The London 2012 Olympics, sham? scam? or are you a fan?

well said jo.

hello alan lloyd. welcome to the discussion. I'm certainly British and will not relinquish that for anyone.. That's why I love being a member of this forum so much, because I get to converse with a wide selection of other british people, who all happen to have France in common.

I love Britain and many things British but what I do certainly have the right to do, wherever I choose to live, is make fair, honest and open debate on subjects that I feel strongly about, such as open access to sport, and keeping our national heritage available to as wide an audience as possible from all sections of our community, whether they are rich or poor.

I also believe in questioning and making judgements about issues around social justice. I think this is an intrinsic part of being British and am very very proud of my determination to keep debates like this one alive.

If rich people want to pay more for tickets they are freely able to do so and I believe, especially after asking my quesstion and reading the responses carefully, in the spirit of the original olympic idea, that if the event were run as a not for profit company, that it would attract huge interest from a bigger range of companies and supporters across a much wider range of our community.

Michael Collinson and others have paid what could be described as reasonable prices for their tickets, which is heartening, but there are many stories here of hugely inflated prices and we seem to have esthablished that the event is profit making. Some things British should still belong to the British people, as a nation, not to the owners of the companies paying for the advertising at the olympics. I don't object to the advertising or to the olympics, just to the possibility that the profits from the event are not being used to help sponsor the event, but to line the pockets of those already lined pockets.

When I was a girl, I'd watch the olympics and dream of seeing them one day in my own country, and now that it's finally here I'm really sad that some corporatist money grabbing greedy slobs have taken that dream away from me and millions of other sad middle aged british people.

Blimey, that was the High Street end then and near (I think) the Trafalgar pub. I think we're secretly enough to take over the world - or at least have a Dr Who episode devoted to doing something about Wimbledonites...

Me too, right at the south end of Haydons Road

Absolutely agree with your perspective Richard.

AlthoughI live in France,I am an ENGLISHMAN, and very proud of that fact. I served Queen and country, paid my taxes all my life, have never drawn social benefits, simply because I had no need to.

That said,I will, if I find it necessary criticize the "goings on" in the U.K. that is my right, I will also extol the virtues of living in France.

I will support and celebrate all things that are English /British, including Royal events, but will still "bring it to book" should I think I have a reason for so doing.

Reply to Jo Blick;

Clearly you have detached yourself from the UK and so it should continue. Many of us are sick and tired of those ex pats who do nothing but critisise what happens in the UK and here we have an opportunity to celebrate and support our country. Likewise the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, be proud to be British.

Within sight of dear old Ely's and Bog Island in front of the Town Hall, oh the memories.

I am probably in the minority here in that I will be going to the Olympics, I applied early and managed to get tickets for an evening event in the main stadium for the athletic events about half way through. The ticket cost me £150 and yes of course I wish it was cheaper but I think you just have to be realistic about it.

To me it was worth it to see something that I haven't or will not ever see in my lifetime again. I know people who spend that amount in a few weeks on smoking!

It is all well and good to say that everybody should be able to see it at low prices but the cost of staging the games is astronomical and has nearly bankrupted some countries EG Greece.

If you are prepared to buy a ticket at a certain price then how can it be a rip off? As I said I know people who spent what I did on a ticket for 2 or 3 weeks of sucking smoke into their lungs, that is of course their choice as is mine.

I also lived in SW19 for a couple of years, aged 23-25, also down the hill, near the BR Station.

Anyone who sits in front of a computer screen, applies for tickets, sees the price displayed in front of them, and then clicks on the "BUY" button is not being ripped off. Also, if they are prepared to pay top whack for something they want, then that is their business. Just like some people buy expensive cars or flashy jewellery. Personally, it is my choice to never pay for sporting events. I'm just not interested. And I certainly will not be travelling to the UK to partake. Anything that happens to interest me (e.g.the opening ceremony) I will watch on freesat (UK) tv.

@ Kate Haines Well done you for being stoic enough to organise it all, and I suppose having relatives to stay with was the clincher. It seems as if the general picture from the SFN point of view is that it's a big shame because the key situation is shown in the phrase you used "not enough cheap tickets available and too many people applying for them"

It's this demand that is being used as a profit making opportunity by the organisation, instead of trying to solve it as an actual problem to overcome .Profit before community.

A total opposition of ideology about what the olympics is about.

I'm sure you will enjoy it though, and would love you all to shout all the louder from the "poor" seats, on behalf of the rest of us!!!!.

I once had to have my broken down van towed away from outside my own house during a visit by Charlie to handsworth park. It had been identified as a 'terrorist threat'. that was 1990. still, free tow to the local garage paid for by taxpayer :)

Apology for causing a misunderstanding, Jane Williamson without any doubt in my eclectic mind. Referring to Jayne Warner is another contributor some way above who mentioned people being paid to move out of Hackney, which I then hashed by citing you again. Look for it a page back and see why I included it in YOUR notion of the glass houses.

that's really terrible. I think my question is being answered loudly with a resounding thumbs down. What a shame. I wonder if there's something we can do to change it ?

apart from voting for a new government or moving to another country, that is !

"The place to be seen" -- totally agree. Look at the best seats at Wimbledon or Roland Garros, particularly on finals days; the pit lane at Monaco during the Grand Prix or even worse the yachts. They're not there for the sport but for the publicity. And they'll pay anything to get it. I once bumped into Liz Taylor in the Monaco pits -- I know, shameless name-dropping :-) -- and slumming it in the bar where all the real motor racing fans gathered the night after the race. Now since when was she a motor racing fan? You didn't see her or the other "celebs" during the Monte Carlo Rally. Too cold and not enough photographers!

@ Brian, my name is Jane Williamson!!

All social anthropologists please note that if we use our name we are fairly happy with it and do not want to be called by anything else.

Me very much too, near Souf Wimmledon toob station as one would say locally, but being of greater vintage was long gone before your era!

Must say I agree and have said similar earlier about the excesses.

My sister told me last night about the traffic returning into London from the Derby. In our childhood, when it was on Wednesday at that, local children would go out to the road and shout "Throw out your mouldies". That meant loose change. We would get a couple of bob. What she told me about being there (we lived on the main road at that) and the fact that there were some muggings in the traffic jam. Local 'youth' ripped open car doors and demanded a wad of money or else victim would get a kicking. There are no children calling out for 'mouldies now' but what a change. For me it epitomises the changes you write of with its dreadful contradictions and how these Olympics fit into that. And then add Jayne Warner's bit above. People in glass houses as you say, beginning with names such as Cameron, Miliband, Clegg and many others...

As Brian has already stated the idea of the Olympics, athletes at their peak competing against each other has got lost somewhere down the line testing for performance enhancing drugs is now the norm its a gravy train for the few lucky individuals, bus and train driver unions wanting a bonus for driving during the games, why, are they competing as well, are they driving two buses/trains at the same time or driving to quickly to be safe, no they are doing their normal shift with probably lots of paid overtime, prices will double or treble everywhere possibly creating the risk tourist could well go home with a rather distorted view of London or the uk as a whole, as for the danger of terrorist attack well we had an incident in Toulouse some time ago with possible terrorist links so anywhere there is a major sporting or celebrity event is a possible target. it all reminds me of a guy a shared an office with many years ago he always went to the opera and made sure everyone knew until one day he met a fellow opera fan and it all came out the guy didnt like opera but it was the place to be seen, are the games such a place that is why they pay such silly prices for tickets