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A crowded city
Jul. 5th, 2005 07:32 amShortly before 1pm today it will be announced that either Paris or London will host the 2012 Olypmpic Games. The BBC News will then show shots of keen fans looking at big screens set up in a public place, either cheering or looking bereft.
In London it's going to be Trafalgar Square.
Have these people ever been to Trafalgar Square on a summer's day? I mean, how many people from London do they expect to be there? I would reckon that fans from Paris and Madrid will outnumber the Londoners (none of whom particularly want London to host the games anyway). There might be a few people from the UK, but the majority of those in Trafalgar Square at this time of year are kiddy tourists being shepherded around by harrassed schoolteachers. I know that one of the justifications for tourism is the amount of money that tourists bring into the London economy, but I don't see how 30 teenagers with about 30 euros in their pocket between them are going to provide an economic stimulus. Investment bankers, yes, rich tourists, yes. Thousands of kids blocking the pavement. Well, not really.
One of the hot bands at the moment is Antony & The Johnsons (Anthony and the Johnsons? Anthony and the Jonsons? Ah, the pains of the silent "h"). I was listening to Sparks on the walk to work this morning and it struck me how influenced Anthony has been by Ron and Russell Mael. A great band, somewhat misunderstood at the time, I feel.
In London it's going to be Trafalgar Square.
Have these people ever been to Trafalgar Square on a summer's day? I mean, how many people from London do they expect to be there? I would reckon that fans from Paris and Madrid will outnumber the Londoners (none of whom particularly want London to host the games anyway). There might be a few people from the UK, but the majority of those in Trafalgar Square at this time of year are kiddy tourists being shepherded around by harrassed schoolteachers. I know that one of the justifications for tourism is the amount of money that tourists bring into the London economy, but I don't see how 30 teenagers with about 30 euros in their pocket between them are going to provide an economic stimulus. Investment bankers, yes, rich tourists, yes. Thousands of kids blocking the pavement. Well, not really.
One of the hot bands at the moment is Antony & The Johnsons (Anthony and the Johnsons? Anthony and the Jonsons? Ah, the pains of the silent "h"). I was listening to Sparks on the walk to work this morning and it struck me how influenced Anthony has been by Ron and Russell Mael. A great band, somewhat misunderstood at the time, I feel.
