With all due respect Gareth, a report extolling the virtues of employing 3000 short term construction jobs could have easily been written for any other large scale Government infrastructure investment costing £10bn.

To claim that their short term employment on the Olympic project will significantly boost their earning potential in future and to then pin an amount of money on that potential earning and claim it to be completely as a result of their participation in the Olympic project is, frankly, pure bollax, nice PR and nice spin, but ultimately bollax.

As an example I worked in construction on the Tyneside Metro project from 1977 to 1984, another large scale Government infrastructure investment - to claim that my earnings today are still benefitting form that period of work is also pure bollax.

The report claims much more than that.

It's a detailed report by Oxford Economics. It claims, amongst other things that there is "£4 billion of construction related GDP generated by legacy projects, including
new housing and infrastructure-related developments"

Of course, you can easily dismiss it as Boallax. However, I suspect Oxford Economics put a bit more research into their findings than you did into your rebuttals.

To preempt Billy Rhino, the report doesn't contain any predictions on how many jobs will be solely for you and your white supremacist mates.

A bit weak Gareth, even for you.

rlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/30/olympic-village-mcdonalds-karaoke-pubrl

The one good thing that comes from all of this, at a huge cost of course, is that the accommodation blocks will eventually become social housing, something that simply wouldn't have happened in those quantities had the sites been handed over to the private sector, even with planning covenants inserted - social housing being something of a filthy phrase among successive governments.

To achieve the same ultimate goal of course we could have spent the same amount of money on social housing projects across the country and probably created a lot more limited period construction jobs, and put many already fully qualified trades people back into work (thats one hilarious bit about that report you linked to, the idea that the employees had to be specially trained before building blocks of flats), but of course that sort of expenditure wouldn't have got us seventeen days worth of publicity.

The security bill would have been much cheaper though.

Genuine question, anyone who was negative pre-Olympics had a change of heart?

I don't mind admitting I was wrong.....very much now regret we made no attempt to get any tickets. Last night was a superb culmination of ever increasing interest over the week (that women's triatholon was incredible to watch yesterday morning) ....after that stupendous opening ceremony.

I didn't even bother tuning into the Leeds match this afternoon....

It'd made no difference mate - I applied for a boat load of tickets, along with the missus and may others I know.

I know of NO-ONE that got ANY tickets.

The missus was really keen to see the equestrian eventing - she was proper p[sizei[/sizessed off when we watched it on tv and half the stand was empty!

Lord Percy and couple of others people I know got tickets. They've seen lots of different events, including Archery, Handball, fencing and volleyball and managed to get tickets for last Friday night at the Athletics. They are down there now, for their last day they watched some of the women's water polo.

That's why I didn't get any tickets... because Lord Percy got them all.

Most of my work colleagues got tickets, suppose some will always be disappointed and the stands since the first couple of days have been packed! I've also got tickets for the Paralympics, youll see real feats of sporting triumph there.

The clue is probably in his title

Actually one of my brothers-in-law got tickets for tonight's 100 metres final

However, I do agree to see so many empty seats has been a travesty and a damn shame.

We got athletics yesterday morning

I won't disagree....

I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

Got to say we are loving it and seeing so many great Athletes from every sport give their all is a brilliant spectacle.
Also great to see the other countries competitors get the respect they deserve.
Team GB have done us very proud imo and we also get the bonus of seeing legends like Bolt ,Phelps ,Hoy etc etc and the new generation like the young Chinese swimmers and the young American that beat Addlington.