London 2012 Olympics will not be 'austerity Olympics'

[richard]

Calls for an “austerity Olympics” will be ignored by the Government as the 2012 Games could help keep Britain out of recession, says the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Calls for an “austerity Olympics” will be ignored by the Government as the 2012 Games could help keep Britain out of recession, says the Culture Secretary.

Jeremy Hunt believes that hosting the Games is an “incredible stroke of luck” during the global economic crisis as it will provide a “huge plus sign” for the struggling British economy. He also says demonstrators will be tolerated as long as their protests are legitimate and lawful.

Ministers have faced calls to pare back expenditure on the Games at a time when thousands of people are losing their jobs, public services are being cut and taxes are rising.

But in an interview in today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt says voters will never forgive the Government if it does not “make the most” of an unprecedented opportunity. “You can take two attitudes to the Olympics,” he says. “You can say: these are times of austerity and therefore we should pare them down as much as possible. Or, you can say: because these are times of austerity we need to do everything we possibly can to harness the opportunity of the Olympics.

“We’re going to be the centre of global attention and it will be the first time that we’ve had a major sporting event that’s watched live by half the world’s population. People would not forgive us if we didn’t make the absolute most of this moment.

“This is going to be an incredible expression of Britain’s culture, Britain’s history and Britain’s creativity. So, we decided that the sensible thing to do is to make sure that we finance it properly.”

The Government has provided more than £9 billion for the London Games and there is still more than £500 million unallocated in “contingency” funds.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, praised the 1948 austerity post-war Olympics in London, when athletes travelled by bus and other countries donated items.

However, Mr Hunt says the Olympics are vital for the economy. The Treasury is analysing the economic impact of the Games but Mr Hunt says it will be significant.

Asked if it will be the difference between entering a double-dip recession and not, Mr Hunt replies: “I don’t want to overstate that because there are many other factors … but if you are saying, 'Will the Olympics have a massively positive impact on our economic confidence?’ I think the answer is resoundingly yes.”

He expects the Olympics to be targeted by protesters but, unlike at the 2008 Beijing Games, they will be treated with “dignity”.

“We are proud to be a democratic country and protest is part of that tradition. We don’t want to see disruption to the Games but we also recognise part of the package of Britain is that we allow protest providing it’s lawful and legitimate.”


Source
By Robert Winnett & James Kirkup
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph