Friday, 10 June 2011

Celebrate, Minions, Or Else!

On the last post regarding the Olympics farce over police protection for the torch, Woman on a Raft notes in the comments that the need itself tells you something about how ‘universally welcomed’ the Olympic shindig is going to be.

Well, they’ve planned for that:
Barnet is set to get £50,000 to decorate town centres in Olympic colours ahead of the London games next August.
And where are they getting this largesse?

Is some philanthropic multi-billionaire donating it? Is it coming from the coffers of one of the huge sports tv networks or producers of multi-coloured bumpers that our youth apparently can’t live without?

Nope. It’s coming out of taxes, of course.
Today the Mayor of London announced every borough would be given the cash to decorate “key” areas with flags, banners and bunting to help spread the “look and feel” of the games.
How nice of you, Boris!
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “The games are a unique opportunity for London to secure its position for another generation as the best big city in the world.

“We all have a duty to make the most of this opportunity and I’m determined to ensure every part of the capital gets to benefit and enjoy the games.”
We have a duty? Really? You know where you can stick that, Boris...

H/T 'Pepe' via email
at

19 comments:

  1. Captain Haddock10 June 2011 at 11:08

    I don't live in London .. I don't even live anywhere near London .. In fact I live nearly 200 miles away from London .. therefore, I couldn't give a rat's arse what either London or the cretinous Johnson will be doing ..

    What I would like (if anyone can help) is info as to where I might buy an "Anti-Olympics" flag ?

    Something which will demonstrate that I'll be doing my utmost to miss every single nano second of this horrendously expensive, utterly boring, totally unnecessary waste of time, effort & Taxpayer's money ..

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  2. Shinar's Basket Case10 June 2011 at 11:34

    I'm with the Captain on this one, sign me up for an Anti T-shirt (except of course its an offence to use the olympic symbol even in parody and we'd all go to prison for a very very long time no doubt).

    I do, however, have a soft spot for dear old wiff-waffing Boris...the Romney Marsh at low tide springs to mind.

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  3. Anonymous10 June 2011 at 11:53

    Another debt inducing hangover from Labour's disastrous tenure.

    And Boris' main attraction is that he is not Ken, something which cannot be discounted.

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  4. Shinar's Basket Case10 June 2011 at 12:00

    "And Boris' main attraction is that he is not Ken, something which cannot be discounted."

    True, true. Everyone has some saving grace I suppose but I do miss the days of Red Ken and the GLC. They took wasting public money to heights Boris can only dream, or rather 'dweam', of...even including the Olypmics. Every city NEEDS a day care centre for Eldery Black Lesbian Visually Challenged Former Members Of The IRA on every corner. It's a question of prestige!

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  5. Uncle Badger10 June 2011 at 12:16

    'Duty' eh, Boris?

    That's like being lectured on the virtues of financial rectitude by Gordon Brown.

    Sod Boris and double sod the vile, boring, corrupt Olympics!

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  6. Dr Evil10 June 2011 at 12:27

    I won't even be watching it on TV. To be frank, watching a bunch of people run round in circles, hurl themselves over various bars, chuck various archaic weapons about and such is pretty dull. As for swimming and winning a race by 0.001 seconds that is just ridiculous. I would watch archery, but I guess that won't be televised like most minority spots.

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  7. Dr Evil10 June 2011 at 12:29

    SPORTS

    Dammit!

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  8. PT10 June 2011 at 12:32

    I'm also with the Captain. If I could afford a ticket for an Olympic event, I couldn't afford the train fare to get there & back. If I could afford both those things, I couldn't afford the hiked costs of accommodation and food whilst in London. Even if I were a sports fan, I couldn't afford it. As far as ordinary people are concerned, for the most part the Olympics benefits the people of London and the South East only, not the rest of the UK.

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  9. nbc10 June 2011 at 12:41

    @ Captain haddock & Shinar

    There are some *cough* alternative *cough* logos here which I'm sure you could use without threat of imprisonment.

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  10. Anonymous10 June 2011 at 16:07

    Boris obviously learned a few things about politics whilst in China playing wiff-waff. Possibly the last thing left to celebrate in being British is that we herd like cats. I look forward to missing the opening ceremony in which multi-ethnic children get the synchronisation all wrong, most people dumb enough to attend are left stranded in public transport and the 'athletes' in the drug search queue at customs.

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  11. andy575910 June 2011 at 16:34

    Just take the money and give out free pint vouchers for the local Wetherspoons to pensioners. London will be the place to void next summer.

    CH, some sites have been playing with the Olympic rings logo, generally shaping the letters; C, N, U, T and S into the rings. I am sure you get the drift. I will link here when I find it.

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  12. Captain Haddock10 June 2011 at 18:48

    NBC & Andy 5759 ..

    Thank you both very much .. ;)

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  13. Lerxst10 June 2011 at 20:36

    Obviously the designer of the 1992 Winter Olympics torch was trying to convey a similar message as to where the French could stick the Games....

    http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/pasttorches/n214038697.shtml

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  14. Woman on a Raft10 June 2011 at 23:50

    The archery was the only cool thing in China. I watched that and then went off and enjoyed learning about bows, especially the beautiful English ones. I recommend the Royal Armouries in Leeds for research.

    So for Chalcedon, the spooky carbon-fibre bows and laser scoring technology will be interesting, while Captain Haddock may care to note that the lady archers all have long legs and short skirts.

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  15. ivan11 June 2011 at 00:57

    The burning question is, do they keep the Zill lanes afterwards?

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  16. David Gillies11 June 2011 at 03:58

    I was so pissed off when Paris won the 2012 Olympic bid and London lost it.

    Tessa Jowell has a lot to answer for. Way back in 2005, I said this bunfight would cost £20 billion of taxpayer's money. That was a laughable figure back then, and it was pooh-poohed. Of course I was absolutely correct, since if one takes the initial estimate for any public works project and multiplies it by two or three times, one will seldom be surprised. Winning an Olympic bid is the ultimate in poisoned chalices (unless you're one of the scum involved in the whole filthy process, in which case you emerge from prolonged immersion in the cesspool smelling of roses, and with curiously bulging pockets.)

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  17. JuliaM11 June 2011 at 06:50

    "What I would like (if anyone can help) is info as to where I might buy an "Anti-Olympics" flag ?"

    As SBC points out, that might be problematic, at least in London!

    "And Boris' main attraction is that he is not Ken..."

    Very true!

    "'Duty' eh, Boris?

    That's like being lectured on the virtues of financial rectitude by Gordon Brown."

    :D

    " Possibly the last thing left to celebrate in being British is that we herd like cats."

    It's certainly the last thing we can be proud to cling to, though the Fabian and Gramsci march through our institutions looks like doing its level best to snuff it out...

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  18. JuliaM11 June 2011 at 06:53

    "Obviously the designer of the 1992 Winter Olympics torch was trying to convey a similar message as to where the French could stick the Games...."

    LOL!

    " I recommend the Royal Armouries in Leeds for research. "

    Oooh, someone posted a pic to Twitter of the hunting section just the other day! I must go see that next time I'm in Leeds.

    "The burning question is, do they keep the Zill lanes afterwards?"

    I'm sure there'll be a concerted effort to retain them 'for future use'... :/

    "Winning an Olympic bid is the ultimate in poisoned chalices...."

    I know... :(

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  19. Captain Haddock11 June 2011 at 09:49

    @ WOAR ..

    Many thanks for that little gem of info ..

    I might, only might, just stretch my intense dislike of all things "sporting" to watch the lady Toxophilists .. ;)

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