KENTWATCH - Councils cannot get enough of the Olympics

Sorry for not the following the mainstream mindless hysteria over the Hackney and Stratford Olympics, for me the joy was short lived, up to winning the Olympic bid, the Olympics was accepted on the premise, that they would be delivered for a mere 2 billion, much emphasis was place on these being affordable games, not long after the costing catapulted to a eye watering 8 billion.

Yes many of us will be swept up in the endless promotion, the BBC daily prostitutes itself with torch madness, in which seemingly rational BBC journalists daily talk utter bollix about the torch progress,  still what much of this has to do with sport, who knows.

For me the true winners of the Olympics are big business and despots, whether it be purveyors of unhealthy food products high fat sugar salt, the military for being allowed to dust off otherwise never used rapier missiles, control freaks creating no go areas for commuters and business.

As we witnessed with the last Olympics in China, the country was able to white wash its human rights abuses including the criminal and brutal oppression of Tibet and of course ever since it has been business as usual.

The United Kingdom is not comparable, we have problems but these are minor, in comparison, still the propagandists amongst us, cannot resist, which is perhaps why Cameron offered extra dollops of money to organisers, to pep up the ceremonies and of coarse lessor political entities cannot help but try and wrap themselves in a little hype.

So it comes as little surprise to spot Olympic branding on Margate sea front and who's behind this, well Thanet council cancelled Margate's Big Event for torch madness and of course Kent council who often cannot grit roads in the winter can find money to pay for flags tied up on lamposts. 

Me I'd like to see children safe in the community and old people looked after anyhoo enjoy the celebration, county councillor Mike Hill OBE had this to say about KCC wasting money on Olympic branding “The brightly coloured Olympic and Paralympic branding will give the county a real feeling of celebration and help bring the Games atmosphere to Kent’s communities.” yes lets not worry about he and his fellow Tories covering up governance issues with a bit of fluff.

Local tourism boss Sandra Matthews-Marsh (visit Kent) added this “With excellent special coach routes, and train services to Stratford from Ebbsfleet, the Games are on our doorstep and we are a host county for the Paralympic Road Cycling events. This is going to be atruly memorable summer. I may be corrected on this but as I understand under Olympic time tables, trains services face severe disruption.