IN JULY 2005 THE BBC's " LONDON PLAN AT-A-GLANCE " (An overview of the plan for the 2012 Olympic in London) SHOWED THAT THE SUM OF £200 MILLION WOULD BE SPENT ON "SECURITY". FOR WHAT, FOR WHOM, FOR HOW LONG, OR ON OLYMPIC SITE OR OFF SITE IT DID NOT SAY BUT WITH THE STATE OF THINGS IN THE WORLD TO-DAY THIS ITEM WILL NOT COME CHEAP, AND THIS IS ALSO A COST WHICH WILL HAVE TO BE MET, PRESUMABLY BY LONDONERS ONLY.

£200 MILLION SOUNDS QUITE A SUM BUT WHEN ONE LOOKS AT A REPORT ABOUT THE ATHENS OLYMPICS IT STATED THE ATHENS ORGANISING COMMITTEE BUDGETED £37 MILLION FOR SECURITY - BUT THE ACTUAL COST WAS MORE THAN £850 MILLION. THIS WORKED OUT AT £75,000 FOR PROTECTING EACH PARTICIPATING ATHLETE - AND TAXPAYERS HAD TO PICK UP THE BILL.        THIS ATHENS REPORT ALSO STATED THAT A GREEK GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL RECENTLY ADMITTED THAT THE ESTIMATED COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ATHENS GAMES CONTINUED TO RISE, UP 10% FROM £7.5bn to £8.5bn, AND RISING AS MOTHBALLED OLYMPIC VENUES CONTINUE TO BE MAINTAINED.

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S INITIAL ESTIMATE FOR A LONDON OLYMPICS WAS REVISED UPWARDS AFTER BEING EXAMINED BY THE TREASURY, AND NOW STANDS AT AN ESTIMATED £5.2bn, BUT THIS FIGURE IS DOUBTED BY MICHAEL LIEBREICH, A MEMBER OF THE GREAT BRITAIN SKI TEAM AT THE ALBERTVILLE WINTER OLYMPICS IN 1982, A HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL AND LONDON BASED FINANCIER.(who one must assume has some knowledge of finance superior to some of our Politicians who claim that we are all on a winner). MR LIEBREICH IS OF THE OPINION THAT, OVERALL, THE LONDON OLYMPICS WILL COST BETWEEN £10bn AND £12bn, OR EVEN £15bn - AT TODAY'S PRICES, NOT THE £5.2bn IN THE GOVERNMENT'S REVISED UPWARDS ESTIMATE. HE BASES HIS OPINION ON THE EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS OLYMPICS, WHEN ESTIMATED REVENUES FELL SHORT, WHILST COSTS SPIRALLED. MOST OF US ARE AWARE (without being experts)THAT OLYMPIC GAMES IMPOSE ON THE HOST CITY CITIZENS AN ENORMOUS FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR MANY YEARS AFTER THE WINNERS PICK UP THEIR SPOILS AND LEAVE, AND NO AMOUNT OF WHITEWASHING OR MISLEADING STATEMENTS FROM OUR POLITICAL LEADERS CAN CHANGE THAT FACT.

JUST RECENTLY (April 2006) THE " OBSERVER " NEWSPAPER CLAIMED THAT AFTER SPEAKING TO DAVID HIGGINS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE OLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITY) LONDON WILL PROBABLY NEED FAR MORE CASH TO PREPARE ITS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES - A FIGURE OF A FURTHER £2 BILLION WAS MENTIONED.        ONE OF THE REASONS GIVEN WHY FAR MORE CASH WILL BE NEEDED, ACCORDING TO THE " OBSERVER", QUOTING MR HIGGINS, IS THAT DEVELOPING THE LOWER LEA VALLEY WOULD PROBABLY BE A MORE COMPLICATED PROJECT, AND AS A RESULT PROBABLY MORE EXPENSIVE, BECAUSE " IT'S GOT CONTAMINATED LAND, IT'S GOT POWER LINES AND A RIVER SYSTEM ".

THIS MAN IS AT THE VERY CENTRE, AND THE VERY TOP OF THE PLANNERS AND IF HE SAYS " FAR MORE CASH WILL BE NEEDED " SHOULDN'T WE BELIEVE HIM, AS COMPARED TO THE SPIN DOCTORS AND POLITICIANS ? CAN WE REALLY TRUST THEM AFTER SEING HOW THEY ARE PREPARED TO STAND BY AND SAY/DO NOTHING FOR THEIR LONDON CONSTITUENTS WITH REGARD TO THIS ONE SIDED OLYMPIC TAX,  WHILST THE REST OF THE UK ENJOY THE FULL SUPPORT OF THEIR POLITICIANS AND PAY NOTHING EXTRA TOWARDS THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES . ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER THAT !   -  

         SAY " NO " TO THE LONDONERS OLYMPIC TAX. - JOIN THE CAMPAIGN.