London, Paris and the Olympics

[grafikhaus74]

Watched a prog. last night about Paris and it seems to mirror what London is becoming.

 

A centre where all the nice, photographed areas are, surrounded by suburbs filled with 'disaffected yoof' willing to riot and destroy (This argument really is getting tiresome. It's like the old joke about 'He comes from a broken home. He destroyed it.)

 

And it made me fear for all the tourists who may wander off the beaten track for next years Olympics, complete with expensive cameras round their necks, passports, wallets etc.

 

Did 'Lord' Coe consider this when they were whoopin' and a-hollerin' about the 'success' in gaining the White Elephant Games?

 

Or will he, and the other head honchos be too busy getting whisked in their limos along the police-protected 'priority routes'?

[waldershelf]

Just spent a week in Paris, my fifth holiday there over the last 30 years. Every time we go it seems to be a little less french and a little more north african and a little more grubby and unkempt. Away from the tourist areas the city is slowly degenerating into a cess pool of feral society. I guess like most big cities around the world where the "experiment" has failed.

 

I've just read my post back and it comes across as some sort of racist rant, it's not intended to be, just an honest observation

[Closet Guy.]

Just spent a week in Paris, my fifth holiday there over the last 30 years. Every time we go it seems to be a little less french and a little more north african and a little more grubby and unkempt. Away from the tourist areas the city is slowly degenerating into a cess pool of feral society. I guess like most big cities around the world where the "experiment" has failed.

 

I've just read my post back and it comes across as some sort of racist rant, it's not intended to be, just an honest observation

 

No it doesnt.

But being on SF you know someone will say it does.

[speedbirdone]

But isn't it like that in most big cities, get away from the main centre, touristy areas and you will always find little pockets of suburbs that are run down full of disaffected youths, high unemployment ect ect.

[Rupert_Baehr]

I've heard a lot during the past day or so about how there is 'no employment' around Tottenham.

 

That's very strange. There many thousands of people who travel into London every day to go to work. Most of them travel a lot further than the people in Tottenham would have to travel.

 

Is there no employment around Tottenham or are large numbers of the people who live there unemployable?

 

If that's the case, whose fault is that? Are there no schools and colleges around Tottenham? Are children there not required to go to school between the age of 5 and 16?

[dosxuk]

And it made me fear for all the tourists who may wander off the beaten track for next years Olympics, complete with expensive cameras round their necks, passports, wallets etc.

 

Sydney, Athens and Beijing all have no-go areas for tourists.

 

In Athens in particular we were warned to stay away of certain parts of the city, including a couple which are on the main route from the city centre to the Olympic site. Infact, this was the result of a couple of media people driving the wrong way and meeting lovely group of G7 protestors who'd come to Athens to celebrate the Olympics.

 

Or will he, and the other head honchos be too busy getting whisked in their limos along the police-protected 'priority routes'?

 

The real head honchos travel by helicopter and private jet during the games. With over 100,000 people to move every day, with strict time constraints on when those people need to be in places, the Olympic Route network is an essential part of the game logistics. It's not there for the benefit of the head honchos, it's there to enable the games to happen.