Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Olympics Threat To The Arts
The London Olympics juggernaut has been accused of crushing funding to the arts. A grouping of the UK's senior arts and sports administrators warned that the lottery money being diverted from the arts to the Olympics would damage the arts, and reduce participation in sport.
The Voluntary Arts Network, the Central Council for Physical Recreation, Heritage Link and the National Council for Voluntary organisations have also written to MP's; warning them that lottery cuts will jeopardise the legacy of the games at community level. They have asked for an urgent meeting with Tessa Jowell (culture secretary), claiming that arts, heritage and sports charities will lose more than £100m.
Jowell intends to divert an additional £675m from the National Lottery, to fund the Olympics behemoth (the budget for which has spiralled out of control).
Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said:
"There is a spectacular lack of logic in using money earmarked for the arts to plug the holes in the Olympics bills. The money raided from the lottery will largely affect small, innovative, experimental organisations and individuals who are the lifeblood of creativity in the UK. Pulling the carpet out from under them and nobbling their money is undermining the future of our major arts institutions."
Tim Lamb, chief executive of the Central Council for Physical Recreation, said:
"If there is to be a real legacy of increasing participation in sport, it seems ironic, if not perverse, for money to be taken away from community sport to fund the Olympics."
Jowell claims that the diversion of funds will not begin until 2009; a cynic might note that by 2009 Labour will have been kicked out of office, and can therefore wash their hands of the entire sorry affair.
The Voluntary Arts Network, the Central Council for Physical Recreation, Heritage Link and the National Council for Voluntary organisations have also written to MP's; warning them that lottery cuts will jeopardise the legacy of the games at community level. They have asked for an urgent meeting with Tessa Jowell (culture secretary), claiming that arts, heritage and sports charities will lose more than £100m.
Jowell intends to divert an additional £675m from the National Lottery, to fund the Olympics behemoth (the budget for which has spiralled out of control).
Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said:
"There is a spectacular lack of logic in using money earmarked for the arts to plug the holes in the Olympics bills. The money raided from the lottery will largely affect small, innovative, experimental organisations and individuals who are the lifeblood of creativity in the UK. Pulling the carpet out from under them and nobbling their money is undermining the future of our major arts institutions."
Tim Lamb, chief executive of the Central Council for Physical Recreation, said:
"If there is to be a real legacy of increasing participation in sport, it seems ironic, if not perverse, for money to be taken away from community sport to fund the Olympics."
Jowell claims that the diversion of funds will not begin until 2009; a cynic might note that by 2009 Labour will have been kicked out of office, and can therefore wash their hands of the entire sorry affair.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Money Well Spent?
Lloyds TSB Marketing Director, Nigel Gilbert, has been defending Lloyds decision to spend an estimated £50M to £80M on sponsoring the London 2012 Olympics.
The critics note that the 2012 Olympics is a "clean" event, whereby there will be no corporate branding at any of the venues.
Gilbert is adamant:
"Make no mistake: we will make money out of this."
He also noted that Lloyds wanted others to profit as well, and then rather over exuberantly stated that Lloyds sees its sponsorship as its duty to the nation.
LOCOG (the organisers of the games) commercial director, Chris Townsend, last week had to deny suggestions that the Olympics could become a marketing disaster on the scale of the Millennium Dome.
However, the auguries do not look good.
The critics note that the 2012 Olympics is a "clean" event, whereby there will be no corporate branding at any of the venues.
Gilbert is adamant:
"Make no mistake: we will make money out of this."
He also noted that Lloyds wanted others to profit as well, and then rather over exuberantly stated that Lloyds sees its sponsorship as its duty to the nation.
LOCOG (the organisers of the games) commercial director, Chris Townsend, last week had to deny suggestions that the Olympics could become a marketing disaster on the scale of the Millennium Dome.
However, the auguries do not look good.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Pig In A Poke II
Tessa Jowell has finally announced the budget for the 2012 London Olympics, it will cost £9.3BN (before running costs of £2BN).
In other words, as has been predicted on this site for many months, the costs of the Olympics will be around £12BN.
The question therefore arises, if I could come up with the figure so quickly and so long ago, why the hell did it take Ms Jowell so long?
In other words, as has been predicted on this site for many months, the costs of the Olympics will be around £12BN.
The question therefore arises, if I could come up with the figure so quickly and so long ago, why the hell did it take Ms Jowell so long?
The Pig In A Poke
Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary entrusted with overseeing the London Olympics 2012, will announce today the budget for the games.
Cynics amongst you might ask why there is still no budget, given the fact that Britain bid for the games some years ago.
One would have thought that a bid could not have been put together, or indeed accepted by the IOC, without a budget. However, in the world of Olympic politics all things are possible.
My own personal guesstimate as to the costs, currently stands at £12BN (which includes £2BN running costs).
At a stormy session of the Commons public accounts committee last week, officials were accused of presiding over a "pig in the poke" and "Alice in Wonderland" finances.
Quite!
However, whatever the budget figure announced today turns out to be, you can be sure that by the time the Olympics are held in 2012 it will be much more than that.
Never allow politicians to become involved in large scale projects.
Cynics amongst you might ask why there is still no budget, given the fact that Britain bid for the games some years ago.
One would have thought that a bid could not have been put together, or indeed accepted by the IOC, without a budget. However, in the world of Olympic politics all things are possible.
My own personal guesstimate as to the costs, currently stands at £12BN (which includes £2BN running costs).
At a stormy session of the Commons public accounts committee last week, officials were accused of presiding over a "pig in the poke" and "Alice in Wonderland" finances.
Quite!
However, whatever the budget figure announced today turns out to be, you can be sure that by the time the Olympics are held in 2012 it will be much more than that.
Never allow politicians to become involved in large scale projects.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Where's The Budget?
The British government is still very reluctant to come clean with the budget for the 2012 Olympic Games, saying that it has yet to be finalised.
The fact that everyone knows that it will hit at least £12BN, seems to have escaped the politicians.
However, I would ask this:
1 How is it Britain put together a bid for the Olympic Games, without having a budget?
2 Why did the IOC award the Games to Britain, if there was not a reliable budget in place?
The fact that everyone knows that it will hit at least £12BN, seems to have escaped the politicians.
However, I would ask this:
1 How is it Britain put together a bid for the Olympic Games, without having a budget?
2 Why did the IOC award the Games to Britain, if there was not a reliable budget in place?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
2012 Olympics To Cost £12BN
As I predicted some months ago, the costs of the 2012 London Olympics are now expected to hit £12BN (including the £2BN running costs).
The original budget was a paltry £2.4BN.
How can the planners have go this so wrong?
Simple, the budget was not properly put together; because the politicians running this farce are incompetent.
Never, ever, trust a politician to run a major project like this; you only have to look at the Dome fiasco to see how bad things can get, when the politicians are entrusted with a project.
Blair's legacy will be:
1 The Iraq war
2 The Dome
3 The Olympic budgetary fiasco
The original budget was a paltry £2.4BN.
How can the planners have go this so wrong?
Simple, the budget was not properly put together; because the politicians running this farce are incompetent.
Never, ever, trust a politician to run a major project like this; you only have to look at the Dome fiasco to see how bad things can get, when the politicians are entrusted with a project.
Blair's legacy will be:
1 The Iraq war
2 The Dome
3 The Olympic budgetary fiasco
Monday, February 26, 2007
Where's The Budget
In the run up to the 2012 London Olympics, the politicians who foisted this event upon the citizens of London would have you believe that everything was going "swimmingly".
Unfortunately there is one small fly in the ointment.
There is no believable/realistic budget!
The British Olympic Association (BOA) called upon ministers to come clean with respect to the budget, as concerns grow over the out of control costs.
Chairman of the BOA, Colin Moynihan, has quite rightly identified that the continuing uncertainty over the budget was damaging.
He spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek:
"It should be (announced) as soon as possible - this debate is not helping the whole Olympic project.
It should then be accountable to the public at large."
Adding:
"When they do come forward, we will see if they have included in that budget a huge regeneration project in the East End.
What I have asked for is that there should be absolute clarity about the costs that are going to be required to deliver the Games on the Olympic Park."
As speculation intensifies as to the "true" budget, the current figure being bandied about is £9BN.
The more cynical amongst us would hazard a guess at £12BN in fact.
Politicians should never be trusted with large scale projects of this nature. Those of you who are still in denial over this should look to the Dome, as a fine example as to what goes wrong when politicians become involved in long term projects.
Unfortunately there is one small fly in the ointment.
There is no believable/realistic budget!
The British Olympic Association (BOA) called upon ministers to come clean with respect to the budget, as concerns grow over the out of control costs.
Chairman of the BOA, Colin Moynihan, has quite rightly identified that the continuing uncertainty over the budget was damaging.
He spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek:
"It should be (announced) as soon as possible - this debate is not helping the whole Olympic project.
It should then be accountable to the public at large."
Adding:
"When they do come forward, we will see if they have included in that budget a huge regeneration project in the East End.
What I have asked for is that there should be absolute clarity about the costs that are going to be required to deliver the Games on the Olympic Park."
As speculation intensifies as to the "true" budget, the current figure being bandied about is £9BN.
The more cynical amongst us would hazard a guess at £12BN in fact.
Politicians should never be trusted with large scale projects of this nature. Those of you who are still in denial over this should look to the Dome, as a fine example as to what goes wrong when politicians become involved in long term projects.
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