Comments on The Greenwich Phantom: Scatty Phantom

Ah.....if only Phantom, having just watched some o...

2008-08-12T18:06:00.000+01:00

Ah.....if only Phantom, having just watched some of those humongus beasts cavorting around Hong Kong I am pretty sure they will make a right royal mess an' no mistake.
I would love to see little ponies trotting about the park, so much more refined and genteel dont cha think?

Oh that's so sweet - I love the idea of those gian...

2008-08-12T17:22:00.000+01:00

Oh that's so sweet - I love the idea of those giant horse jumping over the deer trough.

It sort of takes us back to our shetland pony olympics idea, doesn't it..

They will use the old deer trough or maybe princes...

2008-08-12T17:18:00.000+01:00

They will use the old deer trough or maybe princess Caroline's bath for the water jump, its obvious!?

The police will take your name if you let your dog...

2008-08-12T16:22:00.000+01:00

The police will take your name if you let your dog jump in the boat pond so Christ knows what they will do if they find horses jumping in and out!

Thanks Indigo - that's the baby!The one I'm wonder...

2008-08-12T16:14:00.000+01:00

Thanks Indigo - that's the baby!

The one I'm wondering about is the water jump - how will they manage that one without digging? Maybe they can use the kiddie boating pond...

Let us not forget, too, all the lies told by the G...

2008-08-12T15:44:00.000+01:00

Let us not forget, too, all the lies told by the Government about how much it would cost to stage the 2012 Olympics.

I mean, how many dumbf**ks does it take to omit the Value Added Tax from the budget for the project? How long did the planners think that they could keep that "off the spreadsheet"?

I was in charge of an organisation about 10 years ago that had a Government contract, and our account manager at the client told us not to charge VAT. I should co-co.

Luckily, we were not a cluster of dumbf**ks and did charge VAT. Which was just as well when HMC&E conducted an audit a year or two later. Imagine being prosecuted for not charging VAT and having to pay it anyway?

I Googled "sue benson" meridian and bandstand, and...

2008-08-12T15:40:00.000+01:00

I Googled "sue benson" meridian and bandstand, and found this. It was in, or reproduced in, Eventing, April 2007.

Or if not "The Meridian" perhaps "The Guide"? Can...

2008-08-12T13:38:00.000+01:00

Or if not "The Meridian" perhaps "The Guide"? Can't find my copies either.

I think the article was in a previous issue of 'Me...

2008-08-12T13:26:00.000+01:00

I think the article was in a previous issue of 'Meridian' magazine..??

Oh, come on, a person on a cycle is about the same...

2008-08-12T12:32:00.000+01:00

Oh, come on, a person on a cycle is about the same height as a horse at the shoulder. The branches will have to be cut off even higher, if a horse and its rider are to pass underneath.

I'm sure Derek Spurr won't do anything that loses ...

2008-08-12T12:30:00.000+01:00

I'm sure Derek Spurr won't do anything that loses him his job.

Of course trees are going to be cut down or have branches cut off so that people on horseback can ride under them without being decapitated. And Sue Benson wants to have this on her cv - stuff those of us who live here.

For many things - like the lies they told us to get us into the invasion of Iraq, the lies they told us to try to make us a world centre of Internet gambling, the lies about university fees - I truly hate this Government.

Those of you who live around the Park, thank your good luck you don't live in Beijing - your house would have been demolished or commandeered to create stables etc - I suppose that that could still happen, technically. The Government can always commandeer things to further what they see as the "national interest". This Government sucks.

Derek Spurr says :"We will avoid the trees, and th...

2008-08-12T12:27:00.000+01:00

Derek Spurr says :

"We will avoid the trees, and the archaeology in the Park will not be affected. The jumps will be constructed with no penetration into the ground. We already prune the trees for cyclists so that’s not an issue."

This is actually more re-assuring !

If you want to have massive events like the Olympi...

2008-08-12T10:57:00.000+01:00

If you want to have massive events like the Olympics then you have to railroad all local objections to have have any chance of completing the project. Personally I dont know what London will gain from holding the games. OK if are an up and coming power like Bejing or a "provincial" city (in global terms) like Sydney then the games allow you to announce yourself on the global stage. London doesn't need to do this as only Paris and New York can match its global prestige anyway.

Basically if you want the Olympics in your town then this is one of the costs you must pay.

The park guy also makes a very valid point. The park isnt owned by the local residents it's owned by the state which is also contributing to the London games so maybe they should ask all UK tax payers whether Greenwich Park should be closed so it can be used for the Eventing?

Derek Spurr tells us to "think of the children!" ...

2008-08-12T10:35:00.000+01:00

Derek Spurr tells us to "think of the children!" here.

Don't worry though folks, he assures us that "the Park will be its old self again 'very, very quickly.'" So much for the Olympics being an excuse to invest in the country's sporting facilities. Surely it would make more sense to spend the money on improving an existing site rather than having to spend additional cash putting this one back to normal?

He also implies that no trees will be touched. Now I'm no expert on equestrianism but I know the park pretty well and I can't see how a group (flock? herd?) of horses could gallop all the way around it without some trees getting out of the way.

Last one into the protest pen is a rotten egg!

I agree - it's a done deal. They know perfectly we...

2008-08-12T10:13:00.000+01:00

I agree - it's a done deal. They know perfectly well what they intend to do, but they just don't want to make it public yet.
To clinch things, Derrick Spurr, the Greenwich Park Manager for the Royal Parks, was on the cover of Greenwich Time last issue, stating that he and the Royal Parks support the Olympics and calling those who object "shortsighted". We've had it.

Hmm when I look at those related articles it seems...

2008-08-12T09:24:00.000+01:00

Hmm when I look at those related articles it seems to me like its a done deal. If they appointed a course designer over two years ago it seems to me that the council and the Organizing committee are just giving us a load of flannel!
I dont think either body are being straight about what has been decided in the absense of public consultation or feeling in the community.

Sadly not - the one I'm thinking of is a PDF of a ...

2008-08-12T08:54:00.000+01:00

Sadly not - the one I'm thinking of is a PDF of a several-page article - in which she says she'd have a jump over the bandstand if she had her way. I like to think she was joking.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/article.php?ai...

2008-08-12T08:49:00.000+01:00

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/article.php?aid=98638&cid=397
Did you mean this?

I heard Seb Coe on TV this morning basically imply...

2008-08-11T20:43:00.000+01:00

I heard Seb Coe on TV this morning basically implying that the event will be held in Greenwich Park. Sounds like he's already made up his mind.

How did the recent emergency meeting of the Westco...

2008-08-11T12:32:00.000+01:00

How did the recent emergency meeting of the Westcombe Society vote regarding that equestrian event ?