Olympics 20:12

[PinzaC55]

I went to the opening ceremony rehearsal last night (spent most of this week in and around Stratford as I have been conducting compliance audits on specific companies), and even if you are cynical, uninterested, and fed up of the sporting side to the Olympics, you absolutely must watch the opening ceremony. It's bloody brilliant. Particularly the second section of the performance, I feel many railway buffs would be delighted with the overall theme.

There is literally something for everyone in this performance and I can't express how much I enjoyed the rehearsal enough. It was enough to make a grown man cry (pretty much did) when I saw my sister doing her routine in the section in front of me. So proud and delighted to see the whole thing went together so well!

I took literally hundreds of photographs and an hour of film, but won't be releasing any of it until after the opening ceremony has been completed. It is a sight I will not forget I suspect.

Danny Boyle has done a magnificent job - please, please please watch it on Friday.

So if you spend £10 billion of taxpayers money on something it ends up being a fantastic spectacle? Thats hardly rocket science. It lasts for about a month - after that what exactly will the incredibly expensive facilities be used for? And if the money was used for something more prosaic such as research into cancer, what results would it have produced?

[S.A.C. Martin]

So if you spend £10 billion of taxpayers money on something it ends up being a fantastic spectacle? Thats hardly rocket science. It lasts for about a month - after that what exactly will the incredibly expensive facilities be used for? And if the money was used for something more prosaic such as research into cancer, what results would it have produced?

Clearly not going to entice you to watch it then!

Don't lecture me on giving money to research into cancer, you'll find if you ask anyone who knows me how much I give into that sector, thank you.

£10 Billion on the games compared to the £33 Billion on the NHS spent annually, and the billions we lose out on sheer wastage in all areas of the public and private sector could have paid for the games alone. I know this after two solid years trying to save people money in compliance.

[Horsetan]

..... two solid years trying to save people money in compliance.

....and failing? Hence the move towards writing books full-time

[S.A.C. Martin]

..... two solid years trying to save people money in compliance.

....and failing? Hence the move towards writing books full-time

Being made redundant wasn't "failing", Ivan The company failed me, I and the other compliance officers were the only profitable bit of the company. One by one, they've all gone, and it's been left to me and one other and now my contract terminates in September.

The horror stories I could tell you though Ivan about the real wastage of companies in this country, all down to a severe lack of hindsight and refusal to learn from history...!

Selling the children's books are "living the dream"

[PinzaC55]

So if you spend £10 billion of taxpayers money on something it ends up being a fantastic spectacle? Thats hardly rocket science. It lasts for about a month - after that what exactly will the incredibly expensive facilities be used for? And if the money was used for something more prosaic such as research into cancer, what results would it have produced?

Clearly not going to entice you to watch it then!

Don't lecture me on giving money to research into cancer, you'll find if you ask anyone who knows me how much I give into that sector, thank you.

£10 Billion on the games compared to the £33 Billion on the NHS spent annually, and the billions we lose out on sheer wastage in all areas of the public and private sector could have paid for the games alone. I know this after two solid years trying to save people money in compliance.

Nowhere did I lecture YOU on giving money to cancer research, nor indeed would I. The difference is that you choose whether to give money - this is taxpayers money - including mine - and I have no choice in whether to pay my taxes.
Comparing it to the 33 billion spent on the NHS has no merit - the NHS is an essential service, the Olympics is not.
10 billion is an easy phrase to say but think about it in real terms - it is an incomprehensible amount of money spent, as I said, for one month of athletics, which is what the Olympics really is

EDIT* I have checked and the NHS budget for 2011-2012 is actually 105 billion

[Mickey]

Deleted

[mr B]

TODAYS THE DAY EVERYONE!!.

Open the beer cans and start drinking everyone LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES 2012 IS GO GO GO!!!!!.

thats the spirit micky, let the flag maker's get a gold for the pin pong

mr B

[2002EarlMarischal]

Well the wife made me watch the opening ceremony, and actually I'm glad I did. Parts of it were actually very impressive. Good on HM Queen for the fun with 007, impressive scene changes, and forging rings, fireworks etc. Nice tribute to NHS and GOSH. Sad to see The Greatest in such bad shape and Beckham deserved a bigger part. Should have ended with the fireworks because McCartney is way past his sell by date, he was awful, just as he was at the Jubilee Concert.

Anyway, Simon was right, but that's it for me now - the games themselves leave me cold.

M.O.G

[mick b]

Ditto , total waste of money and resources in a bankrupt country. We cannot afford it and should have never applied to run it.

[PinzaC55]

Ditto , total waste of money and resources in a bankrupt country. We cannot afford it and should have never applied to run it.

The truth.

[mr B]

I see the country that produced the little flags held proud with all their team waving both their's and our beloved union flag

mr B

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I watched the opening ceremony (Sat afternoon....time difference) visually excellent, loved the chimney stacks, later watched the mens road race............nice and green innit !!

Thought they could have laid a bit of railway track and run a REAL loco across the stadium

manna

[giner]

Manna, maybe it's something to do with absence making the heart grow fonder, but I, and many of my Canadian friends, like yourself, thought it was great. Over 6.3 million viewers here tuned in to the opening ceremonies, an all-time record.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I enjoyed the opening ceremony, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but then I'm biased to both.

manna

[richard]

This thread is remarkably long to say most of the posters are claiming apathy. Vocal apathy?

I would also note that the world would be a much better place if even a fraction of the energy that went into whinging, went into something more positive...