My most recent effort for Comment Is Free reflected on Tuesday's Olympics countdown excitement:
I gorged on the glamour of the coming games, served on a shiny tray by Britain's leading broadcasters. Two years to go until London's Olympiad and soaring expectation is just about official. Presenters beamed, workers obligingly expressed their deep commitment, Lord Coe defended the market-calibrated ticket allocation system and appealed for go-for-it volunteers ("Have you got what it takes?".)
It was all about the sport, the build-up, the event. Search your memory, though, and recall that a short burst of athletic competition is meant to also be a means to a greater end. A big reason why Britain pipped rival bidder Paris five years ago was the promise of "legacy", in the form of a gigantic urban renewal scheme to bring new wealth and wellbeing to the capital's hard-up East End. The sports venues are on schedule. Their budget has not over-run. But will prosperity flow from the Olympic Park once the runners and jumpers have gone?
Now read on.
