HOW much for the Olympics?!?!

'so what' practically every large scale engineering project / war or other major political decision requiring mass state spending in history has run massively overbudget.. it's the way the world works...

Why aren't you pointing your finger at the chirade of a war in Iraq instead of the Olympics, far more detrimental in every way imaginable?

Barcelona is a fine example of what the Olympics can do, complete regeneration of the city, the only difference being that they had a strong socialist administration in place (I'm no socialist but it's a factor I believe to be highly conducive to staging such events) and a cohesive political agenda for change post Franco.. we have Ken and a negative national sentiment of NIMBY.. or '(I want a better standard of living and services but..) not out of my pocket'...

add 2.4 Billion to the cost of new roads that are going overbudget...

Where is the tube extension that's going overbudget? I wish.

All of which money is being thrown at as we speak...

the millenium commision... part lottery / part council tax I think..

Gateshead Council are shit hot mind..

i was reading about the new 1 mile extention bit under the thames - plus the possible 'cross track' or what ever it's called - that new proposed rail link for west/east london

trains are terrible. the network is terrible, costs are stupidly high - and they want people to use it?

How much money has been spent on rail over the last 10 years and people still moan about it!

One of the main things that pisses me off about this country is people just cannot help themselves to moan. The Games is a positive things for this country, end of story.

If Labour had said from square one that the games would have cost £10bn then would you still be moaning? I cant work out if you are moaning about the cost, moaning about the increase in cost or just trying to find something to attack Labour about?

Can you not remember how buzzing this country was when Euro 96 was on? Personally I can't wait

You seem to be ignorant that I am paying for the olympics as much as you are, you're paying for it so embrace it


ps I didnt vote Labour at the last election

its so fucking funny, how you people actually believe what the government say, and then get pissed off when you find out you've been duped.

The world is corrupt!!!

Are you mad? When was the last time you went on a train MOS?

I get the train quite often and my train is always on time, always clean, alway comfortable and if booked at the right time, doesnt cost me that much.

sick

i think it's going to be great i'm even going to travel down from the safety of the north, with the family, and see some of it! - and i'm the least olympic person i know!! it's a once in a lifetime experience and the buzz will be phenomenal!



the point I was making, 1 year in, and it's 4 times the budget. who works this shit out? THEY'RE running the country and they can't even vaguely get figures right?

There's no extension work going on.. The East London Line is becoming the Overground and being taken back into the GLA control..

Cross Rail is a symptom of dimwittedness in the past when the Victorian aristocracy restricted railway lines crossing London as they would be destroying the historic environment and amenity.. hence the ring of stations around the outside of London..

The tube is a fuck up similarly (voted best underground system in the world yesterday!) for histrical reasons - the different railway comapnies competing against each other and operating in the cheapest possible way instead of having a strategic vision, which is the same all over the country..

do metro's count? i was on 1 of them just the other week. it smelt like a phonebox and there was these working class yobs on talking loudly. not for me thank you.

nar, they're defo building a new tunnel under the thames at the moment. it was on bbc2 2 nights ago. honest.

and i can't blame the aging tube line - it's over 100 years old not designed for modern day

No the roads are not 'crumbling'. (source please?)

No railways are no in 'the worst state they have ever been in' - do you remember British Rail? Demand has risen, therefore so have prices to accomodate increased demand (not enough in many cases) and upkeep one of the safest railway networks in the world. (source please?)

What is your solution Brid?

I say make the finacial services industry pay for CrossRail after all it's their workers that are expected to increase demand by bringing 700,000 more people into London and creating the extra demand. 10 averagely paid investment bankers annual bonuses could pay for a new hospital, go after them?

Is it not about providing the impetus for private investment though? I thought that was the whole point of the culture drive in Toon/Gateshead, and certainly the quayside is looking as good as it ever has. The olympics would be someting similar but on a larger scale, driving the regeneration.

Also, the games should partly recoup their costs to the country from tourism and subsequent investment, in a way that could never be said of the Iraq war - that could've been spent on a high speed rail link from london to edinburgh or something useful like that.