Boris Johnson - Ping Pong is coming home

[Herr Tubthumper]

so basically you're saying that the disproportionate influence of scottish mp's on english policies is wrong ? by applying that rationale england should have a tory government yes ?

No, I´m talking local government not parliamentry politics here. I feel a bit more devolution should take place at a local level. The needs and focus of the burbs are very different to inner-city.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Comparing the cost of the Beijing and London games in relative terms is ludicrous. Since when did the Chinese people give a toss about what the games cost? They live in a society where the state is supposed to provide almost everything for them. You can't say that about our society.

As Michael Johnson said 'London doesn't have to put on a Games that Beijing felt it needed to...'

In other words, theirs was a political statement way above and beyond any organisational and athletic statement. They spent £20bn without having to justify it to anyone - it doesn't work like that here.

Back here, spending money that doesn't need to be spent could have a lasting knock-on, not just financially, but for how London and Britain are perceived in the eyes of the world.

I have not compared the two games. I have compared the Chinese opinion with the British opinion. Each and every host has a different agenda. Ours seems to be inclusion and legacy and regeneration.

My gripe is that we had some amazing stadia in the pipeline...then when we got the bid we decided to drop the architects and go down a ´design and build´ road and down sized a number of stadia to boot. Design and build is a cheaper option and more often than not ends with shoddy poorly designed buildings. Norman Foster once said there is a reason why architects are architects and builders are builders. A one-stop-shop like design and build is the Barrett Homes of construction.

I´m simply after spending a proper amount of money to host games we can be proud of. The way it is going is we are trying to hold the games and spend the least amount of money.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What an arrogant goon.

I think many people in Rottingdean would like to declare UDI from B&H - mainly to get shot of people like you - but its not going to happen is it ?

Maybe not but if enough people kicked up a fuss it might change. Who knows? It wasnt long ago that anyone believed Brighton and Hove would merge.

I believe that the issues, interests and focus of Rottingdean village are very different to those in Brighton and Hove. I think it is arrogant that the Rottingdean councillor can tell people of Hove what they should be doing....and I´m sure he thinks the same about us.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What utter rubbish. They are an effective check on the idiocies of inner London politics. Livingstone in his first more radical trot guise railed against outer London councils such as Bromley in his attempts to promote his far left agenda so much, that he bought about the demise of his own GLC. The GLA works as a level of government above borough level, who still have a great degree of autonomy.


Just need to put you straight mate as what you have written is drivel.

I think the demise of the GLC was more to do with Thatcher removing anything which could be seen as a threat to her government. The GLC were simply too powerful for her...so she broke them down into bit sized boroughs.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I spent many a Friday night at the Years. Always used to finish the evening with Ace of Spades. Oh, Glory days!

I was a Saturday night regular at the years in the 80s. Quality place.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I was a Saturday night regular at the years in the 80s. Quality place.

Climbing those marble steps was always a joy.