London Olympics 2012: stop whining, everybody, it could be amazing - Daily Telegraph Blogs
Sydney Olympics 2000: brilliant
Stop your whining, everybody. With all due respect to my fellow bloggers Iain Martin and James Delingpole, stop your whining, and at least try to enjoy it.
I'm talking about the Olympics, obviously. And I have to address their concerns, and my own. Yes, London's transport system is going to creak and groan and probably, once or twice, break. Yes, the security is creepy and totalitarian and in some cases frankly weird (anti-aircraft missiles over London? Tell me, when you shoot these planes down, where do you think they'll land?). Yes, as we saw yesterday, the IOC and Locog have done their level best to turn the whole thing into a festival of Mammon. And yes, the fact that they've cordoned off a lane of most of London's major roads for the sole use of Olympic bigwigs is just bizarre. But let's not write the whole thing off before it's started.
I was living in Sydney during the 2000 Games, and it was an incredible time to be in the city – even though I only successfully got tickets for a women's group-stage field hockey match between South Korea and Spain. (I've got tickets to a football group match this time round: the glamour tie of South Korea vs Gabon. It seems that fate is trying to make me a Republic of Korea fan.) It felt like an ongoing party, especially the closing ceremony, which essentially turned into an all-night shindig along the banks of Darling Harbour. The whole nation got behind its heroes – Cathy Freeman, the part-Aboriginal 400-metre runner, became a global star, and a symbol of Australia coming to terms with some of the troubles of its past. And, despite the concerns in the buildup – largely the same concerns we're having now – it all came off wonderfully smoothly.
If you're a Londoner, as well, surely you can remember the excitement on 6 July 2005, when it was announced that the Games were coming here. It's hard, now, to remember it without the knowledge of what happened the next day, but even before the horrors of the Tube bombings there was a feeling of togetherness in the city; I know I got quite emotional when it was announced. It's the biggest sporting event in the world, and however hard people have tried to muck it up, it still has the potential to be great.
Yes, it could all go wrong. Yes, a party of tourists could get lost on the Underground for two weeks, having to survive on rats and diesel. Yes, you might literally never make it to work, or you might have to hand over all your worldly possessions to a glowering security thug in mirrored sunglasses, or you might be forced to eat only Olympic-Branded Special Food and wear Olympic-Branded Special Clothes for the duration of the Games. But that hasn't happened yet. It could be wonderful. Save your complaining for afterwards.
Opel CEO Stracke resigns in middle of turnaround - AP - msnbc.com
FRANKFURT, Germany — The CEO of General Motors' loss-making European business abruptly stepped down on Thursday, a sign that the automaker's top management wants to speed up what has been a slow-moving restructuring plan.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke stepped down just two weeks after presenting a new plan to rebuild the struggling European Opel and Vauxhall brands and return them to profitability. Adam Opel GmbH said in a statement that he will stay with GM and take on special projects, reporting to CEO Dan Akerson.
GM Vice-Chairman Steve Girsky, the head of Opel's board of directors and a company troubleshooter, will serve as acting chief of European operations while the company searches for Stracke's replacement.
The surprise moves show that GM's upper management is growing more impatient with the slow pace of change in Europe as the economy deteriorates faster than expected, said Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Automotive, a consulting firm near Detroit.
"Change of leadership really denotes a new direction is required, maybe a new speed at which some of the changes will occur," he said. "It also signals to labor that it's a new sheriff in town."
The U.S. automaker wants to make a profit on its European business, which includes Opel and the Vauxhall brand in Britain, despite tough competition among mass-market carmakers. Opel and Vauxhall have been a drag on the company's earnings for a dozen years, including a $256 million loss in the first quarter and $747 million last year.
Stockholders and analysts have questioned whether GM is moving fast enough to stem the losses and restructure in Europe, where GM has too many factories and workers for the number of cars it sells.
The faltering European macro economy has created a situation where plant closings and other restructuring moves may now be more palatable to unions and governments as auto companies struggle, Robinet said. "That sense of urgency needs to be conveyed to labor that this is not just something we're going to talk about every couple of months. This is job one," he said.
GM rode strong North American profits to earn $1 billion last quarter, but its profit margin — a measure of profitability — was 5.8 percent, well below the 10 percent margin typical of Hyundai or Volkswagen, the top industry performers. Akerson has said he wants to raise GM's margins closer to the leaders. Profit margin is the proportion of revenue that's left after costs such as labor or raw materials.
Akerson said in a statement that the 56-year-old Stracke "worked tirelessly, under great pressure, to stabilize this business and we look forward to building on his success."
Stracke who has been with GM more than three decades, took over the European operations early in 2011, replacing Nick Reilly.
The Detroit-based automaker struggling to turn Opel and Vauxhall around. A partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen offers a chance for cutting costs but will not show results for several years. Meanwhile, Opel is barred for now from closing plants in Germany to cut excess capacity.
The departure of Stracke, a former head of GM engineering, comes two weeks after the Opel board approved a new overhaul plan at its June 28 meeting. The company said it is looking to add new models in segments in coming model years where it currently has no offerings, seek new markets in emerging economies, and look at moving other GM production to Europe to make best use of plant capacity.
Opel has also said it was in talks to guarantee German workers jobs through 2016, after which the closure of the plant in Bochum, Germany, was widely expected. In return, workers gave up a 4.3 percent wage increase agreed to in industry-wide negotiations. German labor contracts had tied the company's hands, barring layoffs through 2014.
Bochum is an older, higher-cost, facility but factory closings are expensive and politically difficult in Germany, where severance costs can be high, worker representatives sit on company boards and unions have political clout.
The company has also agreed on a partnership with France's PSA, but that effort will take several years to bear fruit. The alliance is to focus on sharing platforms — the basic mechanical foundations — and parts modules to save costs from larger volumes, but the first common platform was not expected to launch before 2016. The struggling French carmaker, facing diving sales in crisis-hit southern Europe, announced a drastic cost-cutting plan Thursday to slash 8,000 jobs in France and close a major factory north of Paris.
The faltering European economy is affecting more than GM and PSA. Ford Motor Co. last month warned that its second-quarter profit will be lower than a year ago due in part to growing losses in Europe. The company said the European economy has deteriorated significantly since early in the year.
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Krisher reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
London opens doors to Olympic village - Sydney Morning Herald
Testing out the facilites ... Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Photo: Reuters
London has unveiled its $1.5 billion (£1 billion) Olympic village, a mini-city in the formerly downtrodden East End boasting plush apartment blocks and facilities that mayor Boris Johnson says will provide athletes with "just about every form of legal entertainment".
Team officials began checking into the 36-hectare village on Thursday ahead of the arrival of athletes, who are due to start trickling in on Monday. About 15,500 will call the village home during the Olympic Games, which will formally kick off after the opening ceremony on July 27.
"It is more luxurious than the most luxurious Forte Village to be found on the Costa Smeralda and it knocks Club Med into a cocked hat in my view," said Johnson. "They [the athletes] can have their hair done, they can have their nails done, they can have just about every form of legal entertainment in London."
Facilities galore ... athletes can get their hair done in the village, just like Boris Johnson did. Photo: Getty Images
Australia's 410 athletes, and the accompanying team officials, will have their own designated section of the sprawling complex, set around lush parkland in the heart of Olympic Park. They will be housed within 2818 apartments, sleeping in quarters ranging from one-bedroom flats to four and five-bed townhouses. The apartments, which will primarily be rented out rather than sold after the Games, each have their own lounge, with a television and free broadband.
They will eat in a 24-hour dining room the size of a hangar and which serves everything from English favourites such as toad-in-the-hole to Caribbean and African cuisine as well as, of course, McDonald's.
Elsewhere, the athletes have their own high street of shops including a florist, convenience store, post office, dry cleaner and a beauty and grooming outlet.
Excited ... Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Photo: Getty Images
The social precinct of the village is called The Globe, which has all the hallmarks of a bar except that it does not sell alcohol. Officially the entire village is a booze and drugs-free zone, although athletes with a penchant for partying have smuggled in alcohol at previous Games. While the beverage list is limited to water and the sponsor-provided isotonic and soft drinks, there is plenty to do at The Globe. It has pool and football tables, a gaming area, an outdoor cinema, a clothing exchange and a stage where athletes will be able to sing with live acts.
Also within the village is a gym, an internet cafe, a health clinic for treating injuries and an adjoining pharmacy, which among other medicinal products will distribute up to 150,000 condoms.
The opening of the village to local and foreign media on Thursday did not begin to plan - the drivers of the double-decker red buses ferrying reporters and cameramen around initially went the wrong way - but Johnson is adamant the London Games will reach new heights. It is the first Games since Sydney in 2000 that could potentially claim its unofficial title as the "best ever".
"I think we will have the best ever Olympic Games," Johnson said. "I think the hundreds of thousands and millions of people who are going to come to this park, they're going to come to London, and they're going to have a most wonderful time."
There is danger the 16-day extravaganza could be drenched by one of England's wettest ever summers but Johnson, drawing on his well-known sense of humour, said he welcomed whatever the weather threw up.
"If there is a little bit of rain it doesn't matter. It'd be a shame if we didn't have some rain," the mayor said. "I think it would be unusual and disappointing if we didn't have a large amount of rain. People are braced for [it]. It's England in July, come on. I think, dramatically speaking, a certain amount of precipitation is probably essential and we're going to enjoy it."
London 2012: Dow Chemicals urged to bow out of Olympics - businessgreen.com
The London Assembly has blasted the decision to select Dow Chemical Company as an Olympic partner, arguing the move damages the reputation of the games.
The company has courted controversy since it bought chemicals firm Union Carbine, owner of the pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, where a 1984 leak of poisoned gas killed tens of thousands of people. Campaigners claim the company has not cleared up the site or paid proper compensation to the victims - charges that Dow rejects.
FURTHER READING
Dow Chemicals is a Worldwide Olympic Partner and paid for the plastic wrap around the Olympic Stadium, making its branding almost unmissable throughout the games.
But a London Assembly motion, yesterday agreed by 16 votes to seven, calls on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to rethink its relationship with Dow Chemical.
It says the decision to name it an official partner has "caused damage to the reputation of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games" and urges the two bodies to "consider the environmental, social, ethical and human rights records of companies" when awarding partnership and sponsorship deals in the future.
Campaigners have been protesting against the major roles companies such as BP, Rio Tinto, and McDonalds have been given at the event and further protests are expected when the games start at the end of the month.
Labour Assembly Member Navin Shah, who raised the motion, said: "It is time for LOCOG and the IOC to take their ethical and sustainability code seriously and exclude Dow Chemical from future sponsorship deals.
"It's not too late to clean up their act. We owe it to the victims and their families to demand actions and implement changes to keep out the likes of Dow Chemical from future Games."
The decision was welcomed by campaign group Amnesty International, which criticised the criteria LOCOG used to assesses partnership decisions for excluding human rights.
"This should not have been used as an excuse by LOCOG to evade their ethical responsibilities by getting Dow to sponsor the wrap around the stadium," said Peter Frankental, economic relations programme director at Amnesty International UK.
"LOCOG should recommend that future Olympic hosts consider the human rights record of a sponsor, so that this sort of shameful association does not happen again. That would be a fitting legacy for the London Games."
A Dow Chemicals spokeswoman said the company was "fully committed" to its partnership with the IOC.
"We regret that the misinformed and misdirected allegations and actions of some groups are influencing others to make decisions that are not constructive to the resolution of the issue or consistent with the spirit of the Olympic Games," she said in a statement. "We are proud to be a TOP sponsor of the worldwide Olympic movement and hundreds of Dow products have contributed towards making London 2012 a success."
And a LOCOG spokesman insisted the company was appointed following a "thorough and competitive" process that was independently validated by the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012.
"We assessed all bids on the ability to deliver a sustainable solution and Dow met this criteria [sic] by some distance," he added. "Dow is a financially sound, well run international company with over 700 employees across 14 sites in the UK and has been a worldwide sponsor of the Olympic movement since 2010."
In related news, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman will today open the One Planet Centre at the heart of the Olympic Villages, which is pitched as an "interactive hub" providing athletes with information and advice on sustainable living.
The project has been managed by leading charity BioRegional and supported by Coca Cola.
"Through similar initiatives we ran at the Beijing and Vancouver Games we know that by educating and engaging athletes about sustainable living we can get this message to a much wider audience," said Katherine Symonds, head of sustainable games at Coca-Cola.
"Better still, if we connect with them on things that they find fun, we know we get a better response - hence bringing the popular activities of pin-trading and kit-swapping into this space."
Peugeot Citroen plans 8,000 job cuts - BBC News
French carmaker Peugeot Citroen has set out plans to cut 8,000 jobs and close an assembly plant outside Paris as losses mount.
Peugeot said the Aulnay plant near Paris, which employs 3,000 workers, would stop production in 2014.
Last week, Peugeot said its first-half sales had fallen 13% amid a "profound crisis" in its eurozone markets.
Another plant, at Rennes in western France, is set to shed 1,400 posts from the 5,600 it employs there.
Another 3,600 jobs would be lost across all facilities in France.
Peugeot's chairman, Phillipe Varin, said the situation was grave.
Analysis
PSA Peugeot Citroen's jobs cut announcement is a sign of the problems faced by mass-market carmakers in Europe.
Over the past couple of years, companies that make high profit margins from selling luxury cars, such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, have done very well.
Relative newcomers Kia and Hyundai have also enjoyed great success, with competitively priced models made in ultra-modern, hi-tech factories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Traditional mass-market carmakers, such as Peugeot, as well as Renault, Opel/Vauxhall, Ford, Fiat and Toyota, are stuck with old-fashioned factories and well-paid workers demanding more.
Unable to compete with the newcomers on price and without the brands needed to attract profitable luxury buyers, they find themselves stuck in the middle where the European motor industry's excess capacity is most acute.
"I am fully aware of the seriousness of today's announcement, as well as of the shock and emotions they will arouse in the company," he said in a statement.
He said "the depth and persistence of the crisis" made the reorganisation necessary and that workers who lost their jobs would receive support and help in finding new employment.
Around half of those currently employed at Aulnay would be offered new jobs at Peugeot's other Paris plant at Poissy.
One CGT union leader, Jean-Pierre Mercier, said: "Varin has declared war on us, and we'll give him war."
Workers at the threatened plant stopped work after the announcement.
In an interview with Europe 1 radio, French Social Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine said the cuts were "unacceptable".
The French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said the government was studying the closure plan, which he called a "great shock".
CompetitionPeugeot's sites are working well below capacity, with the average operating at 76% of their potential.
It said that the output of its smaller cars - which account for 42% of sales - was worse than average as many of its competitors operated in lower-cost markets.
The carmaker said it expected to report a loss for the first half of this year and to return to break-even by the end of 2014.
Earlier this year, Peugeot announced a 1bn-euro (£800m; $1.2bn) savings programme on top of headcount cuts of 6,000 announced last November.
Peugeot also this year entered into an alliance with GM of the US, under which GM takes a 7% stake in Peugeot, making GM the second-biggest shareholder in the French firm after the Peugeot family.
The company said the effects of that deal would not be felt until after 2014.
South London Healthcare becomes first NHS Trust EVER to go into administration as debts spiral out of control - Daily Mail
- Health Secretary says the ground-breaking decision is in the interest of patients
- Trust is struggling to pay off Labour-agreed PFI deals costing 61m a year in interest
By Claire Bates
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An NHS hospital trust losing 1m a week has been put into administration to try and stop it collapsing, the Department of Health said today.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has appointed a trust special administrator to try and turn around the struggling South London Healthcare NHS Trust.
Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich is one of three that makes up the South London Healthcare Trust
Mr Lansley said: 'I have decided it is in the interests of the health service and, in particular, of the patients the Trust serves.'
The Trust has been put on an 'unsustainable providers regime' and the government has appointed Matthew Kershaw with the task of putting it back on a 'viable footing.'
Mr Kershaw currently works as the national director for provider delivery at the Department of Health. He will take over the Trust's board on Monday July 16 and recommend measures to Mr Lansley at the start of next year.
The chairs and directors have been informed that they have been suspended from board duties.
It is the first time in NHS history that a trust has been forced to hand over its administration powers to the Department of Health after failing to meet prescribed standards.
New appointment: Matthew Kershaw is the special administrator tasked with sorting out the Trust
The Trust was only created in 2009 after the merger of three hospitals - the Princess Royal in Orpington, Queen Mary's in Sidcup and the Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich.
Yet it has gone 150million in the red over the past three years largely because of crippling Private Finance Initiative deals agreed by the last Labour government. The two PFI deals are now costing 61million a year in interest.
Last year's deficit, paid off by money from elsewhere in the NHS budget, could have paid for 1,200 nurses or 200 hip replacements a week.
The Health Secretary stepped in after draft financial plans showed the trust would have a deficit of between 30million and 75million a year for the next five years, despite efforts to tackle the situation.
Today he said: 'Past efforts have not succeeded in putting the South London Healthcare Trust on a sustainable path.
'This will be a big challenge and my key objective for all NHS Trusts is to ensure they deliver high-quality services to patients that are clinically and financially sustainable for the long term.
'The purpose of the trust special administrator is to ensure that services are high quality and to ensure a lasting clinical and financial solution.
Health secretary Andrew Lansley said the ground-breaking decision was in the interest of patients
'Although there have been some improvements in mortality rates, maternity services and infection control, and some early signs of improvements in waiting times, they do not go far enough. It will be impossible for South London to build on these improvements while tackling such a large deficit.
'Matthew, working with clinicians, all other staff, commissioners, patients, the public and other stakeholders, must now drive the changes and shape a sustainable solution for South London Healthcare NHS Trust and the local health economy.
'I am confident that with the regime I am enacting today in place, and working extensively with clinicians, health service leaders, patients and local people, Matthew will have the tools and framework in place to find a long-term satisfactory solution for the people of south east London.'
Mr Kershaw will first publish a report on October 29 after examining the Trust's long-standing difficulties. He will then launch a 30-day consultation with staff, patients and public on a draft report. A final report will be sent to Mr Lansley on January 8, 2013.
Mr Kershaw said: 'My priority is to work with staff, patients, the public and all those involved in healthcare services in the south east London area to maintain high quality, effective services during the running of the Unsustainable Provider Regime.
'This means developing recommendations that ensure that people in south east London can access high quality, safe, and financially sustainable NHS services for the long-term.
'Together we will need to think differently, be bold and accept that change needs to happen. The status quo is not sustainable.'
A spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'This announcement is an unprecedented step by the Secretary of State and moves the NHS into unchartered waters.
'It presents a worrying state of affairs for both patients and staff at the Trust, who will be undoubtedly concerned by today’s decision.
'We know that the Trust has been in financial difficulties for some time. However, despite this, frontline staff have continued to do their best for patients, providing a high level of care.'
London 2012: Security forces get ready for Games - BBC News
It was only in December that organisers had to review the number of security staff at venues - from 10,000 to 23,500, leading to a £271m increase in costs to £571m.
That review saw the number of military involved jump to 13,500. Now it has gone up again because G4S have not been able to train enough staff in time.
Organisers had to review the number of security staff at venues back in December. Photo: Getty
Huge numbers of recruits failed to show up for interview or training, leading to last-minute attempts to plug the gaps. Many who did show up were simply not up to the task.
So why did G4S leave it so late to train the security staff? And if they knew they couldn't cope with the Government's demands, why didn't they flag it up before?
While this is an embarrassment so close to the Games, it is worth pointing out that the overall number of security staff has not changed. Many people may feel reassured that the military are performing these tasks rather than private officers.
But the heavy military presence at the Olympic Park will likely divide opinion. Some will feel safer, others may find it intimidating. Seb Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee, has said countless times he doesn't want the Olympics to be a security event with a bit of sport attached. The military presence will change that perception.
A document has been doing the rounds in Whitehall assessing London's readiness for the Games. Unsurprisingly it concludes London is ready - but there are concerns.
Transport remains the big question. Yesterday it took almost an hour to make the one-mile journey from Fleet Street to Trafalgar Square.
The organising committee and Transport for London keep saying they are sure the city will cope but the big danger is what happens if there is a signal failure or a problem with a major road? This will be exacerbated when the Olympic Route Network - which is supposed to ensure athletes get to their events on time - comes into force just before the Games.
There are also worries about how Britain's border controls will hold up once thousands of people start arriving.
This Sunday is a crucial test as it is the first day when all immigration desks will be fully staffed in anticipation of the rush.
With the world's media arriving looking for a story, the smallest things before an Olympics can suddenly take on huge significance.
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Today is the deadline for bidders for the Olympic Stadium. If you feel like you've read that line before, it's because you have - at least twice.
This is the third attempt to shoehorn West Ham United into the stadium after the Games. The first was scrapped after legal challenges from Tottenham, the second after opposition from Leyton Orient.
Daniel Moylan is the new man in charge of the body overseeing the future vision for the Olympic Park and its venues. He is a key ally of London Mayor Boris Johnson and a former deputy chair of Transport for London. He is confident the renamed London Legacy Development Corporation will get it right this time.
But as the only bidder in town, West Ham are trying to drive the hardest possible bargain. They may also demand more costly changes to the stadium scope - with a full roof and retractable seating adding an extra £50m to the conversion costs, taking the total to around £150m.
The challenge for Moylan is to finally clinch a deal with West Ham - the only viable long-term tenant - at the same time ensuring the taxpayer doesn't end up subsidising a wealthy Premier League football club.
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Weather forecasters are predicting the damp, unsettled conditions could continue well into August. London 2012 organisers say contingency plans are in place for the sport and for spectators but if it does keep raining expect some awkward questions for Locog as to why so many of the venues are uncovered.
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