Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

[Josef]

::):

(not mine! http://www.moneymad.org/previous.htm )

I'm sure Ollie will do better on his own than Stan did with his new partner

[crusty_bint]

[Schiehallion]

Pop question! How many "woo-yay we've got the gamers" have ever even went to a meet in the Kelvin Hall? Mmmm exactly!

That's the way of the world. How many of the hooray Henrys who toddle off to the social event that is Scotland v England at Murrayfield ever go to a club rugby match? How many of the 4.5million Celtic supporters in Seville were at a Scottish Cup tie with St Johnstone at Parkhead 3 months earlier? Answer: 21,000. It happens all over the globe, loads of people are interested in big events. It was noticeable with the two Hampden European finals of 2002 and 2007 that folk who generally have no interest in football, took a wee bit more notice because our city was the host. I even caught my mum watching the UEFA Cup Final last year because it was being held 2 miles from her front door!! That's how it works.

I would guess in every single city that has ever hosted an Olympic games or Commonwealth Games, the vast overwhelming majority of the citizens have never been to an athletics meet. So where do we find the city to host such an event?

I think it's absolutely brilliant that we've got the games and to be honest, (excuse the Ben EIton mode) I can't understand the folk who get all hot and bothered about £300 million yet don't utter a word about say the 253 x £300 million that the purchase and maintenance of a nuclear arsenal just 20 miles from our city centre will incur. Then peekay, if there is ever a limited nuclear strike conflict your 'shedload of white elephants' will be flattened along with everything else since I'm led to believe we're kinda high up the ol' target list.

[escotregen]

And I'm another one of tens of thousands that has never been to a sports event at the Kelvin Hall but who also still think "it's absolutely brilliant that we've got the games"

But it IS really tedious and sad the way that there is a strand of Glaswegians that just have to drag the negative out of everything. They seem to live in that auld Scots comfort zone of 'if yi dinnae hope for onythin or expect onythin better you'll no be disappointed'. It's not a question here of not being allowed to dissent, but if you cannot offer anything, ever, other than moaning, carping or reading conspiracy in everything - what's the point, what's your point?

(Personally I think the rot started when we allowed the miserable, pathetic, dark fantasy 'Worst Streets in Glasgow'
thread... ). I mean do some folks want this board to turn into one of those sad whinging blogs that multiply on the web?

We used to constantly emphasise ad nauseam that the aim of Hidden Glasgow was to HAVE FUN! Maybe we need to get back to emphasising that.

[grazer]

I think everyone is entitled to their opinion - positive or negative - and shouldn't be put off just because others wont like what they have to say.

I like much of the east end just as it is (and by that statement I mean most of the environment - not the social issues or whatever) As it stands, you can make the link back to what Glasgow used to be like. While I admit that things cannot stand still and progress must be made and peoples lives and environments improved and Glasgow dragged into the 21st century, I cannot help but think that once its done, and all the fancy new projects have been built and put in place, the links to the past Glasgow will be gone and they will only live on through images (or placeholders!) on this site.

Duke Street /High Street, the east end, the M74 route - all forums and upcoming projects that will happen and which are no doubt sorely needed, but no matter how useful I might find the M74 once its built, or how many times I visit a sports site generated for 2014, or marvel at the nice shiny buildings which replace the remaining wall of the old goods yard High Street which I walk past almost every day, I will miss it all.

Must be getting old or needing to get rid of my rose-tinted specs.

Sorry for the diversion on the thread, but it has been bugging me for ages!

[HollowHorn]

Excellent post.

[crusty_bint]

Welcome Grazer and thanks for getting that off your chest!

Problem is, you've just completely glossed over everything thats already been said.

* The sport facilities were to be built regardless of whether or not Glasgow would host the CWG's.
* The M74 and EERR were to be built regardless of whether or not Glasgow would host the CWG's.
* The redevelopment of the High St and College Goods Yards is completely unrelated to the CWG's and was to go ahead regardless of whether or not Glasgow would host the CWG's. The wall you are so fond of forms a very important part of this redevelopment.
* What specific sites in the east end to be used as part of the CWG's do you like? and what parts will you miss?
* What era of Glasgows past does this link to that is worth celebrating or remembering?


-Red=Athleetes Village
-Green=greenspace (the velodrome and arena will go in the derelict land between red and blue lines)
-blue=EERR
-pink=m74
-yellow=sewage treatment

You obviously don't care too much as if you did you would already have known the above facts - they are in the public domain, thats the only reason I know anything about them! The only thing I dislike is the loss of some derelict tenements at the site of the Athletes Village (which will be SOLD off after the games) as theres is no reason they cant or shouldn't be incorporated.

What really bugs me is the fact that people complain about lack of investment but when it finally comes they complain that its a white elephant or that its favouritism or worse! Then there's the ill-informed statements, pretending that theres some fore-thought gone into them when there obviously isnt - there's not even a google gone into it! You haven't even read the thread!!

So no, not an excellent post, just more of the tripe spouted by peekay. But you are correct, everyone is entitle to their opinion and right to express it! But I have asked for people to take their crap out of this thread - there's another CWG thread you can go say whatever you like in! All you have you do is use your gumption and search for the bastard thing.

So there you have it!

Like it.

Or lump it!

[Lucky Poet]

No that ye're biased at all, Crusty
Seriously though, I am by habit and repute a bit of a cynical bastard, yet I can't see how any of this can be a bad thing. Better this than £300 million on miscellaneous nuclear submarine widgets. I hope come the time I can make it through to see the velodrome in action (about time Scotland had a decent one). Man cannot live by bread alone, &c. [/sook]

[crusty_bint]

Well bias would imply I had something to gain personally so no, I'm not biased

I don't see the negative in it either (as ya'll might have guessed ). What seems to be happening is that the CWG's and this thread are being used as a platform to air every gripe anyone's ever had to do with anything, anywhere, anytime. I know critical thinking is a Scottish disease but you can't (not you LP ) go making at best ill-informed, at worst un-informed statements and not expect to have it picked up on!

So no offence meant Grazer, and I'm sorry thats the response you got to your first post on HG but given what had gone before you should expect it.

[crusty_bint]

Here's a better illustration of whats happening

green - greenspace
yellow - CWG venue or site thereof
red - athletes village
blue - road
pink - proposed rail extension


And in the context of the East End and city as a whole

red - new development associated with the CWGs

[escotregen]

Grazer you’re absolutely right that everybody is entitled to their opinion. I did say that It's not a question here of not being allowed to dissent. My point, and I know the point of many other HG regulars, is if you cannot offer anything, ever, other than moaning, carping or reading conspiracy in everything - what's the point, what's your point?

So... talking about dissent ... I don't know how far I can agree with about liking the East End just as it is. It is scarred throughout, particularly by cheap, crappy designed, functionally obsolete properties (including the tenements built mainly from post WW1 onwards). There are vacant brownfield sites all over the place with horrendous development problems - from my time as an East End housing association director I found that most of these apparently available sites are either badly contaminated or have ground problems, or both.

You said that you were speaking about the environment and not the social; that's exactly the mistake so many people have made about the East End and other areas of the city - you cannot divorce the two, or you end up with developments like the Council's 1970s (or 80s) ugly 'Gallowgate 2' housing scheme... even the very name chills you and shows how detached from any real locality it was.

In fact it is now recognised that poor local environments and social deprivation go hand in hand. The East End has some of the consistently worse standards of housing (still), worklessness, health and education performance of Western Europe never mind the U.K.
(and by the way I’ll be glad to see the removal of the wall at Duke Street because for me it is one of the symbols of long term de-industrialisation, dereliction and lack of development in parts of the East End).

Other than that, I do not dissent from what you say

The fact is that the East End has 'not worked' as a place to live, learn and work for something like half a century. This makes the Council's decision to go for the Commonwealth Games, and to base them in the East End, all the more laudable. It offers the prospect of at least partially addressing the big issues of health, economic investment, personal motivation and ambition, local environment and housing in a linked and 'more bangs for bucks' way.

[crusty_bint]

Excellent post.

[hazy]

Excellent post.

Are you sitting on HH,s shoulder.

[crusty_bint]

Are you sitting on HH,s shoulder.

Is that a question?

[grazer]

No CB, I don't belive my post deserved such a harsh response just because others have.

All I said was that I will miss areas of Glasgow once they are gone, while still having the desire to see things improve. I'm quite torn between the two feelings. I thought it might provoke a response from people who have a similar dilemma as they watch the progress in Glasgows development, not derision about my lack of accurate detail on slum housing.

I deliberately didn't go into great detail about examples, etc, because I'm not good at that. I can't list out all the areas I like, why I like them, etc - there are too many. Even the couple of examples I listed were comprehensively knocked as being ones others would like to see demolished! I love walking up past the wall on Duke Street - even if it is a symbol of deindustrialisation, etc etc.

I thought thats what this site was about - commenting on how you feel about things in the city?

I applied my post to this thread after reading a large number of threads from start to end - I got fired up and decided to break cover from years of lurking - and maybe I did post on the wrong thread, but this wasn't through "lacking gumption to find the correct bastard thread".