Sir Rols 1902 Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 I know we can post comments on the blog itself, but more of us GB regulars would probably comment in the forums here. Rob's Blog - London 2102 Well, I've gotta say, that was spot on! I pretty well agree with everything said, and great to have so well explained the difference between pure games costs and infrastructure costs. About the only thing I'd say is that London is likely to catch the budget-bashing disease more than most _ this is the UK press we're talking about, about as feral a mob as the world media has ever produced. Anyway, great to get your thoughts, Rob. I hope it's going to be a regular. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Commonwealth Games race. Link to post Share on other sites
Colonel Iredale 14 Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 what makes this blog really interesting, is that Rob, who has followed the world of sport and the Olympics in particular for a long time, extensively both in time and detail (probably the only journalist on a par with Mr Hula & Co.) - and the majority of articles on Gamesbids.com are copied and pasted from other sources (not that I read them often nowadays - Rob you really do need to have direct links to the articles on the forums, like the good old days of Ikonboard). This new blog, however, provides a personal insight into Rob's thoughts and knowledge about the sporting world. Link to post Share on other sites
Rafa 43 Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Awesome awesome piece regarding london 2012 costs... Link to post Share on other sites
Citius Altius Fortius 560 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 I have always wondered why he doesn't post in the forums frequently, which he runs... Link to post Share on other sites
Guardian 22 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 What a great blog. Keep it up, Rob. Link to post Share on other sites
Rob. 2046 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 Rob's Blog - London 2102 I hope that wasn't a Freudian slip! Link to post Share on other sites
Rob. 2046 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 Well, I've gotta say, that was spot on! I pretty well agree with everything said, and great to have so well explained the difference between pure games costs and infrastructure costs. About the only thing I'd say is that London is likely to catch the budget-bashing disease more than most _ this is the UK press we're talking about, about as feral a mob as the world media has ever produced. The tax revenue - residential and buissiness - from the new town (40,000 extra homes) that will spring up on what is currently a brownfield site will add to the treasury's coffers in the long term. Quick, and very rough, calculation: UK average wage is £26,151. Guesstimate that 1.5 people in each household is on a full time salary. = £39,226 per household. Multiplied by 22% tax rate = £8629 in taxes per new household. £8629 x 40,000 = £345,193,200 per year in tax. OK, it might not be that much, because it's not like most of those people weren't paying taxes already, but if the area is regenerated in the way we've told it will be, averge earnings will go up, unemployment will go down and new employers will move to the area. Add to that the infrastructure improvements, the added benifits from tourism etc. and I think Ken Livingstone is right when he says the games will make a profit, eventually. Problem is, by the time anyone notices he's right, the games will be long gone, and those whinging about the games in 2006, will be the ones who are talking about them glowingly in the 2020s. Link to post Share on other sites
Mainad 203 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 Excellently argued blog from Rob.If Tessa Jowell,Ken Livingstone and others had explained it all with the same thoroughness,then I'll wager they wouldn't be taking quite so much flak from the press as they are doing! I think that it's the perceived lack of honesty and/or proper awareness of how the costs will eventually pan out that has been causing the most scepticism.Rightly or wrongly,the project leaders have given the impression of being 'caught on the hop' by the news reports and compounding the impression by contradicting each other (Jowell-'costs will arise by £900M'; Livingstone-'there is no mess,we are still within budget etc.).It would help if they gave the impression of singing from the same hymn sheet! And the matter of Jack Lemley's resignation should be tackled honestly as well as it now seems some of his criticisms have borne fruit.It doesn't do the project's overall image too much good if they can't hold on to their chief executives! It's curious to me that the two Americans who originally took leading positions with London 2012,ie. Barbara Cassani and Jack Lemley,both quit within a year of taking up their posts! Is there some cultural difficulty here concerning Americans working with Britons on a major British sporting project,perhaps?? I think London 2012 are now realising,like all their predecessors before them, just how much more different and more complex actually getting the Games off the ground is proving to be than when they were planning and winning the Olympic bid! Perhaps the rest of the country is beginning to appreciate this too!! Link to post Share on other sites
jimjam 12 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 I agree with the comments above the the blog is really good - and certainly well worded. I dis-agree with some of the comments though. The infrastructure improvements are often given as a benefit of hosting the games and part of the 'legacy'. How can you claim the benefit if you don't also count in the cost? If we just add the benefits surely we are false accounting? The fact that we almost always see the intial budgets being left for dust is something that the IOC should tackle so that countries enter this Olympic Hosting game with realistic expectations and that the poeple who ultimately pay (the tax-payer) understand the true cost. With all that said I can see that there are huge benefits from the game - and I am certianly not just whinging for the sake of it. I just think that it is about time that the games were a bit more realistic. Its not like there has not been enough information available on costs - going back to 1976 etc! Link to post Share on other sites
Colonel Iredale 14 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 Along with GamesBids.com, the forum grew like wildfire and it was soon incorporated into the main Website to become The Forums of GamesBids.com with thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of posts. A core group of forumers have debated bid-related issues over the years while I, in my moderator role, stood aside and held my tongue. You can't imagine how frustrating it has been. he he he he.... Link to post Share on other sites
GBModerator 185 Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Just thought I'd toss this out there... anybody have any blog topic requests? Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Rols 1902 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Just thought I'd toss this out there... anybody have any blog topic requests? Yeah, your thoughts on the 2014 Commonwealth Games race. Link to post Share on other sites
GBModerator 185 Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Yeah, your thoughts on the 2014 Commonwealth Games race. That could be nasty. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Rols 1902 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 That could be nasty. LOL! All the more fun! There's also the Winter Games vote, of course. Link to post Share on other sites
nykfan845 51 Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Would it be much trouble for you to make an update on the status of international cities that are bidding for 2016? Right now, it's really unclear who is and who isn't. Link to post Share on other sites
Rafa 43 Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 i must be honest, if ur blog was all about london 2012 i would be happy....so perhaps something about the aquatic centre being scaled down...or even something about the new frontier cities... Link to post Share on other sites
Guardian 22 Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 GBModerator, I would love to see your blog about how sports and events would be able to stay or be eliminated from the official Olympic program. Link to post Share on other sites
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