The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is throwing its support for one of the five cities bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and it’s not London, it’s Paris. The party says London would be better not spending billions on the Games.
Members of the party unfurled a huge banner outside London’s city hall on Tuesday with “Paris 2012 Candidate City” written above the Olympic Rings. UKIP said it would reconsider if Londoners were offered a referendum on hosting the Games.
UKIP member Damian Hockney told Reuters,” because Paris already has the infrastructure it might actually be able to make a profit from the Olympics and we hope they win because they would save Britain billions of pounds”.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone and bid organizers called it a “cheap publicity trick”. Livingstone said, “some people will obviously say and do anything to get two minutes on the television. Polls show 70 per cent of Londoners are right behind our Olympic bid and the new investment, transport, jobs and housing it will bring to London”.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s first minister Jack McConnell is urging Scotland to get behind London’s bid.
McConnell said, “I cannot imagine a situation where the Olympics came to Britain and that didn’t kindle a fantastic interest, among young people in particular, in sports participation, in turning up as part of the audience, but also trying to stretch each and everyone as far as they can go. So I think having the Olympics in Britain would be great for us all and I think it would be superb opportunity for Scottish companies.
“I would urge Scottish companies now to be thinking about what they can do if London is successful.
