Reply to: Empty Seats at the London Olympics

[darmstadt]

You said MOST spied upon. I'm awaiting your statistics about North Korea...

Okay, shouldn't have said MOST and also should have said 'Western Democracy,' but still:

The clear objective of Cameron’s government is to silence anyone or any organisation that at a later date may try to stand up against injustice and corruption within the government. The very fact that these new powers are being given to the police, rather than being reserved exclusively to the security services, demonstrates the fact that the police have now become a kind of “state police” rather than fulfilling their original objective of policing “by consent”.

The British are already the most spied upon nation in the world, even more so than the Americans. There are more CCTV cameras in Britain than in the whole of the rest of the EU put together and we have the tightest controls on movements in and out of the country, limits on social interaction and more criminal legislation than any other European country.

The reality is that once the legislation is in place, everyone in the UK will have all their contacts monitored by the government, whether they be children or adults, criminals or law abiding citizens.

In a statement, the Home Office said action was needed to “maintain the continued availability of communications data as technology changes”.

“It is vital that police and security services are able to obtain communications data in certain circumstances to investigate serious crime and terrorism and to protect the public,” a spokesman said.

“As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review we will legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows to ensure that the use of communications data is compatible with the government’s approach to civil liberties.”

It is clear now what is meant by “the government’s approach to civil liberties.”. The government obviously believes that we should not have any.

The population of the UK still believe that they live in a free society when, in fact, they live in the most politically controlled environment in Europe. Not only has Britain become a slave of America but now the British are becoming slaves of their own government and seem content to allow that situation to continue and to further evolve.

And I thought the USA was bad...

[d000hg]

You said MOST spied upon. I'm awaiting your statistics about North Korea...

[darmstadt]

Please do feel free to cite supporting evidence for that stunningly idiotic claim.

To start:

The number of CCTV cameras in the UK is not known for certain because there is no requirement to register CCTV cameras. However, an article published in CCTV Image magazine estimates that the number of cameras in the UK is 1.85 million. The number is based on extrapolating from a comprehensive survey of public and private cameras within the Cheshire Constabulary jurisdiction. This works out as an average of one camera for every 32 people in the UK, although the density of cameras varies from place to place to such a degree as to make this figure almost meaningless. The Cheshire report also claims that the average person on a typical day would be seen by 70 CCTV cameras, although many of these sightings would be brief glimpses from cameras in shops.

The Cheshire figure is regarded as more dependable than a previous study by Michael McCahill and Clive Norris of UrbanEye published in 2002. Based on a small sample in Putney High Street, McCahill and Norris estimated the number of surveillance cameras in private premises in London at around 500,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK at around 4,200,000. According to their estimate the UK has one camera for every 14 people. Although it has been acknowledged for several years that the methodology behind this figure is somewhat dubious, it has continued to be quoted in the absence of a better figure.

The CCTV User Group estimates that there are around 1.5 million CCTV cameras in city centres, stations, airports, major retail areas and so forth. This figure does not include the smaller surveillance systems such as those that may be found in local corner shops and is therefore broadly in line with the Cheshire report.

Then there were the recent press reports intimating that schoolchildren should report tax dodgers...

[d000hg]

Not are only the UK populace the most spied upon people

Please do feel free to cite supporting evidence for that stunningly idiotic claim.

[darmstadt]

Troops have now been ordered to fill empty seats. You couldn't make that up

Not are only the UK populace the most spied upon people but continuing in the totalitarian state that it seems to be turning into, you have this. Look at pictures of countries that were behind the Iron Curtain or other dictatorships and what do you see? Yep, soldiers sitting in the empty seats...

[Mich the Tester]

Those are official prices via London 2012 website, £150 are for Cat B (swimming), row 45, section 420. £420 are Cat A (athletics), Row 15 cant remember the section but on the 300m bend. Both sets are for Finals tickets and good sessions.

I guess I paid because I love sport and wanted to go to the Olympics, I nievely thoughts id get better seats that I did for the money. Ive read of people who are dissapointed with Athletics Cat AA £750 seats.

Like I said a long way from good seats, I dont think any of the good seats went up for sale, i.e. athletics main strainght is probably all VIP, Media, LOCOG, Sponsors etc.

Pretty appalling given the state of athletics in Europe right now. The whole thing should be about selling tickets to real fans who support their local clubs and young sportspeople who'll be inspired by watching the best in the world. Finding and pleasing sponsors isn't the problem; wherever Usain Bolt goes there'll be corporate hangers on who'll pay top dollar to have their name shown somewhere near him anyway.

[Barley]

Are those official prices or did you pay that through a tout?

Those are official prices via London 2012 website, £150 are for Cat B (swimming), row 45, section 420. £420 are Cat A (athletics), Row 15 cant remember the section but on the 300m bend. Both sets are for Finals tickets and good sessions.

I guess I paid because I love sport and wanted to go to the Olympics, I nievely thoughts id get better seats that I did for the money. Ive read of people who are dissapointed with Athletics Cat AA £750 seats.

Like I said a long way from good seats, I dont think any of the good seats went up for sale, i.e. athletics main strainght is probably all VIP, Media, LOCOG, Sponsors etc.

[Mich the Tester]

Ive tickets for the swimming at £150 a pop and some for the Athletics at £420 a pop, both are sets are in okish positions but a long way from being good seats. I'll be mightily unimpressed if I can see large sections of empty seats in the good seating area's.

Its understandable that there will be some empty seatsfor the tennis etc, but if this continues for the popular events I think they need to sort something out sharpish.

Are those official prices or did you pay that through a tout?

[lukemg]

There is good news - the tickets have already been paid for by corporates etc.
Should be a stand-by system like at wimbledon, assess gaps and anyone queueing up can get in, who have been to another sport or just the park. If you allocate 75% of the gap seats that way, still have enough if some of the people arrive later and if it gets full, tough sh1t...

[Barley]

Ive tickets for the swimming at £150 a pop and some for the Athletics at £420 a pop, both are sets are in okish positions but a long way from being good seats. I'll be mightily unimpressed if I can see large sections of empty seats in the good seating area's.

Its understandable that there will be some empty seatsfor the tennis etc, but if this continues for the popular events I think they need to sort something out sharpish.

[Mich the Tester]

Why not tell people if they're not in their seats 20 minutes before the event starts their seats will be sold to the public outside? Or better still, given away to local schoolkids. OK, so check at 30 mins and 20 mins before so people don't lose their seat while they visit the bog, but the principle's pretty clear.

[vetran]

12,000 not used

would of thought they had a 'Standby' system. Even grabbing people in the park and saying 'psst do you want to see some scantily clad females playing volleyball?'

[TimberWolf]

All a bit discouraging for terrorists/spoil sports isn't it. After they've got past security forces installed by most of the first world, the anti aircraft batteries, snipers, video surveillance, bag inspections, security cameras, 4SG or wherever they are called, the bloody spectators are the army too. They might as well sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

[MyUserName]

I'm sure they'll love it... forces types and sport are a good match.

Normally they are only in it for the punch ups, though

[d000hg]

As usual the army have to step in and get paid for watching the Olympics. Poor sods.

I'm sure they'll love it... forces types and sport are a good match.