There is no Black Hole?

I see Tessa Jowell was appearing in Parliament today to explain the "Black Hole" (which she said did not exist) to be caused when the Games end, and the land is sold off at a value less than that she projected. Of course, by then she may well no longer be in office - so someone else will probably have to bear the brunt of complaints. Below are some recent comments from on line newspapers:
Peter Rhodes in the online Express & Star:
“THERE is no black hole in the finances of the London 2012 Olympics,” declares Olympics minister Tessa Jowell. Of course not, chuck. And if there was, we could always top it up with the profits from Northern Rock.
The Huddersfield Examiner:
THERE’S no doubting that many people view the annual Huddersfield Carnival as a highlight of their calendar.
The vibrant procession through the town centre, followed by a Greenhead Park gathering, has delighted crowds for a quarter of a century.
So it was a major disappointment last year when the carnival had to be called off because of summer downpours.
Now we learn that the event is in danger because of funding cuts.
Organisers have vowed to do all they can to overcome the problems, but are battling against the background of declining grants for arts and culture.
There is a strongly-held suspicion that money is being removed from worthy causes in order to meet the escalating costs of staging the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
While there is a buzz in the capital about the spectacle, not many in the regions are getting excited about it.
People will understandably see the threat to Huddersfield Carnival as the start of their fears being realised – the beginning of a mad scramble away from the regions and towards investment in London.
The problem is that once sponsorship and donations go away, they are extremely difficult to get back.
The Olympics are becoming a black hole, depriving other cultural and sporting organisations of much-needed funds in order to meet the ever-spiralling costs of hosting such a mammoth event.
While everyone rightly joined in the celebrations that greeted the announcement that London had won its bid, it was on the basis that the whole country would benefit from hosting the Games.
While clear evidence for that has yet to emerge, it is undoubtedly the case that the whole country will end up paying for them.
The Newham Recorder:
PARLIAMENT has voted to 'raid' the National Lottery of £1 billion to fill the reported 'black hole' in funds for the 2012 Olympics.
They approved the measure by a majority of 348 last week and immediately sent shock waves through art and charity organisations that fear a great reduction in grants.
Culture Secretary James Purnell promised it would be a one-off cash transfer.
It has been reported that over-estimated price projections on post-Games property sales would leave a £1.8 billion 'hole' in 2012 financing.
The claims were firmly rejected by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell.
Ahgharad Mair in icWales:
BEFORE London won the 2012 Olympic Games, I was loudly cheering for Paris.
Most people throughout the UK did the same, even though, in June 2005, we were promised by Tony Blair’s Government that not a penny to pay for the Games would come from the public purse and £1.5bn would be raised by the National Lottery.
By November 2006, Tessa Jowell the Culture Secretary was questioned by MPs after speculation the cost of the Olympics was soaring as high as £8bn.
Now, in 2008, we’re told that Britain faces a £1bn black hole because of ‘ludicrous’ property price projections. In other words, the money ‘lent’ by heritage, sports and arts projects to the Olympics will probably never be paid back. Here in Wales we face the possible loss of a staggering £107m that could have been spent on other projects. A huge amount for such a small country.
Anyway, that’s just the financial mess. For example, Swansea and Cardiff are hoping to welcome two of the swimming squads in the weeks leading up to the Games, since both cities have Olympic size pools. But one of the world’s leading swimming teams, Australia, have already announced they won’t be coming anywhere near Wales. They’re going to Italy. Hmm.
Forget the Aussies, what about our own swimming squad. Wouldn’t it be great if Welsh kids could see their own heroes in training? No chance of that either. The British Olympic Association has confirmed that they won’t be using any common-or-garden public facilities for most sports in the crucial weeks before the Games begin. The British Olympic Association has chosen Aldershot Army camp as its base, complete with its own 50m pool and state-of-the-art track.
Is it just me, or is anybody else uneasy about this alliance between our armed forces and our Olympic team? The Ministry of Defence is hoping such links will only get stronger, that Aldershot will not just be a mere stopping-off point for Team GB en route to the 2012 Games, but that British elite athletes will begin to use its facilities regularly. There is already talk of UK Athletics going there to train before the World Championships in Berlin in 2009.
General Peter Everson has explained that the Army would be of benefit because if you “talk to any soldier, you will find real focus, terrific team spirit, enormous courage and huge commitment – all the qualities that I believe an Olympic athlete would need too”.
Well, he would say that wouldn’t he?
I just think it’s somewhat disgraceful and a real shame that the Olympic flame in Britain will now be associated with the British Army, and this will certainly not contribute in any way financially or morally to grassroots sport.
Why isn’t anybody making any fuss about it?
Isn’t it about time that here in Wales we demand to know exactly what we might be getting from the London Olympic Games? We are paying for these Games, and it’s about time that we had some returns. So many promises have already been broken, and so many hopes, such as better funding for sports at grassroots level, or indeed that our children will be able to see the best in the world train at our facilities, are dreams that are almost already dead.