Torch Bearers All

[lupestripe]

So it would appear Wolfie and I are going to the Olympics after Locog debited £216 out of my account on Tuesday. This represents about a third of the tickets we applied for but I am not going to work out which tickets we have actually got. I don't mind which events we see - it's just great to be going and no doubt I will find out on the 24th.

Also the price of ham has reduced from 62p to 56p which was a nice surprise. Plus it's really warm and sunny. Happy :-)

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Comments

[blueberrybadger.livejournal.com]

> I think to deny everyone else the chance to get tickets would have been wrong.
No, it would be right and fair.

> Perhaps a set proportion should have gone to Londoners whilst the rest to a free ballot.
They have had 8 _years_ to build a decent system and this is what they came up with. Its embarrassing

> That may have been fairer (although I am sure some of my taxes are also funding this and London will get the vast proportion of the economic benefits anyway so perhaps it IS fair).
Read this then tell me why exactly it is fair http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourview/1565971/Should-the-South-East-subsidise-the-rest-of-the-country.html

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Successive governments have continued with a centralization policy in which London is the only place that matters. Yet in 2007, the northern cities combined contributed the same amount to the UK's GDP than London according to The Office of National Statistics. London has more higher rate tax payers than anywhere else so the data in your article which quotes no sources is not really representative. Furthermore, London has five of the ten poorest boroughs in the UK so your article appears to be nothing more than North bashing from a right-wing newspaper. What about supporting the poorer boroughs in your own city? Or shall we conveniently overlook those?

The predominance of London I believe has held other cities and parts of the country back as this poor distribution of wealth has been deliberately created. It's good to see cities like Manchester and Leeds rise again. And I still believe it is fair to give everyone the chance of getting tickets - even those from abroad. After all, we were told other UK cities couldn't hold the event - another point I dispute which conveniently ensures London gets everything AGAIN. As for the system itself - aside from creating a graded ballot in which Londoners got first pick I don't see how it could have been any fairer. Clearly we disagree - I imagine because you love London and I manifestly don't.