Congrats on avoiding my other comments about the true cost and about one-term spending plans.

Oh, and the points made by others about cross-party agreement.

As I said, I'm not getting into politics, as this isn't a politics thread. So, no avoidance there. I simply refused to talk politics.



However given you asked, £27m is outlandish however it's paid for. A £27m opening ceremony won't attract anyone who wouldn't have been there to witness a £1m opening ceremony. I don't care who's paid or how the cost is broken down; that money could have been used on other, non-olympic things.



If you think £27m for an opening ceremony is good value, or you even THINK that kind of money should be spent on it, then quite simply, you need your bumps feeling.



On a similar note, I dread to think what the 3 month, 8000 people, torch carrying will have cost, given that (I hear) everyone has to wear - and gets to keep - both the uniform and the fecking TORCH! Again, why not just have ONE torch, sailing down the Thames immediately prior to the opening ceremony? It would have been more fitting for the LONDON Olympics, and a hell of a lot cheaper. GO on, justify it.



The money wasted on this event is appalling.



As for the cross-party agreement. This was an agreement that an Olympic Bid should be made, based on, I assume, the costs as worked out by whoever Labour asked to work it out. How do those figures compare with the ACTUAL cost?

My mate is taking part. He is pulling a cow round or someat

The costs have increased substantially every year since the vote was cast, and at each stage they have been approved with cross party support and the scrutiny of various financial committees.



I know you'd love to state that Gordon Brown signed a blank cheque on a whim and a promise, but its not the case.

I'm looking forward to the Olympics even more now I know how many people who live in London it's p!$$ed off.



All the roads should be Olympic lanes and everyone in London should be forced to eat McDonalds and drink Coke for 3 weeks.



After the games the Olympic flame should be given to this summers rioters so they can burn down the bits of that monumental $h!thole they live in that they missed last year.

the little credibility you had on this subject just went "woosh" out of the room.

Taking the wife is he?

Ah the old "I refuse to talk politics (because I usually end up getting my ar[is[/ie handed to me on a plate), while trying to score cheap political points" excuse?



We don't have a "politics" thread.

Same thing could be said about pretty much everything the government spends money on (whether or not in conjunction with others). The trouble is, when your logic is applied to stuff that could be fun, which the opening ceremony might be (but I may well be watching it from behind the sofa in case it is a cringe fest), what we are left with is just a double dip recession, the crappiest summer weather I can remember and gloom and doom around every corner. In short, people with your mindset would have the rest of us confined to periods of deep depression because we shouldn't be spending such big money on stuff like FUN.



Not only that but the opening ceremony of the Olympics is the one moment everyone in the world who owns a TV and has so much as a passing interest in the event stares at us full in the face. I want them to see a quality dressed face, not one wearing cheap makeup, a bad hairdo and spots.

Quote SaintsFan="SaintsFan"Same thing could be said about pretty much everything the government spends money on (whether or not in conjunction with others). The trouble is, when your logic is applied to stuff that could be fun, which the opening ceremony might be (but I may well be watching it from behind the sofa in case it is a cringe fest), what we are left with is just a double dip recession, the crappiest summer weather I can remember and gloom and doom around every corner. In short, people with your mindset would have the rest of us confined to periods of deep depression because we shouldn't be spending such big money on stuff like FUN. '" But, given the mindset of our politicians over public spending is it a good use of money? Why not spend £25miilion on life-saving medical equipment and £2 million filming the ensuing uplifting stories of saved people anf their families? Personally, I'd find that much more gloom-lifting than a couple of hours of so-called fun. Indeed, this article makes some good points about the matter: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... NTCMP=SRCH

Quote SaintsFan="SaintsFan"Same thing could be said about pretty much everything the government spends money on (whether or not in conjunction with others). The trouble is, when your logic is applied to stuff that could be fun, which the opening ceremony might be (but I may well be watching it from behind the sofa in case it is a cringe fest), what we are left with is just a double dip recession, the crappiest summer weather I can remember and gloom and doom around every corner. In short, people with your mindset would have the rest of us confined to periods of deep depression because we shouldn't be spending such big money on stuff like FUN. '" But, given the mindset of our politicians over public spending is it a good use of money? Why not spend £25miilion on life-saving medical equipment and £2 million filming the ensuing uplifting stories of saved people anf their families? Personally, I'd find that much more gloom-lifting than a couple of hours of so-called fun. Indeed, this article makes some good points about the matter: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... NTCMP=SRCH

You're right. Cancel the fecking lot and tell all the thousands of people in London to feck off home too. Let's have 2 weeks of Eastenders on tv instead

Quote SaintsFan="SaintsFan"Same thing could be said about pretty much everything the government spends money on (whether or not in conjunction with others). The trouble is, when your logic is applied to stuff that could be fun, which the opening ceremony might be (but I may well be watching it from behind the sofa in case it is a cringe fest), what we are left with is just a double dip recession, the crappiest summer weather I can remember and gloom and doom around every corner. In short, people with your mindset would have the rest of us confined to periods of deep depression because we shouldn't be spending such big money on stuff like FUN. '" But, given the mindset of our politicians over public spending is it a good use of money? Why not spend £25miilion on life-saving medical equipment and £2 million filming the ensuing uplifting stories of saved people anf their families? Personally, I'd find that much more gloom-lifting than a couple of hours of so-called fun. Indeed, this article makes some good points about the matter: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... NTCMP=SRCH

Quote SaintsFan="SaintsFan"Same thing could be said about pretty much everything the government spends money on (whether or not in conjunction with others). The trouble is, when your logic is applied to stuff that could be fun, which the opening ceremony might be (but I may well be watching it from behind the sofa in case it is a cringe fest), what we are left with is just a double dip recession, the crappiest summer weather I can remember and gloom and doom around every corner. In short, people with your mindset would have the rest of us confined to periods of deep depression because we shouldn't be spending such big money on stuff like FUN. '" But, given the mindset of our politicians over public spending is it a good use of money? Why not spend £25miilion on life-saving medical equipment and £2 million filming the ensuing uplifting stories of saved people anf their families? Personally, I'd find that much more gloom-lifting than a couple of hours of so-called fun. Indeed, this article makes some good points about the matter: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... NTCMP=SRCH