Do We Really Need Two Separate 'heroes' Victory Celebrations?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3749624/A-parade-fit-Britain-s-Olympic-heroes-PM-orders-victory-celebration-despite-financial-concerns-turf-wars.html

Hasn't enough money been thrown at this two week event already?

£347m of lottery money has been spent on the event and they say that each medal that has been won cost £5.5m of public spending.

Most of these minority interest events create attention for only 2 weeks every 4 years how many of us rush out every week to watch little pole vaulting for example?

[Gromit]

Lottery money should not be used to fund things that the Government SHOULD be funding through direct taxation. The lottery fund is specifically for projects that are not directly funded by the tax payer.
In the case of Sport, it is perfectly proper that lottery money is used, and tax payer money isn't. It is a good thing to fund, for the nations health and well being. The clutch of medals are a confirmation of a job well done. Even if we had won no medals, the £350million would have been well spent.

// each medal that has been won cost £5.5m of public spending. //
I can't believe how stupid that statement is.

[murraymints]

one should be in Scotland !!

[baza]

Not being a sports fan and not watching much on tv, I think they should get a parade and why not in Manchester, to show off, and feel the countries support.

[Islay]

I agree Murray perhaps there should be 4, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, after all it is the UK.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-the-olympic-games-a-waste-of-money

57% say the Olympic Games are a waste of money, while 43% say they are not.

[Gromit]

// Mrs May said she wanted to capture the ‘euphoria’ of the Games: //

Read that as: she wants the reflected glory.
The Government (and previous ones) have done very little to aid the GB Olympic cause.

[baza]

Gromit, what do you expect. she is a politician.

[mushroom25]

//The Government (and previous ones) have done very little to aid the GB Olympic cause.//

why should they?

[jno]

that's not quite true - Tony Blair and, as I recall, Tessa Jowell put in a lot of work to get the Olympics in London in 2012.

[Gromit]

AOG,
Debate.org is an American site. The votes cast are from anybody in the world, not British voters.
My guess is that if a UK poll were taken now, the result would be nothing like the debate.org result.

[Gromit]

Jno,
The London Olympics was a vanity project.

Economic development and improved infrastructure was the goal of Blair, not aiding athletes.

[Prudie]

with the removed answers I can't really follow which direction this thread has taken

[Gromit]

Prudie.
The removed answers added nothing to the debate.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

// each medal that has been won cost £5.5m of public spending. //

/// I can't believe how stupid that statement is. ///

Really this from the Independent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/rio-2016-team-gb-olympic-medals-55m-each-can-we-justify-brits-slump-sofa-a7198906.html

*** In the poorest areas like Yorkshire and Humber, 67,000 fewer people are involved in sport. In Doncaster the decline is over 13 per cent, whereas in well-heeled Oxford, it’s up 14 per cent. ***

*** All over the country, ageing swimming pools are being closed by councils anxious to save money on repairs. Most will be in the poorest areas. Local authority cuts have seen playing fields sold off and opening hours of existing facilities curtailed. ***

*** It’s been estimated that each medal in Rio has cost £5.5m of public funding. There are some tough questions to be asked about whether financial priorities should be re-aligned to focus on the many, rather than the few. ***

Yes and those few are mostly educated in Public schools, Universities etc.

One has to be pretty rich to take part in equestrian sports and how many secondary modern school pupils get to take part in a little rowing and sailing?

No the Olympics are mainly for a chosen few, I would have thought that such events would be completely against Leftist's ideals?

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// The removed answers added nothing to the debate. ///

And neither did this, but still it remains, couldn't be because the name calling insult comes from an usual left leaning ABer?

/// AOG...don't be such an old
curmudgeon ! ///

[mushroom25]

//how many secondary modern school pupils get to take part in a little rowing and sailing? //

oh dear, not that old "all rowers are toffs" chestnut........

[vulcan42]

Seeing as most cities that host the Olympic games lose or make very little money in comparison with what's spent, I would have thought every Olympic games was a vanity project?

[Gromit]

I never thought I would see AOG directing me to an article by Janet Street Porter.

JSP is wrong because lottery money was never meant to replace local council spending on parks and public swimming pools. Those local amenities have always been provided by local tax payers.
She is right to say the austerity cuts have hit the poorest the most, but incorrect is saying lottery money should be used to mask the damage of the cuts.