London 2012: Is this really the people’s Olympics?
The background
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is drawing closer. But, as The Periscope Post reported, the prospect of crowds, transport meltdown, border staff strikes and inclement weather has some commentators feeling gloomy. So, assuming you’re not a late fast-food corporation, will London 2012 bring any benefits?
The Games will leave a legacy for Londoners
“London 2012 stands to leave behind a great deal for the citizens of the host city and country,” said Olympic president Jacques Rogge in The Telegraph. “For every pound spent on infrastructure, 75 pence has been dedicated to legacy purposes.” Londoners are already seeing the benefits, said Rogge, in terms of revitalising depressed areas, employment opportunities, enhanced infrastructure and improved sports facilities.
No benefits to small businesses
“For many Brits the Games feel wrong, alien, representing corporate power over the most wholesome endeavours of humanity,” argued Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in The Independent. The problem is that the organisers seem to have sold out to large corporations like Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s – with no thought to Britain’s small businesses. “The 2012 organisers didn’t have to be willing harlots. They could have bargained, set their own limits, made space for British small businesses and innovative local schemes, played one lot off against the other, and not accepted the conditions imposed by partners,” said Alibhai-Brown.
It’s all about the sport
Libby Purves admitted to being rather “Olymposceptic” in The Times (£), despairing of spiralling costs, the potential for disruption and the outrageous demands of corporate sponsors. But “once the actual sport begins, matters will be clear,” said Purves. “Political and public discourse has become so fogged-up with weaselling circumlocution that there is comfort, even for non-fans, in the bald simplicity of sporting results and unforgiving stopwatches.”
Good times ahead for umbrella sellers
Much of the UK is set to enjoy several days of sunshine and clear skies in the week before the Games. However, forecasters warn this is set to change by Friday, reported The Evening Standard, with the possibility of falling temperatures and heavy showers during the opening ceremony.
