£27 million for Olympic opening ceremony. Obscene!

[Stat Brother]

Just out of interest does anyone actually watch the opening ceremonies at Olympics/World Cup/Euros?

Not as such, but I did watch Bejing which was visually stunning, and very Chinese State Organised.
Which is one of the reasons why I'll be watching this one, just to see how we differ.

I think a lot has been missed planning this Olympics. For example does anyone know if we used British companies to manufacture any of the Olympic merchandise that will be on sale, if not that was a golden opportunity missed.

Need to have the manufacturing companies, in the first place.
We are probably going to clear Bejing's debt from 4 years ago by paying for the tat they are producing now.

 

[Stat Brother]

Clearly no money was wasted in making that model.

I wonder if that is in keeping with all the sh*te the organisers have been getting, about it.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Not as such, but I did watch Bejing which was visually stunning, and very Chinese State Organised.
Which is one of the reasons why I'll be watching this one, just to see how we differ.


Need to have the manufacturing companies, in the first place.
We are probably going to clear Bejing's debt from 4 years ago by paying for the tat they are producing now.

We have the skills and we have the machinery to create the injection moulding tools to do it. There is no difference between a machine in China and a machine in the UK as you know. I wonder if anyone in the government looked at this. Think its just a shame if we outsourced production to other countries for this.

Same as the tickets they where manufacturerd in America. Why could they not print these here
London 2012 Olympics: tickets will be flown over from Arkansas as printing contract goes to American firm - Telegraph

And that's where my complaint is. If they can spend 27 million on the opening ceremony then they could afford to offer these contracts to UK companies even if it costs a bit more.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

We have the skills and we have the machinery to create the injection moulding tools to do it. There is no difference between a machine in China and a machine in the UK as you know. I wonder if anyone in the government looked at this. Think its just a shame if we outsourced production to other countries for this.

Same as the tickets they where manufacturerd in America. Why could they not print these here
London 2012 Olympics: tickets will be flown over from Arkansas as printing contract goes to American firm - Telegraph

And that's where my complaint is. If they can spend 27 million on the opening ceremony then they could afford to offer these contracts to UK companies even if it costs a bit more.

On the merchandise they have to follow the market trends otherwise the price would be so high that they wouldn't sell any. That means going to china. They are some premium bits of tat that are made in the uk.

On the ticket printing theyve had to go with someone that they know can handle the operation. I'm sure it would have been vastly cheaper for them to give it to a British company but the British companies don't have the capacity to deliver. Hugely risky to give one of your most Important contracts to someone that hasn't done it before.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

I'm sorry but that cricket scenes going to be expensive, you got to buy pads and bats and everything!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

People have been moaning about the olympics in this country since day 2 after we won the bid. "oh we'll be shit hosts, oh the infrastructure will be shit, oh the stadiums will be shit, oh the athletes will be shit, everything will be shiiiiiiit". Typical English attitude, it's going to cost a fair bit but it's a once in a life time experience. When I was on holiday in Canada, the people of Calgary were so proud of how they hosted the winter Olympics and what they've done with the Olympic parks since. It makes me cringe the comments I hear about london 2012 sometimes.

I have no interest in watching the Olympics at all and think the billions spent could and should have been spent on dragging this country out of recession. That doesn't automatically mean I believe we'll put on a shit Olympics. we've shown we can build the venues well and on time. I'm sure our athletes will excel - the only real question mark is around transport in London which couldn't even handle the Jubilee.

BUT I still say we shouldn't be spending such stupid amounts of money when there are homeless in this country, people dying because the NHS can't afford to provide expensive drugs, thousands of community charities struggling to stay afloat that help the most vunerable in society and even millions of people world wide dying of preventable starvation and illness. Any profits won't go back into our economy, they'll mainly go back into the Olympic organisation that is corrupt and has a very dubious bidding process. Remember, like FIFA, the Olympic organisation insists on certain conditions being met by the winning bidder like no tax being payable on any profits made or on the income of its officials.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

On the merchandise they have to follow the market trends otherwise the price would be so high that they wouldn't sell any. That means going to china. They are some premium bits of tat that are made in the uk.

I think you mean they would rather maximise their profits than give the contract to a British company and make just a little less. The price of the official merchandise is extortionate already so they'll be making a bomb - they are just unwilling to make a slightly smaller bomb !

 

[Deleted member 22389]

On the merchandise they have to follow the market trends otherwise the price would be so high that they wouldn't sell any. That means going to china. They are some premium bits of tat that are made in the uk.

On the ticket printing theyve had to go with someone that they know can handle the operation. I'm sure it would have been vastly cheaper for them to give it to a British company but the British companies don't have the capacity to deliver. Hugely risky to give one of your most Important contracts to someone that hasn't done it before.

I see your point on the tickets, however as regards the merchandise since the Olympics has cost us billions anyway and we will probably never recoup that money, it would have not made any difference really. At least it would have seen a selection of companies in the UK in production and manufacturing something. They could have also employed thousands of young people as part of the bargain.

Listen the Olympics is going to be a great event, I will watch. I just feel that the government has fallen short in so many areas including promoting and helping UK businesses, especially manufacturing.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I see your point on the tickets, however as regards the merchandise since the Olympics has cost us billions anyway and we will probably never recoup that money, it would have not made any difference really. At least it would have seen a selection of companies in the UK in production and manufacturing something. They could have also employed thousands of young people as part of the bargain.

Listen the Olympics is going to be a great event, I will watch. I just feel that the government has fallen short in so many areas including promoting and helping UK businesses, especially manufacturing.

I'd venture that they'd be more outcry when there are scenes of thousands of items of merchandise being taken off shelves unsold because no-one can afford it, as well as more articles about how much of a rip-off the prices are. 97% of the contracts awareded to the Olympics have gone to UK based companies. I think that's pretty good.

I'd agree with you about the need for investment in manufacturing, but for high tech manufacturing not mass produced stuff. We're just not going to be able to compete with the far east unless we drop wage rates massively, which isn;t going to happen.

 

[Questions]

and what are we getting for 27 million?

a farmyard scene

Hugh, Pugh, Barney Mcgrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.

 

[TheJasperCo]

Apparently, live animals are going to be used, so that means an appearance from and and Which leaves the question, who's going to be cleaning up all the after it's finished?

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I'd venture that they'd be more outcry when there are scenes of thousands of items of merchandise being taken off shelves unsold because no-one can afford it, as well as more articles about how much of a rip-off the prices are. 97% of the contracts awareded to the Olympics have gone to UK based companies. I think that's pretty good.

I'd agree with you about the need for investment in manufacturing, but for high tech manufacturing not mass produced stuff. We're just not going to be able to compete with the far east unless we drop wage rates massively, which isn;t going to happen.

If 97% of contracts where awarded to UK based companies, then it is not as bad as I first thought. It's just the manufacturing part that lets us down. I think in 10 years time manufacturing will be big business again in this country. China cannot keep producing that output at those prices forever. Eventually their bubble will burst.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I see the games are due to come in £500m UNDER budget (although that's the current larger budget, not the original one, but still).

One thing on that pic though, the bit at the back looks more like a Japanese Bonzai garden rather than English.

 

[Stat Brother]

China cannot keep producing that output at those prices forever. Eventually their bubble will burst.

Careful what you wish for.
If you think we are fcuked now, this really will seem like the halcyon days, because when that happens we are ALL fcuked.

 

[LamieRobertson]

i do some work for a guy part of who's remit is to attract business people etc from overseas to the olympics and sell UK Plc...so to say the olympics is not good for the economy is rubbish..its a showcase event ...once in my lifetime..and no i'm not that enthusiastic about it ..but i recognise its importance and by the time it all starts i'm sure i will start to enjoy it...27 million?..doesn't seem a lot to me in the grand scheme of things considering the amount of 'waste' that goes on in central government etc as long as its budgeted for and they've got best value for money i haven't got a problem.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Careful what you wish for.
If you think we are fcuked now, this really will seem like the halcyon days, because when that happens we are ALL fcuked.

agreed

 

[nwgull]

27m is a bargain in comparison to the cost that a visit Britain advertising campaign would cost that would be seen by the same amount of foreigners.

 

[BLOCK F]

Just out of interest does anyone actually watch the opening ceremonies at Olympics/World Cup/Euros?

Not me.Can't stand all that stuff.........just get on with it!!!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Not me.Can't stand all that stuff.........just get on with it!!!

This, I can understand a closing ceremony, but not interested in the starting one. Won't the games have actually started by then anyway ?

 

[terryberry1]

Money well spent in my opinion