The thread where we celebrate London getting the Olympics.

but seriously... whoopyfucking doo. so what?
fast people will be running in the SAME COUNTRY AS ME?? omgwtfbbq! how special.

That's it, I'm moving to Mars...

Ha ha! Exactly.

Rubbish. Absolute rubbish.

What are they going to do with it? Turn it upside down and use it as a velodrome?

yay you're buying tickets for all of us??

GET USED TO IT, IT'S ALL WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FOR THE NEXT 7 YEARS.

crosspost

My beautiful River Lee or Lea Valley. Destroyed. Sigh.

But I think that the selection process, the vast expense and jamboree aspect, is appalling (same for World Cup, etc). And I am afraid that occasions like this are apt to be another excuse for the Francophobia - no, let us say: the hatred of and contempt for France and French people and culture - that is apparently acceptable in any outlet and forum in this country. I am disgusted, bewildered, bemused and perhaps even, as an English person, ashamed by this endlessly legitimated feature of our national life, in an era when to foster such festering feelings about black people, Jewish people, the Irish, gays and lesbians, the disabled, and so on is happily deemed unacceptable.

As to the Francophobia, Chirac started it by having a go at our womenfood.

Kate - its all very well saying it'll destroy the Lea Valley, but there was a contingency plan in place for if London didn't get the Olympics. Which I think involved knocking it all down and building a bloody great shopping centre there, as these things usually do.

why on earth does regenration and development always mean knocking everythign down and building shittily built apartment and office blocks, instead of well doing things that actually regenerate areas? like, improving local schools with increased cash flow, maintaining existing infrastructure, etc etc?

I kind of sympathise with this statement (although the newer big regeneration projects often come bundled with a new school and/or other community facility these days so they can get planning permission). Difference being regeneration is usually private-sector led these days, its an easy way out (regeneration = moving all the poor people elsewhere). Still, is there anything actually on this site other than derelict land, though? The way things are going, that area would've been fully gentrified by 2012 Olympics or no Olympics.

Weird how people romanticise East London in a way you just don't see with other areas of London... if they were flattening a big bit of Deptford or Peckham or Kilburn you wouldn't hear anywhere near as many non-residents complaining.

Yahoo! This is your celebration
Yahoo! This is your celebration

Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now

Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time

It's time to come together
It's up to you, what's your pleasure

Everyone around the world
Come on!

Yahoo! It's a celebration
Yahoo!

Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on!
Let's celebrate

We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right

Baby...

We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right

Yahoo!
Yahoo!

Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration!
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)

Come on and celebrate, good times, tonight (Celebrate good times, come on!)
'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's celebrate (Celebrate good times, come on)
(Let's celebrate)

i am lightly mystified as to the utter euphoria. its easy to mock people moaning about it, NIMBYS etc, but what on earth is everyone so excited about? an international sporting event is being held in this country, in 7 years time? are "congratualtions" really in order?

Woo-hoo!

This thread is in danger of turning into some sort of teen film with the jocks up against the geeks.

Mr Fake - Walthamstow pint? when are you moving in?

Hopefully getting the keys next week, but not moving in for another
couple of weeks after that. That pint sounds good, though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11471541

The London Olympics will be officially conducted in French with English as its second language, according to previously secret contracts seen by The Daily Telegraph.

London is required to prevent spectators from "wearing clothes or accessories with commercial messages other than the manufacturer's brand name."

"Billboards and pageantry" in French as well as English must be displayed throughout the capital.

looking forward to some grade a vandalism

French has always been one of the official languages, big surprise.

The city authorities must also "obtain control of all billboard advertising, city transport advertising, airport advertising etc for the duration of the games and the month preceding." Olympic "brand protection teams" must "confront violators" and "conduct surveillance" across London. Police and customs officers must enforce sponsorship rules.

glad taxpayer's money is being put to good use

glad daily mail style hysteria is being put to good use

LOL DAILY MAIL

Lord Coe, Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson and former Olympic silver medallist Colin Jackson have made plaster casts of their feet at London's St Pancras Eurostar terminal to mark the "first steps" toward the 2012 Games

The medals are too big, I predict sore necks.

v classy of Boris to refer to the Olympic clock being "attacked by a horde of hooded crusties, protesting at something or other" in his thing earlier.

http://www.london2012.com/images/editorial/olympic-medals-unveiling.jpg

So the representation of the River Thames on the back of the medals (behind the Lisa Simpson giving head nonsense) doesn't even include the East End on it, the area where the games is taking place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhvmwjFXMg

LOL OMFG!!!! BORIS BURIED SOME SHITTY NEWS!!!! ROFL!!!!!!! THE MAN IS A LEGERND I TELL YOU LOL!!!!! I CARNT WAIT 2 SEE THE DEVELOPERS FUNNEL BILLIONS IN PROFITS TO THE QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY!!! LOL!!! LOL!!! LOLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

London's Olympic Village has been sold to property developer Delancey and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund for £557m. The joint venture will see the 27-hectare site become a "new neighbourhood" for London following the games.

It will have a mix of affordable housing, luxury new homes, schools, healthcare facilities and open space, according to Delancey.

Olympic heads say the sale delivers a "significant return to the public purse" from the development, which cost around £1bn.

A further £268m has already been recouped from the sale of 1,379 affordable housing units on the site to Triathlon Homes.

The Olympic Village had to be funded by taxpayers after private investors shunned the massive construction project when it began during the recession.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the sale as a "great deal for London" that showed the confidence big private investors had in the future of east London.

"It is another big step towards securing a fantastic future for the new neighbourhoods and communities we have always said would be created as a major legacy for the capital after the 2012 Games," he said.

Delancey and Shard Tower developer Qatari Diar, the property arm of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, topped a rival bid from Hutchison Whampoa, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's.

They also beat a £1bn proposal from the Wellcome Trust to take over all the Olympic park.

Mohammed bin Ali Al Hedfa, chief executive of Qatari Diar, promised that the village would become a "fitting legacy" to the 2012 Games.

The deal to award West Ham the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games has collapsed, the BBC has learned.

The board of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) has ended negotiations amid concerns over delays caused by the ongoing legal dispute with Tottenham.

The OPLC, government and Mayor of London have instead agreed the stadium will remain in public ownership.

A new tender process will be opened for an anchor tenant who will now lease the stadium for an an annual rent.

Very depressing and hugely predictable.

I wouldn't be surprised if the OPLC has found out the true extent of West Ham's financial difficulties and panicked, as well.

"On one or two of the days (London Bridge) will be very, very crowded and the best thing to do if you happen to be here on the day of the equestrian event in Greenwich is to have a beer before you go home because you won't be able to get into the station before then," Mr Hendy told the committee in a Q&A session at London's City Hall.

Jarvis Cocker rmde

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2112352/Tiffany-Porter-lead-Team-GB-World-Indoor-Championships.html

*facepalms*

Like a DOORMAT!

http://static.bbc.co.uk/wwhomepage-3.5/ic/news/432-259/59236000/jpg/_59236141_59236140.jpg

http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/bell_atlantic_0_61548.jpg