Body & Soul3 mins ago
Olympic Legacy
So , what will be the Olympic Legacy and how will it benefit anyone living north of the Watford gap ?
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Regrettably not utter tosh, ummm.
Yes, a number of single mothers are "landed in it" by their gallant gentlemen friends who disappear without trace as soon as a pregnancy is announced. Many of them conceive in the mistaken belief that their man is committed to them (and any children they might have) for life.
However a large number of women (particularly younger women) become pregnant without even being in a stable relationship, let alone having considered whether they have the emotional and financial wherewithal to sustain a child. Indeed, many of them cannot even sustain themselves without considerable support. They have unprotected sex (their choice, unless they are raped) with men of whom they have no expectations at all that they will be around even next week, never mind in a year’s time (again, their choice). A number of them make these choices because they see it as a way of escaping from their own dysfunctional family group that has blighted their upbringing. But all they do is sow the seeds of a new group which will blight the future of their own children.
So please don’t dismiss my contention as utter tosh. As part of some of the work I do I come into contact with such young women and it is quite clear that they have started a family deliberately with no intention of including a man in their lives.
Single motherhood among young women is a serious problem which is costing the country billions of pounds. So, to revert to the original question, if part of the legacy left by the Olympic Games is a raft of “affordable housing” which will provide good quality accommodation for irresponsible young women, then it is a legacy I think we can well do without.
Yes, a number of single mothers are "landed in it" by their gallant gentlemen friends who disappear without trace as soon as a pregnancy is announced. Many of them conceive in the mistaken belief that their man is committed to them (and any children they might have) for life.
However a large number of women (particularly younger women) become pregnant without even being in a stable relationship, let alone having considered whether they have the emotional and financial wherewithal to sustain a child. Indeed, many of them cannot even sustain themselves without considerable support. They have unprotected sex (their choice, unless they are raped) with men of whom they have no expectations at all that they will be around even next week, never mind in a year’s time (again, their choice). A number of them make these choices because they see it as a way of escaping from their own dysfunctional family group that has blighted their upbringing. But all they do is sow the seeds of a new group which will blight the future of their own children.
So please don’t dismiss my contention as utter tosh. As part of some of the work I do I come into contact with such young women and it is quite clear that they have started a family deliberately with no intention of including a man in their lives.
Single motherhood among young women is a serious problem which is costing the country billions of pounds. So, to revert to the original question, if part of the legacy left by the Olympic Games is a raft of “affordable housing” which will provide good quality accommodation for irresponsible young women, then it is a legacy I think we can well do without.
Nobody is saying that it isn't ummmm, and I have every sympathy for women whose husband's dessert them or pass on, but the likes of the creature near me need addressing. Four children to four different fathers and yet to celebrate her 22nd birthday. She had her first child when she still had a bedtime herself and I have no doubt more will foillow when she finds a suitably drunk sperm donor. This irresponsible drain on the public purse has to be addressed.
My worry about the "legacy" is that it will benefit the rest of the country, but NOT Stratford (the opposite of what many people think).
Why?
The nation has the benefit of the Olympic feel good factor, especially Yorkshire, where a large proportion of the population are now Olympic medallists.
But Stratford has been left with the problem of "what are we ACTUALLY going to do with the Olympic park?"
Of course, there are lots of good ideas ... but nothing concrete.
The only realidea at the moment is ... lots of cheap housing and a football ground.
Historically, the combination of cheap housing and football grounds has not produced the best areas in towns.
And then there's the biggest shopping centre in Europe. In the build up to the Olympics, visitors were going there out of curiosity. I suspect that it will become the biggest "Closing Down Sale" centre in Europe.
Let's do a quick random survey ...
Hands up ... who here is planning to travel to Straford any time soon, to go to the shops? Nobody? The people who planned the shoping centre thought it would, after the Games, continue to attract a flow of shoppers from the continent. That's not happening.
In ten years time, the Olympic park could be the UK's biggest ghetto, unless it receives ... guess what ...
... LOTS MORE PUBLIC MONEY !!
So work hard guys ... you're going to have to pay a lot more tax to support the Olympic Legacy.
Why?
The nation has the benefit of the Olympic feel good factor, especially Yorkshire, where a large proportion of the population are now Olympic medallists.
But Stratford has been left with the problem of "what are we ACTUALLY going to do with the Olympic park?"
Of course, there are lots of good ideas ... but nothing concrete.
The only realidea at the moment is ... lots of cheap housing and a football ground.
Historically, the combination of cheap housing and football grounds has not produced the best areas in towns.
And then there's the biggest shopping centre in Europe. In the build up to the Olympics, visitors were going there out of curiosity. I suspect that it will become the biggest "Closing Down Sale" centre in Europe.
Let's do a quick random survey ...
Hands up ... who here is planning to travel to Straford any time soon, to go to the shops? Nobody? The people who planned the shoping centre thought it would, after the Games, continue to attract a flow of shoppers from the continent. That's not happening.
In ten years time, the Olympic park could be the UK's biggest ghetto, unless it receives ... guess what ...
... LOTS MORE PUBLIC MONEY !!
So work hard guys ... you're going to have to pay a lot more tax to support the Olympic Legacy.
You are absolutely correct, jayne.
I lived a few miles from Stratford for 24 years. It was an absolute dump, wedged between three other dumps (Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham – three of the poorest of the London Boroughs). Most of the Olympic venues are to be torn down. The promise of new business being brought to the area by the occupation of the media centre is, at the moment, little more than a pipe dream. Comparisons with Docklands are false. That area was regenerated with the aim, from the outset, of providing commercial property for large multi-national concerns. No such plans were made for Stratford. The idea that Westfield will attract international visitors is optimistic. Despite passing the door, trains to and from the continent do not currently serve Stratford “International” and there are no plans for them to do so.
Like you I envisage the area to contain a football stadium (if a club can be found to redevelop it – i.e. virtually demolish and rebuild it), an aquatic centre closed for lack of local authority funds to run it, and a load of cheap housing inhabited by people with nothing to do all day.
The only difference will be that residents and visitors will have dereliction of a more recent origin to gaze upon. Lovely.
I lived a few miles from Stratford for 24 years. It was an absolute dump, wedged between three other dumps (Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham – three of the poorest of the London Boroughs). Most of the Olympic venues are to be torn down. The promise of new business being brought to the area by the occupation of the media centre is, at the moment, little more than a pipe dream. Comparisons with Docklands are false. That area was regenerated with the aim, from the outset, of providing commercial property for large multi-national concerns. No such plans were made for Stratford. The idea that Westfield will attract international visitors is optimistic. Despite passing the door, trains to and from the continent do not currently serve Stratford “International” and there are no plans for them to do so.
Like you I envisage the area to contain a football stadium (if a club can be found to redevelop it – i.e. virtually demolish and rebuild it), an aquatic centre closed for lack of local authority funds to run it, and a load of cheap housing inhabited by people with nothing to do all day.
The only difference will be that residents and visitors will have dereliction of a more recent origin to gaze upon. Lovely.
