go ooh and aah, and there is nothing to show at the end of it.

[jno]

oh andy, you must have a miserable November 5! All those whooshing rockets and all you end up with is a stick!

But it's as I said before - why does a profit at the end of it have to be all that matters? What's wrong with just enjoying the show?

[Sgt.Rock]

Where is the money coming from when we are told the country is broke?

[China Doll]

I would have no problems enjoying the show if I thought we could afford to put it on in the first place jno. We have too many other problems in this country financially and I think it's a total waste of money and resources in consideration of the current economic crisis.

[cazzz1975]

It is a massive waste of money considering the state of the country, a good show could have been had for a fraction of the cost.