tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post1987494462205111218..comments2024-03-05T10:52:24.691+00:00Comments on Mark Wadsworth: Tokyo loses race to host GamesMark Wadsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-42830323163078210172013-09-09T13:59:00.024+01:002013-09-09T13:59:00.024+01:00"What if it had been spent on a tax cut? Or 1..."What if it had been spent on a tax cut? Or 100 new hospitals?"<br /><br />But it wasn't. There is a strong tendency about debaters on public expenditure to assume that if £XM wasn't spent on that it will automatically be spent on , completely disregarding the strong possibility that it will be spent on or just frittered away through bungling, mismanagement and cronyism. Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-87422473140889858482013-09-09T07:30:36.393+01:002013-09-09T07:30:36.393+01:00TS, we didn't achieve much in real terms, that...TS, we didn't achieve much in real terms, that's not the point.<br /><br />You said yourself (earlier comment) that people FELT that the UK had achieved something, and that illusion is all that matters to politicians.<br /><br />See also: Falklands War. <br /><br />PS, a lot of that £9 billion or £13 billion or whatever was spent on real stuff, like new railways.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-22142453382615726442013-09-08T22:18:35.846+01:002013-09-08T22:18:35.846+01:00MC,
What "sense of achievement"? Managi...MC,<br /><br />What "sense of achievement"? Managing to build what Australia and Greece could? Well, that's really difficult. Or do you mean winning at the softest events by pouring lottery money into athletes pockets so that they could train full-time and beat people who were having to train part-time?Tim Almondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369256383976094670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-70109933343221886902013-09-08T21:35:16.306+01:002013-09-08T21:35:16.306+01:00@MC What if it had been spent on a tax cut? Or 100...@MC What if it had been spent on a tax cut? Or 100 new hospitals?<br /><br />Over half the Olympic Village was sold to the Qatar sovereign wealth fund for 75% of it's original build costs.<br /><br />Huge subsidies to yet more foreign landlords? I supposed taxes cuts or hospitals are the same, but at least I get some benefit from those. benjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544297406005346095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-15993103551038312202013-09-08T20:36:36.725+01:002013-09-08T20:36:36.725+01:00TS, I'm not really bothered how much the Olymp...TS, I'm not really bothered how much the Olympics cost. AFAIAC, if the money hadn't been spent on the Olympics, it would have been wasted on something else. At least we got a sense of achievement out of the Olympics, which is more than can be said about the war in Iraq.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11871621274712323998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-65448572763921438272013-09-08T17:00:48.976+01:002013-09-08T17:00:48.976+01:00Pavlov's Cat,
Actually, the Olympics are gene...Pavlov's Cat,<br /><br />Actually, the Olympics are generally popular in a country at bid time, and as of last year, 2/3rds of people said they were glad we did it, even though only 21% of people thought it improved their local economy.<br /><br />Of course, if you explain to people how much they personally spent of the £9bn+, they start to grasp what poor value it is.Tim Almondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369256383976094670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-31420164833620622822013-09-08T15:50:55.088+01:002013-09-08T15:50:55.088+01:00Seems it's only the politico's that want t...Seems it's only the politico's that want these white elephants, to leave a 'legacy' and of course make some personal cash. <br /><br />Always reminds of the Father Ted, where Ireland want to lose the Eurovision as it's costing a fortune to keep hosting it Pavlov's Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15162563403722211352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-4068875316773903772013-09-08T14:37:27.565+01:002013-09-08T14:37:27.565+01:00It's not like the Japanese haven't got a t...It's not like the Japanese haven't got a track record on wasting tens of billions on useless infrastructure projects is it?benjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544297406005346095noreply@blogger.com