While I hold no candle for Boris Johnson or for those who can gain free entry to sporting events, I do find it faintly bizarre that the Mayor of London failed to secure any tickets to the 2012 Olympic Games from his personal application.
Could this be Bonkers Boris claiming to be one of us, the “people’s” mayor who, despite his position and his wealth, suffers the same strains and stresses as the rest of us? Or is it one of the world’s most shameless posers claiming his life is no different from other Londoner’s?
I simply cannot believe the Mayor of London will be ignored by all those corporate and other interests who will make it their business to invite their favourite movers and shakers to the Games. I would be very surprised indeed if the Mayor and Members of the GLA did not receive tickets from some source or other for some of the best Olympic events.
Come off it Boris. Your pseudo-upset “I’m a victim too” just isn’t working.
And while we’re on the subject of the Olympics, you will remember that those who were lucky enough to be able to buy a ticket to the Olympic Games had to use a Visa debit, credit or pre paid card for their purchases. And that the only card the retail outlets at the Games will be allowed to use is Visa. Visa does, of course, have a complete monopoly, which is surely wrong for any organisation, even if it is a major sponsor.
Sadly the European Commission, charged with monitoring the EU’s strict competition rules who claimed to be concerned about the Visa monopoly at the 2012 Olympics, have done nothing to resolve the situation. I blogged earlier that I had put down a Question in the European Parliament on this issue. Obviously no luck this time, though I do not intend to give up on this one just yet.
Posts to this excellent blog could only be improved by giving them an editing once-over before sendng them out to the world.
Many thanks Twiss I very much appreciate all your comments and have updated my post.
Boris probably never even bothered applying as he knows he’ll get invites. The transparency of his PR stunt is risible.
Sure, Boris will get access to all events – if he wins the election. If he doesn’t, he will get zip, unless he is lucky on the website. That is the way it was decided.
His family will get nothing whether he wins or not – unless he gets them on the website, like Londoners. There is a link explaining all this, will find it for you and post it.
Good to read a challenge to the excessive privileges enjoyed by the powerful but its credibility is rather spoilt by the fact that it comes from Brussels and particularly at a time when have learned of a fresh batch of EU extravagance.
Thanks to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism we learn that EU Commissioners spent more than €7.5m on private jet travel between 2006 and 2010, that €20,000 was spent on gifts since 2008, including cufflinks, fountain pens and Tiffany jewellery and €300,000 was spent on cocktail parties. During a four-day stay at a five-star hotel in New York, Commission President José Manuel Barroso and 35 staff members ran up a bill of €28,000.
However ridiculous Boris Johnson’s pose as a ‘man of the people’ might be, it is as nothing compared to the nonsense to be found in Brussels.