Olympics

Just saw your post Hog.

Have a good trip!

Dave

Whatever their sport, they are doing it because they enjoy it and happen to be good at it. Still don't see why a penny of taxpayers money should be spent on them. Yes the winners will encourage a spike of interest in their sport by youngsters, but the numbers soon tail off when they realise they are not so good.

The job of Government and Local Authorities is to keep the services which are essential to the country running, not spend my money on someone who want to jump in a large puddle of water from a ridiculous height in an ' artistic ' manner.

Got to go, need to shout at the grandkids, noisy little ............

Harrumph.

Well this is the Grumpy Old mens club !

So why should I have to contribute toward Solihull public library, swimming pool, and all the other public amenities when I have no interest in them?

Living out in the sticks we have nothing, so why should we subsidise "non-essential services" for the town dwellers?

Same argument!

Dave

The sad thing about this Olympics was how empty the stadiums were, as the indigenous people could not afford the price of a ticket.
Also the ever increasing costs meant, they had to raid more money from the paralympics coffers. Why?

As an ex sportsperson I thoroughly enjoy the event, but also think it is time to rein in some of the cost. I also think the BBC once again went over the top with it's coverage, smoothing the egos of a few and sending far too many of them to Rio.

Now that is Grumpy.
Leighton.

Bad Penny wrote:The sad thing about this Olympics was how empty the stadiums were, as the indigenous people could not afford the price of a ticket.

We felt exactly the same Leighton.

It seems the organisers are so greedy (or daft) that they would rather have empty seats than sell them cheaply. It makes far more sense to sell 100 seats at a tenner, rather than 5 at a hundred quid!!

Difficult to organise and manage of course, because if cheap seats were offered everyone would want one, and those with plenty of cash would probably be so greedy for seats that there would be no room for the locals.

Empty seats cost money of course. Fill them, even if the profit margin per seat is drastically reduced. Overall it would bring in far more cash.

Dave

Gromit, Couldn't agree more, libraries are totally unnecessary these days, close the lot. Swimming Pools and all public sports facilities should charge the actual cost of use, if not enough people use then to make that viable, then the people who want to swim can join a privately run gym and swim there. 

What we need from government and councils is bin collections weekly, street lights and the other stuff that is essential for public health and safety ( but we dont need half the health and safety brigade the councils employ ). Traffic islands planted with pretty flowers are very nice but not at the expense of essentials at a time when the country is financially in the doldrums. It's all a matter of priorities. Living out in the sticks is fine, and I don't mind subsidising your bin wagon to travel 20 miles further to fetch your rubbish than mine needs to, so consider my kind gesture when next your bins are collected. 

What are street lights??

Your pathetic subsidy leaves us in the dark!!

Dave

Hi , just forget everything else, import 20 trees from Italy ,plant them, then dig them up because theyre not growing quick enough ,replant with a native variety. Cost to the Cornish council tax payers, £100,000!!!!!        Regards    Paul

Another related note. As an Olympic lover, this is the first since retirement, so late nights to watch Mo and Andy M win golds, lazy afternoons shouting on the Brownlees, evenings wondering at the gymnastics have been wonderful IMO. Surely it is made as excellent entertainment for us retirees during August while we wait for the kids to return to school and we hit the road in Sept. Seriously, have loved every minute and have unbounded admiration for all the athletes.

gromit, Street lights are things that we townies need so we can see muggers coming. They get switched off early so the council can spend the money on bus lanes along which gert big buzzes which are empty apart from a couple of twirlies on travel freely while us drivers sit in jams.

What about all the money you waste on cycle lanes Norman!!!

Plenty where the road is wide and they are not so necessary, only to disappear as soon as the road narrows and it gets dangerous for cyclists! There's logic for you!!

Plus all the ones which are only a few yards long. They suddenly appear as if from nowhere, and just as suddenly disappear. Do you have to carry your bike from one to the next - 'cos they won't let you on a bus with your treader!!

You might find this book amusing, if you can stop grinding your teeth at the certifiable stupidity of the councils, and the spectacular waste of money.

http://tiny.cc/rny7dy

Dave

Cyclists shouldn't be on the road nor should horses, both are outdated. Cyclists should be chained to lampposts with their rear wheels connected to generators to power the lights. They get the exercise they want, we get free light and the roads run better.

Wish I was Prime Minister, this Country's problems aren't as difficult to solve as you might think !

Gromit my HERO!

I have watched The Musketeers and that Porthos fellow can fire six shots without even reloading with his pistol, what chance did you stand against that!

You lot need to get out of your city centres and take a look at the other 99% of the country. 

Cycle Lanes?  Ha!  Dream on!  There are NONE within forty miles of here.  (I think there are some in Lincoln but I may be wrong!)

Cycle Tracks?  The +/-five miles of cycle tracks that we have around here are full of potholes, overhung by untrimmed bushes, encroached on by uncut grass and with verges that are bordered by nettles ready to sting the unwary ...

... but they are cycling heaven when compared to the cracked, mud covered and potholed back-roads that are being used as "rat runs" by locals speeding along in their 4x4 single occupancy SUVs!

Vehicles on the Roads?  I am struggling to find the words!  Where is the need for a 4x4 in Lincolnshire?  It's mainly as flat as a pancake and any snow or frost hangs about for less than two days a year; but the drivers of these huge gas-guzzling machines charge around the back-roads as if they are practising to cross the Saharan Desert and the Alaskan Tundra in the next few days!  Oh, just remembered.  "Laughable" and "Pathetic" are the words I was looking for!

Bus Lanes and Bus Routes?  Get a grip!  There are NO bus lanes within forty miles of here for the simple reason that the roads are too narrow to accommodate them.  Also, our local bus was recently discontinued because the state of the roads (Church Lane Winthorpe in particular) was so bad that it was damaging the buses.  The damage to the roads was caused during the installation of electrical cables when the first wind-generators were installed offshore OVER TEN YEARS AGO!

The only saving grace in this whole argument with regard to funding the Olympics or paying for the provision of our local services is ...


... and don't you forget it!  


Dutto

groundhog wrote:I have watched The Musketeers and that Porthos fellow can fire six shots without even reloading with his pistol, what chance did you stand against that!

There were multi shot pistols (double barrelled), even in those days, but he didn't have one.

Did you notice how they never once mis-fired? With some of the early wheel lock pistols (which theirs were pretending to be) you were lucky to get off six consecutive shots without a miss - specially if you waved them around like they did!

Never saw them winding up the spring either!! Nor did D' Artagnan blow on his wick when he used a matchlock musket. (Strange habits, that lad! )

Also they didn't go off instantly. Pull the trigger and wait for it - often up to a second, which is a long time in that situation.

Cracking good series though. Excellent plots and the actors were all superb.

Dave

I don't mind watching some Olympic sports (even enjoy a few) but the coverage has been overdone, particularly the "highlights" ones. On most, the same clips were getting played over and over again, then repeated in the news bulletins. Mind you, watching it today is certainly preferable to the fare being offered by Channel 5.............a full day and evening of Christmas films 

Ah Mr Norgil, you could shut all the schools and send the kids back down the mines, then there would be no need of Heysham power station. You could also reintroduce national service; especially as I'm now too old to do it.
NORGIL for PM  

Vive La Revolution. My powerbase grows. I am all for reopening the mines, but you misread me, I am not heartless. i would never send kids down the mines, I would use the prison population instead. Anyway the junior school kids would all be needed to sweep the chimneys.

Now National Service, thats a great idea.

Paul you are welcome to apply for the post of Deputy PM.

The thought of D'Artagnan blowing on his wick nearly drove Lady G over the top..

bristol170kj wrote:As someone who has no interest what-so-ever in anything Olympic related I am thoroughly fed up with the BBC's coverage.  Even the news is full of reports from Rio. 

Also, the money the government and the lottery spends on these athletes could be much better spent on hospitals/doctors/dementia care etc etc.

Well thank goodness, it's all over.  The only thing is we now have to look foreward to is the athletes coming back home and being given knighthoods, dames etc etc.  Also expect to see them as 'celebrities' on various TV shows.

Oh and has anyone noticed that every time the TV channels quote the 'medal list' they sort it by gold.  If they where to sort it by number of medals then GB would be actually 3rd.

Gromit wrote:What about all the money you waste on cycle lanes Norman!!!

Plenty where the road is wide and they are not so necessary, only to disappear as soon as the road narrows and it gets dangerous for cyclists! There's logic for you!!

Plus all the ones which are only a few yards long. They suddenly appear as if from nowhere, and just as suddenly disappear. Do you have to carry your bike from one to the next - 'cos they won't let you on a bus with your treader!!

You might find this book amusing, if you can stop grinding your teeth at the certifiable stupidity of the councils, and the spectacular waste of money.

http://tiny.cc/rny7dy

Dave

If only the cyclists would use them!  Where I live cycle lanes have been provided on wide pavements and roundabouts.  But will the cyclists use them?  No, they insist on peddling in amongst the cars, busses and trucks slowing everything down.  I must admir that only the lycra wearing cyclists seem to do this.

have you ever noticed how we assess everything according to our own needs ?

Twenty years ago I was a very strong ,fit and healthy sports person . I loved participating in any kind of sport from shot putting to triathlon.
If you had asked me back then what  local and central Government should spend our money on I would have said better cycle paths, leisure centres, tennis and badminton courts etc.

Roll on 20 years and now that I have retired I have suddenly developed a whole series of life threatening conditions out of the blue.  .My father has got Dementia and is disabled and the Mother-in-law has had 2 stokes already this year and has also had sudden onset Dementia.

Not only do I now need all the services of the NHS for the first time in my life but my partner and I have all our time taken up with 24/7 care for our Parents. All our retirement plans have now gone out the window for the foreseeable future.

if you were to ask me now what our taxes should be spent on as a priority I would say the NHS and local health care and support like meals on wheels and home care and better support and care for our elderly and mentally and physically disabled.

Twenty years ago all I was interested in was myself and my own needs. Now I realise more each day how the rest of the community, that are not so well off as us, need our active support to improve their lives.

Lottery funding has been a terrific boost to a huge and diverse range of local community projects throughout the UK and has almost certainly been of direct benefit to all of us in some way or other. Lets hope it continues.

Now don't get me started about waste of tax payers money bailing out the Banks, selling off our National utilities and services  and other hair brained schemes  
Not wishing to speak ill of the dead but did you hear how much  the late Duke of Westminsters estate is worth ? now thats obscene.!  Its about time that some of the wealth of the super rich in this Country  gets redistributed amongst those living in poverty and distress. How can the super rich  sleep at nights ?  don't they ever watch the news for crissakes.

I agree about the NHS as to my own experience of it, as you get older health issues affect us all.

Re selling off national utilities etc blame the  Labour government, they are not for the working man.

Now I know I am seen as some as being controversial, I bear no malice or ill feeling to any one, but I do say what I think, there is a saying," that those that matter don`t mind, those that mind don`t matter."

The point is I have never had a problem with the so called rich of this country, it has always been the same, if it wasn`t for the "rich" landowners, where the workers on the estate get jobs, same as factory owners etc they put up the money and so create jobs. It is the way of life, the estate owners open their estates to the public, to get the money to run them, like Belvoir Castle which is not far from me. they are part of our heritage, would you like to have to open your house up to strangers? also death duties are enormous and the family have to sell off what they can to pay them, as that goes to the government perhaps that comes your way.

This country without large estates, historical houses etc would be a very bland and uninteresting country.We should be proud of it, foreigners envy what we have, especially the Americans with our Royal Family, we are unique.

If you have a motorhome, computer etc you are far from poor, poor in the 20`s and 30`s was a different thing altogether.

I appreciate what I have, for which I worked for, courtesy of my "rich" boss.
Not really bringing politics into this , seems Labourites are begrudging of what others have, not getting at anyone on here, just stating a fact from observations over the years.

You are born into what ever circumstances you find yourself in, it is up to you to do what you will to improve it if you are not satisfied with what ever life has dealt you.  Envy eats away and hurts the person who is envious and gets nowhere.

I am better off than my parents, my Father said when he was old just before he died, he would not change a thing about his life, he was born in 1909, very poor family in poverty, not the so called poverty of today, his was  by Tuesday wondering where the next meal was coming from, no benefits in those days, today poverty is deemed to be not having the latest TV, phones designer clothes etc.  even when on benefits, but he made the best off it and worked hard, never begrudged anyone, I learnt a lot from him.

This is not a rant, a point of view learnt from life and one who does appreciate things, don1t worry what others have , life is too short.

I don't object to the Duke of Westminster's wealth. What I do strongly object to is the fact that there will be virtually no death duties paid because of his arcane tax avoidance planning, whereas my kids will no doubt get hammered for tax on the comparative bit that I hopefully leave behind for them.

You could always spend it therefore no tax to pay, SKI (spend kids inheritance ) which my daughter has told me to do, after all she said, you went without when we were young.