As the vultures circle above the Olympic Park, awaiting the inevitable execution of the organisers, I thought I’d remind cherished critics of the origins of the games with these iconic symbols of youthful athleticism.
And if you like the idea of idealising the human form in this way – sans culottes, as you might say, you might also enjoy a visit to Vigeland Park in Oslo, where there are literally hundreds of depictions of everyday life in a similar style, although some of the sculptures might be a tad racy for those of a more conservative disposition.
Just a thought!
Boadicea's Chariot 
Yes I reckon the Olympics will be a white knuckle ride and not because of the sports. I shall keep well clear of London although by all accounts it’s getting pretty difficult to get into now, and that’s just for the athletes.
Yesterday a friend told us that the main drag through Egham was closed for the duration forcing a long detour.
If things don’t work out a ritual execution of the organizers would be not only be appropriate but discourage these fools in the future.
Jazz, I expect the games themselves will be a triumph, but the traffic and the weather will cause mayhem!
Hee Hee Hugh,
This G4S nonsense is merely the tip of the iceberg. Wait and see. By the time the next batch of woes surface whatever they may be, they will make the security issue look like a minor blip. And all along Ms May will claim she knew nothing about it, which will be true after all. If you don’t bother to check, you will definitely find no problems.
I see some athletes are already checking out of the “lympic village” and basing themselves elsewhere outside of the UK, they intend to show up at the last minute, chuck a javelin or whatever then hot foot it the hell out of the UK because it sucks. If that is the attitude of the athletes can you imagine how pissed the spectators are going to be?
It’s time to embrace the horror guys, I for one shall enjoy every incompetent, wasteful, keystone-kop-like blunder with sheer joy. If you are retarded sufficiently to lay out £1600 for a place to park your rump while some pillock recreates rain over a not very convincing model of rural Britain and a bunch of people in different coloured jackets strut up and down a bit waving flags, then you deserve every thing that could possibly come your way. I cannot begin to imagine how interesting the times are going to become but I am willing to bet that even my deepest nightmare will be trumped by Ms May and that plonka Coe with bells on.
When the dust settles and that worn out phrase “lessons to be learned” gets used as another attempted defense of the indefensible, maybe just maybe one or two of those idiots in Westminster might actually wake up and smell the coffee. By then of course the UK will be the laughing stock of the planet.
I see the Border Agency have laid off far too many people at a monstrous cost in redundancy fees and are now paying twice as much again in wages to temp agencies to frantically hire other people to cope with the airports. How many of these “athletes and spectators” will decide to stay here when the fiasco is finished and disappear into the population I wonder.
It has the inevitability of a train wreck, bring it on. 🙂
Every cloud … etc. At least there is no way, never ever, that we will host the Games again. I’ll just hum quietly to myself until it’s all over.
Nice pictures, Janus.
Oh dear Bilby,
There you go assuming that the baboons in gubmint will actually learn something from this. 🙂
Hi Furry
They won’t, but surely another successful bid is out of the question?
As long as the IOC get their wedge, I am sure they will view this as an unparalleled success. 🙂
I expect you’re right (sigh, hum).
Look on the bright side, Ferret. The more prima donnas who can’t cope with training in London’s weather and take themselves off abroad, the less grub we’ll need to provide. The Chinese hurdler who considered that Leeds might be more suitable than London needs some geography lessons. He also needs to think about what the weather might be like for his actual race. You see, there are lots of things one can giggle at.
Sheona,
Don’t get me wrong, short of giggles I shall not be. In fact I fear for the security of my ribs in the coming month, because every day I will see yet another shining example of the total and utter incompetence of our so called elected leaders. The only alternative option to laughter will be to cry and I have decided I am going to enjoy this.
Furry, your predictions of mirthful events may well be true of the British efforts at running too. At last week’s World Junior Champs the Brit relay teams all managed to do the impossible by failing to finish their races. A baton is apparently too heavy, slippery or just plain difficult to carry, hold or pass on for some elite athletes.
The ‘Olympic Route’ signs have just gone up on the A40 not far from my front door here in East Acton. I’m thinking of hiding in the bushes by the side of the road with a big bag of eggs waiting for one of the VIP Zils to come along…
There is a belting picture on the google images where there is a two lane road somewhere in the cess pit which is our glorious capital.
The left lane is a bus lane and the right one is a ‘lympic Zil lane. Is the mere mortal traffic expected to do a Dukes of Hazard and skirt the dotted line in the middle on two wheels?
At the moment, the London cabbies are jamming up Westminster in protest at being excluded from the ZiL lanes. Good for them.
We should all so the same 🙂
Bravo, I would suggest a bag of carpet tacks, as strewn in front of the Tour de France riders the other day. Just imagine a Zil lane full of punctured limos as the rest of the population sails past them.
A list of iniquities so far-
Zil lanes a la Russe
Mandatory replacement by troops and police thus removing security from the general population.
Olympic Park force feeding of competitors in the manner of North Korea.
Missiles on roofs from the Assad school of military tactics.
Croneyistic assignment of contracts from the definitive nepotist’s text by Mugabe.
The $60 million rape of Greenwich Park, mangling of historic trees, landscapes and buildings from the Koch handbook on rapine.
Force feeding of sponsors disgusting fast food to all and sundry on a mandatory schedule at all venues from the nth book of Mormon on how to make 27 billion by Romney.
Live animal abuse at the opening ceremony.
There are many more examples, too many to bore you with. I don’t see this as funny any more, far too many cases of abuse of ‘democracy’ or at least the fable that the UK was still a democracy.
We appear to have taken leaves out of every dictators book ever written!
Copied below a good piece from John Redwood’s site:-
“…….I wish to make it clear at the outset that this site does not wish to associate itself in any way with an important sporting event soon to happen in the UK, as I have no wish to infringe brand rules. I will not of course even mention the logo, let alone seek to reproduce it to illustrate this piece. Five intersecting circles are rightly the proud possession of the movement concerned. Their award of special coins in various coloured metals with ribbons are theirs alone.
I understand that this sporting event is being supported by Acer,Adidas,Atos,BA,BP,BMW,BT,Coca Cola,Dow, EDF,GE,Lloyds TSB,Macdonalds, Omega,P and G, Panasonic,Samsung and Visa. I understand that there are a number of banned words, that only these noble official commercial supporters can use. I am trying to write this piece while observing the brand requirements. I would like to say a big thank you to these public spirited companies for putting up some money to help organise this event, alongside UK taxpayers who will be putting in rather more.
I want this big event to be a great success and to bring pleasure to all those who watch it or are involved. I wish to point out that I have received no free or discounted tickets, and have no privileged access to any part of the festivities. Like many members of the public I applied for tickets. I was turned down for my first choice, the sailing, but did manage to buy a couple of seats for one morning of rowing near Eton.
It was not easy receiving the tickets, as they were delivered one day when I was not working at home but for some unknown reason needed to be signed for. They had to be retrieved from the local Post Office. I have received several communications telling me I must on no account seek to go to this event by car. There will be no parking near the site. I have also been told not to ask friends to drop me off or to splash out and take a taxi, because there will be no set down allowed. The event takes place about thirty minutes drive from my home. When I last attended rowing at Henley, they used nearby fields to allow car parking close to event and that seemed to work well.
When they sent me my tickets, to my home address, they included a railway ticket to the event from the centre of our capital city. That was not very thoughtful, as I would have to spend a lot of time and money getting trains into the centre of that city in order to get more trains out again. Indeed, as they wish me to be at the venue by 8.30 am I would have to travel the night before to carry out this double train journey.
If I go by train from the station nearest to my home I will need to leave home at 6am in order to get to the venue by 8.30, with a long walk, three changes of train and a shuttle bus needed to complete the journey. I am told I need to allow one hour to stand in the queue they plan at the venue prior to getting to my seat. When I last went to Lords to watch some cricket the queue mangers promised us that we would have a maximum wait of fifteen minutes for security, and they kept their word. People with tickets to the main stadium are I hear told to be there two and a half hours before. This either assumes dreadful queues, or gives them more shopping time before the games begin.
I intend to enjoy the event despite the strange rules and arrangements. I do not plan to buy any product from a supporting company when at the event, as the brand rules do seem a touch over the top. I will spend a happy morning without eating and drinking. After the event I will let you know how I got on, to the extent that the rules allow…..”
Having just watched the ‘cabbie’ revolt in London, I am delighted that at least one section of the UK population has remembered that they have the right to protest – and protest loudly. Shame a few others are not doing the same!
Oh deep joy!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18885424
It seems the Beeb has taken it upon itself to use our money to buy the rights to this ridiculous farce for another 8 years. Now they are truly taking the urine.