A bit of a tongue-in-cheek London-centric view of the latest Olympic kerfuffle…
The Olympic lottery game is launched tomorrow, with the hope that money raised from the sale of the scratchcards will go towards funding the Games. That money will join up with the massive contribution Londoners are making through their council tax payments over the next few years. But is it fair?
The original argument for the council tax levy was that Londoners will benefit most from the Olympics coming to the capital in 2012, so they should pay for it.
Now though every time I see any coverage, we’re told we shouldn’t think of this as the London Games but as an Olympics for the whole country. So shouldn’t the whole country pay?
The only other solution I can think of is that we should build an Olympic wall around the city and not let anybody else in.
![[:haha:]](images/smile/smile19.gif)
Well, we’ve done it. I know I was sceptical about the Games coming to London, but nonetheless, many congratulations to the bid team. Now the decision has been made, let all of us sceptics and supporters alike get behind the new reality that is to be London 2012. Let’s show the world what we can do (and I’m thinking more of the London Eye than the Millennium Done).
Another British victory over the French :p
This week, the IOC are in town checking up on London’s plans to host the Olympic Games in 2012.
It was lucky they chose this week to come - if they’d turned up last week they’d have seen a load of street cleaners and railing painters hurrying about giving the city an early spring clean. Coincidently, if anybody can work out why there was a cleaning frenzy last week, let me know… 
As it was, the committee flew into Heathrow on Monday night and were driven into the heart of the city along roads lined with lampposts adorned with “Back the Bid” posters, proving just how committed we all are to hosting the Games.
Yesterday, they got to experience our futuristic transportation system as they took the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich to see our successful millennium legacy, the Dome. Again, they were jolly lucky to be able to visit, given the vast number of special events and exhibitions that take place in it each year.
Yes, in case you’re wondering, I’m sure they all marvelled at the Tube: always on time, always clean, never crowded. Certainly you’ll never encounter a slightly worse-for-wear dribbling drunk when you travel on the next Jubilee Line service (has been cancelled due to a shortage of train crew).
With a public so committed to our Olympic vision, a fully integrated transportation infrastructure, bleeding edge technology (take our Air Traffic Control system for example) and a Mayor who can do no wrong, who can be in any doubt that, er, Paris is the candidate to watch.
Oh well, at least the IOC committee will get a nice slap-up dinner before they head home. That is, of course, as long as they don’t mention getting hitched down the local registry office.