Student Activist Diary

Lots of people are really excited about the Olympics this summer.

Lots aren’t.

I fall into the latter category – here’s why…

(1) It now costs me almost £3 to get home to Islington on the tube from some of my friends’ houses. After a night out when I have little money left, this is rather upsetting. Why does it cost so much? Because Boris Johnson has increased fares. Why? To fund “improvements” to tube and over-ground networks. WHAT IMPROVEMENTS? There are still ridiculous delays, overcrowding and lines being closed at weekends. Not to mention escalators that do not work – after a long night out, I don’t particularly want to walk up a zillion steps!

(2) During the Olympics, cars, buses, and taxis will be re-routed to avoid the area altogether. That’s reeeaaally going to improve London’s already appalling traffic circulation.

(3) Hundreds of thousands of non-Londoners will be flocking to the city. Many know that Londoners (myself included) have a specific way of walking: FAST. Streets will be clogged up by loads of confused people looking at maps RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAVEMENT.

(4) East London will forever be a crap hole. No matter how much money is pumped into it. (er, as an Islingtonian, I say this with love… not wishing to offend too many people here)

(5) The budget for the Games has more than quadrupled since it was announced that London would be hosting the Olympics in 2005. Considering our economy was in a better state then, how can Jeremy Hunt justify doing this? The public sector and financial services for the most vulnerable are going to hell in a handcart, yet Mr Hunt still refuses to have “austerity Games” because the Games will boost morale.

Well, I’m sure that people being made redundant, bankrupt and homeless will, in fact, feel less depressed about their situations while watching some people passing a stick to each other.

That is, if they have any way of watching them.

(6) Most of the tickets were sold off to large corporations. So most of the “ordinary” Londoners won’t even be able to watch the Games from the stadium. No, they’ll have to watch them on TV as though they were in any other city in the world.

(7) WHY IS THE NEW WESTFIELD CALLED WESTFIELD? IT’S IN EAST LONDON.

So. Yes. Jobs will be created, tourism revenue will go up and builders across the country have been given work fixing up hotels. Yes, worse things are happening in the country, like Tesco seeking permanent employees while only offering expenses and Job-Seekers’ Allowance. But is any lasting good going to come from the Games? Beijing’s “bird nest” stadium has been virtually untouched in the last four years – despite being a work of art in comparison to our stadium. Will this not just turn into a new Millennium Dome? Until it became the O2 Arena it was just used for rubbish expositions and was quickly forgotten by most Londoners…

Anyway, that’s my view on this summer’s over-hyped waste of money. Maybe I’m just soulless. Whatever – I’m comfortable with it.