£9.3 billion

[Grandma]

I'm not a big 'sports' fan - (and I don't know anyone who is) - so maybe I'm biased, but does anyone else think that, as the government has a spare £3.9 billion - (possibly £20 billion+ by 2012??? :o), - that money could and should  be spent on better things than hosting the Olympic Games. If so, what would they suggest it should be spent on?

[Grandma]

[Grandma]

Whoops! You're all clever enough to know I meant £9.3 billion, aren't you?

[manicscousers]

I thought you'd won it then grandma..after watching red nose day last night, I just want to hug all those little children in africa and build them toilets and schools.. :(

[Grandma]

Sorry manics - so do I! Poor little mites. A little bit of £9.3 billion would help them a lot, wouldn't it?

[manicscousers]

yes 60.00 for a toilet, we do what we can but if I had that sort of money...well, i wouldn't have it for long  :)

[Jeannine]

Hi, I pay the school fees, clothes and some other needs   for a child in Africa whose Dad died of Aids and   has a very seriously ill Mum . I am in  regularly touch with the family and school head. The pictures I have of the school are very  very sad , practically no supplies, bare walls and nowhere to play but a corridor, the heads office is an 8x6 garden shed, and this is a school that they have to pay to go to.I dread to think what the State schools are like and they stop at 8  I believe . The head had been burying three children in the books to keep them in the school  till 3 of us sponsered them .What fascinates me is the kids are so keen to get an education.

I truly believe that sport is important but  I sometimes have doubts as to just how important. We may be different countries and different cultures but we are,first and foremost, all one world.

That is far as my thinking goes.

By the way the cost of that toilet would pay the school fees for about 9 months.

XX Jeannine

[Gillysdad]

Pleeese don't get me started with the cost of the Olympics, it only makes me swear. ;D ;D ;D

[Deb P]

Even if they do go ahead with the Olympic builds, judging by the the Wembley fiasco I don't hold out much hope of it opening on time......... ::)

[Grandma]

Gillysdad - please don't JUST swear! We are all swearing - (well, I can only speak for myself and the the people I know) - and it's not getting us anywhere. What else can we do? If we asked 'them' what 'they' have spent (so far) on the Iraq war and asked 'them' what 'they' are prepared to spend on the 2012 Olympics - do you think we'd get an honest answer? No chance. So much - (of our!) - money is spent on things that no one wants and which seem to benefit so very few of the neediest.

[Grandma]

Sorry to keep on - but I think I heard or read somewhere  that the cost of the fireworks display on closing night would be about £2,000,000. (Just so that WE can better what has gone before!) That's 333,333 toilets. I won't be watching.

[Marymary]

I completely agree it's a total waste of money.  Good for you Jeannine it sounds like you are really maing a difference to the life of one little inhabitant of our ever shrinking world.

[Jeannine]

Oh, heavens to Betsy, please don't anyone get me going on fireworks, I could carry a banner in a parade about my negative feelings on that one, it is one of my very few real pet peeves. I am sticking my neck out here but I have never yet met anyone who had a good reason for them,everyone I have spoken to who has tried  has said," I know they should be banned ..but..... XX Jeannine

[tabbycat]

I can't read anything about the Olympics anymore without wanting to shout rude words and grind my teeth in outrage (not at the same time though - that just wouldn't work ;D). I think it's just "jobs for the boys" time again, like the Dome and Wembley.

It's not just the boys in Westminster who are utterly stupid with our money though - in Woking we are having all our car-parks refurbished at a cost of £9 million. Including the one that they want to build the new council offices on, despite the fact that they sent out a survey, and the overwhelming response was that we didn't want new offices.

How can they justify spending that amount of money on car parks? (I  bet  they employ lots more parking wardens ) How many lives could that benefit instead? We sponser a girl in India - she is taking her exams at the moment and because she has been able to stay on at school, she has a real chance of training to become a teacher, improving not only her life, but that of her family, and her future pupils as well. All for a small amount of money each month that we would otherwise spend on something daft.

Tabbycat

[theothermarg]

 >:( >:( >:( >:( if i bought lottery tickets i,d stop just reading about how the past few country,s are still in debt from theirs  ithink it had a jinx on it from the first
how many days after the announcment was london underground bombed?
eer how mant million in a billion
marg :(

[scotch-mist]

I think I would spend  that kind of money on the NHS,
and make it compulsary it only be used for doctors, nurses and equipment.

Under NO circumstances it would be used for Art work or penpushers >:(

[cornykev]

Anyone who didn't fill up watching ant n dec with that African family in that hovel of a home just  isn't human :(. Jeannine with you on the firewoks waste of money, they are not pretty or fun just explosions going off in the air. >:( >:( >:(

[Marymary]

>:( >:( >:( >:(  eer how mant million in a billion
marg :(

Fink it used to be a million million but then the US one took over which is a thousand million - still a ridiculous amount of money whichever one you take.  :)

[MattyJC]

Total con, Im sure there will be a number of ministers and so on getting their pockets lined very nicely then when its over it will be a load of back slapping and how wonderful we are.
I really dont think we will ever know the actual cost of these olympics.

Regards

Matt

[Amazin]

My son, who is a well brought up (preen! preen!) hard working member of society, will be paying for these Olympics until he's my age. That's a generation's worth of debt.

May I suggest a new Olympic flag for 2012 - the middle ring should be a black hole - with lots of notes and coins disappearing into it...

Happy to spend the £2 million on fireworks though - at least you know where your money's gone, as you get to SEE it go up in smoke.

[kt.]

The government should be jailed for theft, fraud and deception  from the public purse. If anyone else robbed the country of such a large sum of money they wouldnt see the light of day from their prison cell for the rest of their days. If the budget was the governments own company money they would be bankrupt and out of business.

I should of been a politician - as they are obviousley above the law.