Olympic Buffoonery - Not Saving The Planet

Congratulations to the "brains" behind the decision to use three Hydrogen-fuelled taxis to ferry Olympic VIPs and other assorted hangers on around various Olympics venues.

The cabs can only be refuelled at service stations that offer hydrogen as a fuel.

Can you guess where the nearest service station that offers hydrogen is children?

Yes, that's right, Swindon - which is (cough) 130 miles away!

Seemingly (as per the BBC) the designated hydrogen fuelling station, at Lea Interchange near the Olympic Park, has had to close for security reasons.

Therefore the taxis are loaded on a transporter to take them to Swindon.

Well done lads, a great idea that has definitely contributed to "saving" the planet!


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Advice To Olympics Organisers

Learn your flags before you run them up the flagpole!

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Locog's Chickens Come Home To Roost

It has emerged that Locog, the organisers of London 2012, encouraged G4S to keep wages for security staff as low as possible.

Security guards have been offered £8.50 an hour to work at the Olympic venues, which is below the market rate of about £10 an hour.

This pressure on G4S by Locog is somewhat "ironic" given that the government and Locog said publicly that security staff should be paid £10 an hour, so that enough staff were recruited in time.

Locog's chickens have come well and truly home to roost!

The BBC reports that G4S was "incentivised" (ie pressured) in the contract (which was renegotiated and enhanced in December) to keep costs down in order to maximise profits.

Unsurprisingly Margaret Hodge, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, has said that it raises "serious questions" about Locog's management of the contract.

Quite!

I will therefore repeat what I have said before:

1 This is what happens when a major project/event is not run in an open transparent manner, and is not subject to scrutiny by independent professionals acting in the interests of the taxpayer.

2 As an experienced FCA and fraud investigator I recommend that a full independent audit be conducted of the tendering process, the contract, Locog and G4S operations pertaining to their work for the Games.

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The G4S Locog Omnishambles Continues Apace

On the day that Nick Buckles the CEO of the hapless and hopeless G4S appears before the Home Affairs Slect Committee, to answer questions about G4S shambolic performance, Surrey Police Fed have said that out of an expected turnout of 300 G4S staff (promised at Box Hill) only 30 turned up.

Whilst everyone is justifiably crucifying G4S for this national disgrace, let us not forget the organisation that signed the contract with them in the first place and was allegedly mean to "manage" G4S.

Step forward Locog, which will soon find itself under the same degree of scrutiny as G4S.

Newsnight last night reported that an insider from Locog has stated that Locog failed to deal with the problems at G4S despite warnings over the last 18 months.

"G4S have been appalling."

He claimed that those in charge of Locog's security were "amateurish", and it was a mistake using one company to supply staff.

"It was the wrong strategy, to use only one company."

The insider who has worked in security for many years asserts that "at the top level" the management of security at Locog was "thoroughly amateurish and incompetent".

This is of course what happens when a major project/event is not run in an open transparent manner, and is not subject to scrutiny by independent professionals acting in the interests of the taxpayer.

As I recommended on Friday:

"As an experienced FCA and fraud investigator I recommend that if G4s, the government and Locog want to put taxpayers' minds at rest over the integrity of the contracts awarded for the Games, then a full independent audit be conducted of the tendering process, the contract and G4S operations pertaining to their work for the Games."

This recommendation naturally applies to Locog as well.

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The G4S Clusterfuck - Staff Don't Speak Fluent English

Nick Buckles, chief executive of G4S, when challenged about whether those recruited by G4S even spoke fluent English:

"That is a difficult question to answer. 

They all have a right to work in the UK and have been vetted to very high standards."

When the question was repeated he admitted:

"I can't say categorically."

ROFLOL!

The G4S clusterfuck is the story that just keeps giving.

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Heathrow The National Disgrace of Olympic Proportions

This time last week I wrote the following about our national disgrace of an airport that is Heathrow:

"It seems that Heathrow is in meltdown yet again and, despite the media firestorm over April's clusterfuck, ministers and those in charge of passport checks etc have not yet learned their lesson."

One week on and things at Heathrow are still no better, as Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, can attest to. He paid Heathrow Terminal 4 a visit today and was less than impressed with the ongoing clusterfuck.

The Telegraph reports that Vaz said people were left “stacked” in corridors at 7am:

"I was appalled by the length of queues in the immigration hall this morning

It is now two months since the Immigration Minister promised additional resources and better management. 

The worst aspect was that half of the immigration desks were simply not opened even though the Border Force had prior knowledge of all flight arrivals. 

This creates additional security pressures with luggage piling up in the baggage hall.

We had people waiting in the corridors at the busiest international airport in the world.”

To add to the humiliation, BAA claim that the Border Force yet again failed to meet its 45 minute maximum waiting time target for passengers from the European Economic Area (the EU plus Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway).

It is quite clear that Heathrow will not be able to cope during the Olympics, therefore those who can change their travel plans are strongly advised to avoid London airport at all costs during the games!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Heathrow Clusterfuck Returns!

It seems that Heathrow is in meltdown yet again and, despite the media firestorm over April's clusterfuck, ministers and those in charge of passport checks etc have not yet learned their lesson.

The Telegraph reports that:

"Angry passengers reported queuing for nearly two and a half hours last week – with some starting far outside the immigration hall – to be met with empty passport control desks and uninterested staff."

It is quite clear that Heathrow will not be able to cope during the Olympics, therefore those who can change their travel plans are strongly advised to avoid London airport at all costs during the games!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Heathrow Cover Up - A National Disgrace

As loyal readers and hapless Heathrow passengers know, Heathrow's ability to process passenger arrivals in a speedy and efficient manner has collapsed.

This of course could not come at a worse time for the government, as with the Olympics (and Diamond Jubilee) just around the corner the country will be at the centre of the world's media eye just when large numbers of tourist/visitors are expected to pass through Heathrow.

Faced with this collapse of efficient arrivals' processing at Heathrow it seems that, according to the Telegraph, the powers that be within the failing UK Border Agency (UKBA) are trying to cover up their failure.

On Saturday BAA, the owner of Heathrow, tried to issue a leaflet apologising to passengers for the “very long delays” and saying people entering the country “deserved a warmer welcome”.

The leaflet suggested that passengers should complain to the Home Office.

Unfortunately for BAA, Marc Owen the director of UKBA operations at Heathrow, told BAA the leaflet was “inappropriate”.

He made threats to BAA:

“The leaflet is not all right with us. It is both inflammatory and likely to increase tensions in arrivals halls especially in the current atmosphere. 

It is inappropriate in that it is not for you to display how to complain on our behalf. 

Please refrain from handing out [the leaflets] or I will escalate [the matter] with ministers who are likely to take a very dim view. I know there are copies in the hall and your troops are ready with them.”

For good measure he also told BAA to stop passengers taking pictures of the queues in the arrivals hall.

The Daily Telegraph also has in its possession emails from within UKBA detailing the extent of the chaos.

It is quite clear that the current procedures being used at Heathrow to process arrivals are failing, and most certainly will not cope with the forthcoming Olympics.

This is a national disgrace!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Heathrow Clusterfuck

Earlier this month I wrote the following:

"Heathrow believes that its temporary Terminal 6 will be able to cope with the departing Olympics VIPs after the Games.

All very well, if you are a departing VIP. However, what of those coming to the UK before and during the Games?

It seems no one running Heathrow has thought of that. Step forward Culture Select Committee chairman, John Whittingdale, who has pointed out the elephant in the room and said that not enough thought seemed to have been given to ways of coping with long queues at immigration.

Seemingly, the much maligned and inept UK Border Agency (UKBA) is whining that it has insufficient money to open all of its passport stations.

Mr Whittingdale is quoted by the BBC as saying that MPs:

"did not leave the briefing confident that Heathrow was ready to cope with the arrival of a huge number of competitors, Olympic family and visiting tourists in timely fashion.

We understand that significant preparations have been made to accommodate unusual sporting equipment, special lanes for the Olympic family, welcoming arrangements for competitors and additional Olympic ambassadors.

However, far less thought seems to have been given to the issue of how to deal with long queues at immigration.

The UKBA (UK Border Agency) representative suggested that there was insufficient funding to ensure all passport stations would be open.

While visiting tourists will understand that the Olympics is a busy time, if the wait (at immigration) is in excess of an hour it may deter tourists from returning. The second impact may be that planes cannot unload their passengers into the terminal due to capacity being exceeded. This would lead to circling in the air, planes being left on runways or planes blocking gates."

In other words, Heathrow will be more of a shambles than ever during the peak travel season."

It seems, as news reports of 3 hour delays at Heathrow immigration show, that the shambles is already upon us.

Figures obtained by the Daily Telegraph, covering the first two weeks of April, have revealed the extent of the chaos faced by people flying into Heathrow.

Immigration Minister Damian Green was told he will have account for the chaos when he appears before the Home Affairs Select Committee and explain the chronic queues that are doing "huge damage" to Britain's reputation.

There are fears that the problems are tarnishing the UK's image, particularly with the London Olympics only three months away.

Heathrow is a clusterfuck, by anyone's standards!


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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A Clusterfuck of Ineptitude - Olympics Airbrushes Belfast

In a remarkable clusterfuck of ineptitude, in the run up to Remembrance Day, London 2012 airbrushed HMS Belfast from an official London 2012 Olympics poster showing London's skyline and the Thames.

Apparently it was a "mistake".

Really?

How do you accidentally airbrush out a picture of the largest vessel in the national historic fleet?

London 2012 organisers have had to apologise and reprint the posters with HMS Belfast in them this time.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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