May I place on record my thanks to the powers-that-be here in London for the constant advertising instructions to Back the Bid (for the 2012 Olympics). Thanks also for spending my transport pounds on incredibly lurid yellow seat covers on tube trains reminding me of their wise orders.
Apparently, spending money on yellow seat covers is justified because if London hosts the Olympics it will have to improve transport. Obviously the powers-that-be understand why it makes more sense to spend my money hosting the fat cats of the IOC instead of er… just spending it on better transport.
I have thought very carefully about these well-intentioned instructions. And call me a troublemaker but I am politely declining to do as I’m told. I’m not backing the bid. Nor linking to their site since it will only encourage them.
If others want to back the bid that’s fine. They may be right and I may be wrong about the value of it. But can we please acknowledge that there’s an argument about this. I don’t like public money being spent to put one side of the debate and not the other.