A crime fiction author contacted me in the week with details of a petition regarding the funding for the Olympics in London in 2012. You can find it here.
I'll start at the beginning: the petition was created by Dawn Kenyon of Carlisle Carers Association and she petitions "the Prime Minister to stop the Chancellor from using lottery money to fund the Olympics in 2012". Please note (1): Dawn Kenyon is from a carers association. Please note (2): for some of the money that the lottery generates, (all previously aimed at charitable causes), the proposal is now to redirect a portion into the coffers of the ever increasing cost to stage the 2012 Olympics in London.
I'm not surprised this petition originated with someone working in a carers association. This is what it means, in black and white: the lottery has raised money for years and has distributed it on the basis of grants and in other ways to charities; the charities thus get to depend on this income stream to provide their services and ensure their survival. Take that income away and it means less or no services from that charity. It may also mean an end to that charity, should the loss of income be so material. Please read on...
aveWant to add your name to the petition yet? Here's your link.
The impact on writers:
I received this link from a writer, who has taught and nurtured other writers. This writer knows the hardship any writer can face and many who start out have very little behind them, something I know from experience as I've seen it. Arts Councils give out grants to writers to help them along the way. The Arvon Foundation is itself a charity and also provides grants to those on low incomes so they can attend Arvon course. New writers need guidance and they need to be taught, especially about the intricacies of the publishing world. Those six figure publishing deals are the tip of a very sharp iceberg and often follow a mass of rejection slips. Many areas of the arts survive because of the support of public funding, grants and charitable donations. A loss in this area means a loss of culture and a reduction in the nurturing of new creative talent.
Finally:
Think of the mismanagement of the Dome under this current government. Think of the new Wembley Stadium and its immense cost overrun. Not a good track record is it? And now there's a proposal to divert funds raised for charitable purposes into another potentially white elephant project when it comes to cost.
I'm more than happy to see the Olympic games in the UK in 2012 funded; but I'm less than happy to see a drag on resources for some of the real necessities in life and current economic needs.
If you agree, please add your name to this petition now. It's very simple to do so. You can get to right page from here.
And if you have a blog and agree with this petition, please publicise it.
Don't worry about it. Sir Tony Blair will be safely ensconced as a visiting professor at an American university by the time the British public realizes (and has to start paying for) what he has done to them with the London Olympics.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Peter | 20 May 2007 at 20:21
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Rhian.
I think it is extremely frightening to compare the cost the new Wembley with other stadiums. In France, Australia, the USA, and Wales they have built stadiums far more cheaply.
I only hope the person in charge of the Olympic spending is not someone whose mortgage is being paid by a trucking company in Palermo.
Posted by: Norm | 20 May 2007 at 19:22