I thought the logo was bad but the coins are truly awful

[Flosshilde]

To return to the 2012 medals, The report I saw (in the Metro - a free newspaper with my free bus ride - what joy!) said that the obverse was a standard design used for every olympics. The 2012 design on the reverse is, as others have said, truly awful. It's difficult to believe that Britain has a great many very talented designers (who also don't get the recognition they deserve). Perhaps the design for both sides should be standard, with simply the year & city to indicate the different olympiads.

[scottycelt]

Rubbish. There were thriving small businesses, allotments, nature reserves, and communitie.

I thought you lived on the south side of Glasgow, Floss ... do you really believe that part of a far-off city was the apparent paradise you seem to suggest?

Anybody who has recently visited the east end of London will appreciate the remarkable transformation it has undergone in recent years, and the Olympics will enhance this process further. The Commonwealth Games provided a great boost to Manchester and I'm sure the same will apply to Glasgow.

Like Anna, I won't be watching many of the actual games but there is a huge demand for tickets from the public which will itself greatly aid the economy and increase the trade of shops and hotels, etc.

Some of our left-wing liberals on this forum invariably give the impression of being a miserable, Puritan-like bunch of Luddites ... they often even manage to sometimes make old-fashioned right-wing conservatives look like manic radicals.

[Flosshilde]

I thought you lived on the south side of Glasgow, Floss ... do you really believe that part of a far-off city was the apparent paradise you seem to suggest?

I do live in Glasgow now, but I used to live in London, & actually worked for Newham council at one time, so I'm familiar with what Canning Town, East Ham & Stratford used to be like, & also realise that it has improved greatly over the past few years - but not as a result of the olympics being sited there.

The Commonwealth Games provided a great boost to Manchester and I'm sure the same will apply to Glasgow.

As I said earlier, I think that the Glasgow Commonwealth Games bid is a possible model for others - emphasising as it did the use of existing facilities, & new ones being built as part of a plan for promoting sport after the event. However, there is doubt over how far most of the population of Glasgow have benefited from previous grand projects.

Some of our left-wing liberals on this forum invariably give the impression of being a miserable, Puritan-like bunch of Luddites ...

Why is it miserable, or puritan, or Luddite, to object to people's homes, communities & livelihoods being destroyed to make way for 2 weeks of over-blown corporate sports? The allotments that have been destroyed probably benefitted people's health far more than the olympics will.

they often even manage to sometimes make old-fashioned right-wing conservatives look like manic radicals.

Don't worry Scotty - nobody could mistake you for a radical, manic or not!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Commonwealth Games provided a great boost to Manchester and I'm sure the same will apply to Glasgow.

TO what extent did the Commonwaelth Games benefit Manchester? Apart from Manchester City getting a nice new stadium, there was little benefit to the very run-down eastern side of Manchester. It remains a problem area.

[Mandryka]

So - apart from providing ops for a few property developers to get rich and a shot space in the sun for a few exhibitionists who aren't weird enough to get on Big Brother - what exactly will the Olympics do for Britain?

Sod all, would appear to be the real answer.

[scottycelt]

TO what extent did the Commonwaelth Games benefit Manchester? Apart from Manchester City getting a nice new stadium, there was little benefit to the very run-down eastern side of Manchester. It remains a problem area.

It would have been an even greater problem area without the attraction of the stadium, surely.

The city centre itself is transformed and now has all the atmosphere of a thriving and modern-looking European town. The Games helped greatly in this process by providing a meaningful target date for new projects and gave Mancunians a new sense of achievement and pride in their great city. I'm not pretending that this was the only reason and catalyst for positive change ... bizarrely the huge IRA bomb was another ... but hosting the Commonwealth Games must surely have been a major factor?

Exactly the same effect is evident now in Glasgow, where fine new buildings and facilities are springing up which would probably never have got off the ground if it hadn't been for a similar eager anticipation of this same major event.

In any case, isn't it great just to witness young people from all over the world enthusiastically and excitedly coming together in one place for such a great sporting jamboree?

[scottycelt]

what exactly will the Olympics do for Britain?

Sod all, would appear to be the real answer.

That's like something straight out of Monty Python ...

[Mr Pee]

Except that Monty Python is funny. Mandryka is just sad and ignorant.

Moderator's edit: This post has been reported. Members are asked to observe the House Rules: Don't personally insult other posters on the grounds that they have said something you disagree with. And please don't disrupt discussions by pursuing other people's insults yourself.

ff

[LHC]

Except that Monty Python is funny. Mandryka is just sad and ignorant.

Indeed, but is he weird enough to appear on Big Brother?

[Flosshilde]

A useful discussion of the negative and positive impacts of olympic games on host cities can be found here - http://olympicstudies.uab.es/lec/pdf/cashman.pdf, with plenty of references to other studies. (Unfortunately I can't quote from it without the consent of the Centre d’Estudis Olímpics (UAB)).

It mentions a protest group based in Sydney called PISSOFF, which stands for 'People Ingeniously Subverting the Sydney Olympic Farce'. It reminds me of another movement started in Australia - BUGA UP: 'Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions', which altered street advertising to subvert the message. Some of them were very ingenious & technically very clever, with the new lettering closely matching the original - http://www.bugaup.org/gallery.htm. Australians are so up-front & inventive with their acronyms!

[eighthobstruction]

Sod all, would appear to be the real answer.

....There must be a huge LIST of things made/created in GB that do 'Sod all' for Britain....

[burning dog]

Id like to see subversive graffitti on DIY centres saying "A new kitchen will put you in debt. Your old one is perfectly serviceable." because IMO that's the real change for the worse in my lifetime.

If people could afford it they bought high quality goods in the up to date style and then were happy with them till they wore out.

People have always smoked and drunk and many brew their own drink, and grow their own smoking material, always have, it goes back to so called Primitive times. Capitalist promotion is only jumping on a bandwagon, but now some feel insecure if their ceiling is stippled rather than smooth. I couldn't believe this one when I came across it.

[handsomefortune]

whereas i think mandryka's posts are always a good read......... (even if i don't agree occasionally).

[handsomefortune]

love the acronyms flosshilde!

[eighthobstruction]

Capitalist promotion is only jumping on a bandwagon, but now some feel insecure if their ceiling is stippled rather than smooth.

I think there you have immediately identified 2 new possible Olympic sports....