It seems that the new Chancellor of The Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has some doubts over the London Olympics 2012.
Darling has been outed as a long-term doubter of the Olympics.
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, has revealed in his diaries that Darling was a "very clear no", when the Cabinet was discussing in 2003 the prospect of an Olympic bid.
Darling raised concerns about the cost of the Games at the time, when the bill was only expected to be £2.6BN. The current budget has now ballooned to a staggering £12BN, and is likely to continue to grow.
The Treasury claim that Darling now no longer has any doubts.
Quite how this change of mind, given the fact that the budget is now more than four times the amount that caused Darling to reject the bid, came about is beyond mere human understanding.
Doubtless Darling's conversion was a "road to Damascus" moment.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Significant Uncertainties
The National Audit Office (NAO) have warned of "significant uncertainties" over the costs London's 2012 Olympics.
No kidding!
The NAO said the £9.3BN (excluding the £2BN running costs of the infrastructure) was "sufficient to cover the estimated costs of the Games" as plans stood.
However, it then went on to say that this was true only "with the important proviso that the assumptions on which the budget is based hold good".
Which is Whitehall speak for saying that as soon as things change, as is the nature of life, so will the budget.
A pretty lame statement in my view.
The NAO warned that the Olympics involved "a high level of inherent risk".
Tessa Jowell, of the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), said:
"We are determined to keep an iron grip on costs. That is why we have set in place rigorous cost oversight procedures within Government, including a cross-Government ministerial funders committee and task force to assess any requests for further contingency funding under strict criteria."
She would say that, wouldn't she?
The costs have rocketed from £3BN to £12BN, thanks to the inept and incompetent management by Jowell and the DCMS.
Never entrust a politician with the management of a large scale, long term project.
We can be assured that by the time the Olympics have been held, the current budget of £12BN will have long since been overrun.
No kidding!
The NAO said the £9.3BN (excluding the £2BN running costs of the infrastructure) was "sufficient to cover the estimated costs of the Games" as plans stood.
However, it then went on to say that this was true only "with the important proviso that the assumptions on which the budget is based hold good".
Which is Whitehall speak for saying that as soon as things change, as is the nature of life, so will the budget.
A pretty lame statement in my view.
The NAO warned that the Olympics involved "a high level of inherent risk".
Tessa Jowell, of the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), said:
"We are determined to keep an iron grip on costs. That is why we have set in place rigorous cost oversight procedures within Government, including a cross-Government ministerial funders committee and task force to assess any requests for further contingency funding under strict criteria."
She would say that, wouldn't she?
The costs have rocketed from £3BN to £12BN, thanks to the inept and incompetent management by Jowell and the DCMS.
Never entrust a politician with the management of a large scale, long term project.
We can be assured that by the time the Olympics have been held, the current budget of £12BN will have long since been overrun.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
No Plan
The ongoing farce more commonly known as the London 2012 Olympics has taken another twist, the much vaunted tourism plan has been delayed for a second time, this time until September.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which has been charged with formulating the plan, has postponed the launch again citing the recent reshuffle.
Seemingly not everyone was happy with some of the wording in the proposed document, originally due to be published on 17th July.
A DCMS spokesman said:
"New ministers have come in following the reshuffle and they want to have their own take on it, so meetings have been set up with various bodies from the tourism industry to assess the plan and take it forward."
Hotel chain Travelodge are far from impressed, chief operating officer Guy Parsons said:
"From today up to the 2012 Olympics, is the most crucial time for tourism in decades.
We can't afford any further delays."
The lesson here is never entrust politicians with long term major projects, they are simply not up to the task.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which has been charged with formulating the plan, has postponed the launch again citing the recent reshuffle.
Seemingly not everyone was happy with some of the wording in the proposed document, originally due to be published on 17th July.
A DCMS spokesman said:
"New ministers have come in following the reshuffle and they want to have their own take on it, so meetings have been set up with various bodies from the tourism industry to assess the plan and take it forward."
Hotel chain Travelodge are far from impressed, chief operating officer Guy Parsons said:
"From today up to the 2012 Olympics, is the most crucial time for tourism in decades.
We can't afford any further delays."
The lesson here is never entrust politicians with long term major projects, they are simply not up to the task.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Threat To Tube System
The collapse of Metronet, the contractor for much of London's tube system, will severely hamper urgent work required to bring it up to an acceptable standard in time for the London Olympics 2012.
The curse of the London Olympics strikes again!
The curse of the London Olympics strikes again!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Becks For 2012
In a rush of blood to the head, Princes William and Harry have persuaded David Beckham to work on the 2012 Olympics in London.
A source was quoted in the Express as saying:
"There was an informal meeting between the princes and Beckham before the (Diana memorial) concert. They had a bit of a laugh and a joke and chatted about his move to Los Angeles.
But William said he hoped David would be back to play a key part in 2012. David smiled and said he'd love to."
Let us trust that it is just the male half of the Beckham brand that is involved in the Olympics.
A source was quoted in the Express as saying:
"There was an informal meeting between the princes and Beckham before the (Diana memorial) concert. They had a bit of a laugh and a joke and chatted about his move to Los Angeles.
But William said he hoped David would be back to play a key part in 2012. David smiled and said he'd love to."
Let us trust that it is just the male half of the Beckham brand that is involved in the Olympics.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Jowell's Mailbox Hacked
It seems that Tessa Jowell (who is nominally in charge of the 2012 London Olympics) has had her mailbox hacked.
The implications for the Olympics are quite serious, as we can expect all manner of documents concerning the Games to be leaked over the coming months.
Finally we may learn what is really going on with the budget etc.
The implications for the Olympics are quite serious, as we can expect all manner of documents concerning the Games to be leaked over the coming months.
Finally we may learn what is really going on with the budget etc.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Table Tennis Fire
Fire fighters extinguished a fire on Monday, that broke out at gymnasium under construction in Beijing University. This will be the venue for the table tennis tournaments during next year's Beijing Olympic Games.
The fire damaged around 1,000 square metres. However, no one was injured in the accident according to the Beijing Fire Brigade.
The fire brigade is investigating the cause of the blaze, it is thought to have been triggered by improper practices in the construction process.
Construction of the domed 26,900-square-meter gymnasium began in September 2005. Upon completion in August this year, the gym will be able to accommodate and audience of 8,000 people.
The fire damaged around 1,000 square metres. However, no one was injured in the accident according to the Beijing Fire Brigade.
The fire brigade is investigating the cause of the blaze, it is thought to have been triggered by improper practices in the construction process.
Construction of the domed 26,900-square-meter gymnasium began in September 2005. Upon completion in August this year, the gym will be able to accommodate and audience of 8,000 people.
Monday, July 2, 2007
London Logo Farce - The Farce Continues IV
The farce over the "Lisa Simpson Gives Head" London 2012 Olympics logo continues.
The organisers of the London Olympics have now revamped the logo to contain images of competing athletes.
One image, featuring a child taking part in martial arts, has been spotted on the side of an Olympics bus touring Britain to promote the Games.
Needless to say those behind the logo deny that this change is in any way connected to the howls of protests over the logo. The official line is that this is an attempt to "populate" an evolving brand.
Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog), was reportedly shocked at the extent of the backlash that followed the launch of the logo last month.
The the logo will be shown in 3-D in films and on the internet. Seemingly it looks, so the designers say, very good when presented in that format.
However, the organisers who should have been more thorough wrt the planning have failed to take into account the fact that most people will see it only as a flat image in newspapers and magazines.
This hardly gives one confidence in their ability to organise and manage the Games themselves, does it?
The organisers of the London Olympics have now revamped the logo to contain images of competing athletes.
One image, featuring a child taking part in martial arts, has been spotted on the side of an Olympics bus touring Britain to promote the Games.
Needless to say those behind the logo deny that this change is in any way connected to the howls of protests over the logo. The official line is that this is an attempt to "populate" an evolving brand.
Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog), was reportedly shocked at the extent of the backlash that followed the launch of the logo last month.
The the logo will be shown in 3-D in films and on the internet. Seemingly it looks, so the designers say, very good when presented in that format.
However, the organisers who should have been more thorough wrt the planning have failed to take into account the fact that most people will see it only as a flat image in newspapers and magazines.
This hardly gives one confidence in their ability to organise and manage the Games themselves, does it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)