Olympics Special

:00:10. > :00:20.This is Free Speech. Your chance to have your say about what matters to

:00:20. > :00:41.

:00:41. > :00:44.As ever, it's been a busy month but only one topic of conversation, so

:00:44. > :00:48.good evening and welcome to Free Speech. I am Jake Humphrey and

:00:48. > :00:52.tonight we are live from this magnificent art deco theatre, The

:00:52. > :00:57.Troxy in east London, good evening, audience. APPLAUSE thank you all

:00:57. > :01:02.for being here tonight. It promises to be a busy programme. First, take

:01:02. > :01:09.a quick look at this. The live countdown clock. As you can see,

:01:09. > :01:18.nine days, 58 minutes, 57 minutes, and 58 seconds, until the big one.

:01:18. > :01:22.What's the big one? Finally, it's here, London 2012. It's under way

:01:22. > :01:25.next week. It's eyes of the world on Britain and London. What will

:01:25. > :01:30.the Olympics mean for young people here? We have been asking new a

:01:30. > :01:34.special poll of 500 young people and this is what you think. 71% say

:01:34. > :01:40.the Olympics make them feel proud to be British and on the economic

:01:40. > :01:44.front, 73% agree the Olympics will benefit the British economy. But

:01:44. > :01:48.62% of young people in our poll believe that the money would have

:01:48. > :01:52.been better spent elsewhere. Clearly, you have a lot to say

:01:52. > :01:56.about this sporting summer, don't keep it to yourself, get online and

:01:56. > :02:00.Facebook and Twitter and if you do this evening Michelle de Swarte is

:02:00. > :02:05.waiting to hear from you. Good evening. Give her a round of

:02:05. > :02:08.applause! APPLAUSE. Thank you for being with us tonight and make sure

:02:08. > :02:12.you get in touch. This show is about you being part of the

:02:12. > :02:15.programme. We have met Michelle, time to meet the panel and find out

:02:15. > :02:21.how you can tell us what you think of them. Remember to send a message

:02:21. > :02:26.with your hashtag tonight and with us, a live Olympic medallist,

:02:26. > :02:33.welcome Tasha Danvers who won bronze four years ago in Beijing.

:02:33. > :02:39.Next, the MP who has been campaigning against putting weapon

:02:39. > :02:43.systems on residents' roofs, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara

:02:43. > :02:47.Ali. We are also joined by the Skills Minister and Conservative MP

:02:47. > :02:53.whose job it is to make sure young people in Britain receive work

:02:53. > :02:58.skills from the 2012 Olympics, welcome John Hayes Hayes. Finally,

:02:58. > :03:04.the co-founder of Haringey Young People Empowered, aiming to give

:03:04. > :03:09.local youths a bigger say in their community, Symeon Brown. Thank you

:03:10. > :03:14.all very much for being here. First, the Olympics have cost us all �12

:03:14. > :03:18.billion. But the Government says that's OK, because the Games will

:03:18. > :03:23.put �13 billion back into the economy. But who will benefit? Our

:03:23. > :03:28.poll of 500 young people found a whopping 86% don't think that

:03:28. > :03:37.overall the 2012 Olympics will make them better off financially. Let's

:03:37. > :03:40.hear now from Jaurus and Eugene, they tried to get work at the

:03:40. > :03:43.Olympic Park. I have been looking for work for over a year. When I

:03:43. > :03:47.heard the Olympics was coming to town I was really excited. I

:03:47. > :03:55.thought to myself, I have to, no matter what it takes, be involved

:03:55. > :04:00.in this. I have been applying for jobs for a long time now. I would

:04:00. > :04:07.say since 2010. When I I heard the Olympics came here I wanted to be a

:04:07. > :04:10.part, no matter what, any position would do me. I knew they were

:04:10. > :04:14.looking for praepbses on -- apprentices on the site and I knew

:04:14. > :04:19.that was my only opportunity to get in there. I was looking for an

:04:19. > :04:26.apprenticeship in engineering. Applied for five different jobs.

:04:26. > :04:32.Runner, security guard, car direction job, labouring, directing

:04:32. > :04:36.people because I speak different languages. They phoned me and then

:04:36. > :04:40.they called me and told me that basically I passed an interview and

:04:40. > :04:44.when can I start? I was like, wow, my whole life has changed now. It

:04:45. > :04:49.felt like I was one in a million. did not get any position. I didn't

:04:49. > :04:54.get nothing back whatsoever. That was a big disappointing. I feel

:04:54. > :04:58.very lucky. I don't take it for granted. A lot of people would love

:04:58. > :05:01.to be in the position I am. On the first day in site, working on the

:05:01. > :05:05.Olympics stadium, wow, I can't believe I am one of the few that's

:05:05. > :05:09.here. Maybe I didn't get a chance with this one but I do believe

:05:09. > :05:16.there are more opportunities out there to come for me. I definitely

:05:16. > :05:20.got my hopes up still. Well, there you go, one Olympic Games tworbgs

:05:20. > :05:23.different store -- two different stories. It's right that as you

:05:23. > :05:27.went through this process and live locally, you should start tonight.

:05:27. > :05:30.What's your question? I have lived there for a long time and applied

:05:30. > :05:35.for all those jobs, what has the Olympics done for me? Good question.

:05:35. > :05:38.From a Londoner. Let's come to you first, Tasha Danvers, Londoners

:05:39. > :05:42.have contributed �625 million to the Games or at least they they

:05:42. > :05:47.will have done. Surely they should get something for that money, like

:05:47. > :05:50.a job? I know, it's easy to say that but in reality it's just not

:05:50. > :05:53.going to happen, you know, I don't think the Olympics ever professed

:05:53. > :05:57.to be able to solve the problems of the world and to solve the problems

:05:57. > :06:00.of the country that everyone was going to be able to be employed as

:06:00. > :06:03.a result of the Olympics coming here. It's just unrealistic.

:06:03. > :06:07.There's only so many jobs available. Even the ones that are available,

:06:07. > :06:11.many of them are temporary. So, unfortunately, some people are

:06:11. > :06:16.going to miss out, as you saw. There was a balance there, someone

:06:16. > :06:20.who did benefit from it and others that just won't. It's just the

:06:20. > :06:24.natural way that things work out with the Olympics. OK. Rushanara

:06:24. > :06:29.Ali, I am intrigued to hear what you have to say, you are an MP. I

:06:29. > :06:33.am sure you know your constituents well. Have your constituents had

:06:33. > :06:38.the opportunity to apply for jobs and get jobs, has it changed their

:06:38. > :06:42.lives? First of all, I think we need to recognise that having the

:06:42. > :06:45.Olympics has regenerated the East End of London in an area that

:06:45. > :06:49.hasn't had the investment that's needed. Let's not forget that

:06:49. > :06:52.that's a big achievement for this part of London. And we should be

:06:52. > :06:57.proud of that and also be proud of the fact that you guys are going to

:06:57. > :07:00.be the hosts of the poeubgses to the rest -- Olympics to the rest of

:07:00. > :07:02.the world and that's remarkable. That's going to be something we

:07:02. > :07:06.will all remember for the rest of our lives. But on the point about

:07:06. > :07:13.jobs, I think you make an absolutely key point, which is that

:07:13. > :07:20.when we got the bid one of the hopes and ambitions was to generate

:07:20. > :07:24.more jobs and the fiasco over G4S has been absolutely scandalous and

:07:24. > :07:29.you are absolutely right to expect to be able to get a job that was

:07:29. > :07:33.available and thanks to the failure of G4S and the Government to hold

:07:33. > :07:38.them to account those jobs haven't been available to people like you.

:07:38. > :07:42.I think you are slightly right to be angry about a missed opportunity

:07:42. > :07:45.that should have been available to young people like yourselves who

:07:45. > :07:50.are looking for jobs in a very difficult time. I have been

:07:50. > :07:55.campaigning to get people into jobs long before I got elected and many

:07:55. > :08:00.others have, so this is really disappointing that the Government

:08:00. > :08:04.and the G4S haven't done enough to get people into jobs. Did you apply

:08:04. > :08:09.for a G4S job? I did, in fact. happened? Well, I went for the

:08:09. > :08:12.interview, but I didn't get no reply back whatsoever. What's going

:08:12. > :08:15.on here? People unemployed in this country, huge amounts of young

:08:15. > :08:19.unemployed people and this guy can't get a job with a company who

:08:19. > :08:24.we know haven't got enough staff to do the job at the Olympics? 46,000

:08:24. > :08:29.people have been involved in the construction that's led up to this

:08:29. > :08:34.Olympics. About a quarter of those from the host boroughs. So, 12,000

:08:34. > :08:38.people in those host boroughs have had jobs. But what I really want to

:08:38. > :08:41.say is we have also built hundreds of apprenticeships, that's long-

:08:42. > :08:44.term benefit to those people who were involved in that process. I am

:08:44. > :08:47.in the business of building the biggest apprenticeship programme in

:08:47. > :08:52.history. I want to give young people in particular the chance to

:08:52. > :08:54.gain a skill, get a job and keep a job. It's not just about the

:08:54. > :08:58.temporary effect, important though that is in terms of pride and

:08:58. > :09:02.purpose, it's about investing in infrastructure and investing in

:09:02. > :09:05.skills. That's what I think we have tried to do and of course nothing's

:09:05. > :09:08.perfect. Tasha is right, we are not going to solve the problems of the

:09:08. > :09:11.world through the Olympics, but I think this is an important

:09:11. > :09:14.contribution to that business of regeneration that's been spoken

:09:14. > :09:17.about. Would you have thought a young man living in this area

:09:17. > :09:20.perhaps could have got a job with a company that needs to fill

:09:20. > :09:25.vacancies. You work with young people, you are heavily involved in

:09:25. > :09:28.lives they lead. Where has this gone wrong? I am not entirely

:09:28. > :09:31.convinced at those responses, because the largest promise of the

:09:32. > :09:36.Olympics was it would bring investment into the lives of young

:09:36. > :09:43.people. I say this as a biased Londoner, but I think this is the

:09:43. > :09:48.greatest city in the world and I am biased because I am from London.

:09:48. > :09:51.APPLAUSE. But despite the beautiful things about this city, the thing

:09:51. > :09:56.that makes it ugly is how deep inequality goes and I think this

:09:56. > :10:00.Olympics is the very expression of that. Now the contradiction between

:10:00. > :10:06.having austerity and having a lavish Games that cost billions is

:10:06. > :10:09.there for all to see. We have a multibillion pound Games, yet we

:10:09. > :10:14.have cuts to school sports. We have seen the fact that we have had

:10:14. > :10:17.youth services completely slashed while we have seen management

:10:18. > :10:21.committee of G4S pay themselves lavishly more than most of the

:10:21. > :10:24.budgets combined. I think for me, I am not convinced on the argument of

:10:24. > :10:29.regeneration either, because this seems to be a Games paid for by the

:10:29. > :10:33.many that's benefited the few and the event that we paid for and I

:10:33. > :10:37.think that what we have seen, even if the argument of regeneration, if

:10:37. > :10:40.we look at the trends from previous Olympics what we have seen is that

:10:40. > :10:45.that regeneration has come at the expense of local communities.

:10:45. > :10:48.Barcelona, the cost of living went up by 139% and according to a UN

:10:48. > :10:51.report it found that the Olympics is one of the top causes of

:10:51. > :10:55.displacement of people across the world due to increase of rent,

:10:55. > :10:58.increase of cost of living and so for me I think that the

:10:58. > :11:03.regeneration for local young people involves supporting them, not

:11:03. > :11:06.making it harder for them to get on in that area. APPLAUSE. A great

:11:06. > :11:10.point, thank you. I am going to come to the audience now. I would

:11:10. > :11:13.like a very brief reply to one of the points made there, John, about

:11:13. > :11:18.spending on sport for young people. Spending on young people in sport

:11:18. > :11:20.has been reduced �162 million to �35 million in recent years. I am a

:11:20. > :11:24.Londoner, too. I was born and brought newspaper south-east London

:11:24. > :11:27.on a council estate, other side of the river, I accept, but

:11:28. > :11:32.nonetheless a Londoner. I know about what he is talking of.

:11:32. > :11:36.have you cut that spending? only way you are going to build the

:11:36. > :11:39.skills and strengths young people need to get jobs and keep jobs is

:11:39. > :11:45.by investing in education, investing in... You have reduced

:11:45. > :11:48.the investment. That's what why I built the biggest apprenticeship

:11:48. > :11:53.programme in history and will continue to do so. Can you defend

:11:53. > :11:56.the reduction in spending on sport? Let's get this clear, what this

:11:56. > :12:00.Olympics will bring is many more opportunities for people across

:12:00. > :12:05.Britain to get involved in sport and not just that, it will inspire

:12:05. > :12:08.people. Your poll, the poll you quoted, 70% of people, more than

:12:08. > :12:14.70%, think this will will make them proud to be British. I guess the

:12:14. > :12:19.request that wasn't -- the question wasn't asked, how many people are

:12:19. > :12:22.going to get involved in sport as a direct result, I bet you it's tens

:12:22. > :12:26.of thousands, hundreds of thousands. We will find out later. We will

:12:26. > :12:30.discuss that. Let's stick on the topic here of the economics of the

:12:30. > :12:34.Olympics. Just going back on the jobs front. I realise we are not

:12:34. > :12:38.going to solve all unemployment issues with the Olympics. But when

:12:38. > :12:42.George Osborne gave his speech about getting Britain working again,

:12:42. > :12:46.why is it that we have made 90% of our Olympic souvenirs in China and

:12:46. > :12:51.not in Britain? Surely we should be making them here? We need to get

:12:51. > :12:56.our economy going. It's crazy. APPLAUSE.

:12:56. > :12:59.Let's hear from you. I would like to say there is a big problem in

:12:59. > :13:05.the Olympics that a lot of the jobs haven't gone to British people and

:13:05. > :13:08.a lot of people have been applying for jobs but they've not been given

:13:08. > :13:14.them. I think four out of ten jobs have gone to foreign workers and I

:13:14. > :13:18.spent a few weeks back in April or March working for a company which

:13:18. > :13:23.was hiring for the Olympics and I spent a lot of time talking to

:13:23. > :13:27.people who were supposed to be in hospitality industry and a lot of

:13:27. > :13:30.them couldn't understand me. I was asking them passport details, they

:13:30. > :13:35.did not understand a word I was talking about and it concerns me

:13:35. > :13:40.when there are people out there who would like jobs at the Olympics and

:13:40. > :13:44.haven't got them and there's - they've been given to foreign

:13:44. > :13:47.workers as well, who can't understand English. OK. I don't

:13:47. > :13:49.think you can say that people shouldn't get a job because their

:13:49. > :13:57.English isn't up to standard but it's about making it fair for

:13:57. > :14:01.It's about making sure local people have access to the opportunities.

:14:01. > :14:06.That's why one of the things I did as soon as I was elected is work

:14:06. > :14:09.with colleagues to put pressure on LOCOG to look closely at who was

:14:09. > :14:13.being recruited, not just go for the easy option and bring people in,

:14:14. > :14:17.when there are local people out of work who could do those jobs. I

:14:18. > :14:22.think some of these numbers are far from accurate. The Government, when

:14:22. > :14:25.we were in power, we made a commitment to create 20,000 jobs in

:14:25. > :14:30.the five host boroughs. Less than half have gone to local people. So

:14:30. > :14:36.I think it's right for us to put pressure on the Government to say,

:14:36. > :14:39.OK, we've done what we can, so far, we need to go forward and celebrate

:14:39. > :14:44.the Olympics, but once the Olympics are over, let's concentrate on the

:14:44. > :14:50.legacy. There'll be jobs that will be coming as a consequence as part

:14:50. > :14:53.of the legacy. And John and his party and his Government needs to

:14:53. > :14:57.really keep the focus. We will work with them to keep the focus on

:14:57. > :15:01.creating those job that's are going to come next, after the Olympics.

:15:01. > :15:05.agree with. That I think the legacy is really important. We can take a

:15:05. > :15:08.lot from that. I'd like to agree with the gentleman at the back. We

:15:08. > :15:12.have to start making things that people want to buy in Britain. We

:15:12. > :15:16.have to have a manufacturing economy. I was at a summit today

:15:16. > :15:19.with major manufacturers. What we argued is we have to change our

:15:20. > :15:23.economy, not just from one that relies on services, important as

:15:23. > :15:27.those are, but the one that actually makes things. Yes, I agree

:15:27. > :15:31.with you Sir, those things should be made in Britain. We need to have

:15:31. > :15:35.the skills to do that and that is why I'm trying to bring about.

:15:35. > :15:39.Let's be proud of Britain through the Olympics. Let's get a legacy,

:15:39. > :15:46.part of that is the "made in Britain" really means something we

:15:46. > :15:51.can all value. Let's hear from Thomas, you're doing a thesis on

:15:51. > :15:59.the regeneration of East London. Can you tell us whether any of

:15:59. > :16:05.these points have resonated with you? It would be easier if you look

:16:05. > :16:11.at me. I can't really do much more what you're saying about the rent

:16:11. > :16:16.gap. I'm working in an historical context. Going from Barcelona '92,

:16:16. > :16:22.which is what our Olympics models itself on, in fact Ken Livingstone

:16:22. > :16:27.said he wanted London to become Barcelona on Thames, which I find

:16:27. > :16:32.quite ironic, because of the whole rent gap. What's your point Thomas?

:16:32. > :16:36.Sorry. My point is this Games, we can't say what the economic impact

:16:36. > :16:41.is going to be. We can just say it's going to be developed through

:16:41. > :16:46.a woolly legacy. It needs to be identified soon after Games.

:16:46. > :16:51.interested whether the panel to spend �12 billion to make �13

:16:51. > :16:55.billion is quoted, is that good value? No, I definitely think it

:16:55. > :17:00.should be more. It should be more. Going into an Olympics, they know

:17:00. > :17:06.that it's going to overrun. They know that the cost, some Oxford

:17:06. > :17:11.students did a study on the Olympics and it's -- its

:17:11. > :17:17.overrunning. They found with 100% consistency the Olympics overruns.

:17:17. > :17:22.It's about the management of that money. So if they think it's only

:17:22. > :17:26.going to make �13 billion, I don't know, if you're in a struggling

:17:26. > :17:30.economy, like for example Greece was, it could really devastate the

:17:30. > :17:36.economy. Maybe certain cities need to reconsider whether it is worth

:17:37. > :17:40.it. How do you value national pride? When you won your medal,

:17:40. > :17:44.when our athletes this time round win their medals, we're all going

:17:44. > :17:49.to get something out of that, because we are all going to be part

:17:49. > :17:55.of the celebration. That may sound romantic. It may sound ambitious.

:17:55. > :17:58.It may sound creative, but you know that feeling, when a British

:17:58. > :18:02.sportsman achieves something that I couldn't have achieved, you

:18:02. > :18:05.probably could actually. But I couldn't. The kick that gives us

:18:05. > :18:09.makes us begin the day with a spring in our step. That's part of

:18:09. > :18:13.it, surely? It's part of it. I was very proud when I crossed the line.

:18:13. > :18:19.At the end of the day, when I go home I still got to eat. My son

:18:19. > :18:23.still has to eat. APPLAUSE

:18:23. > :18:27.Pride doesn't fill my belly, it doesn't pay my rent. It's all

:18:27. > :18:31.lovely to say that. That's a good point because I was very proud. I

:18:31. > :18:35.was very honoured to be a member of Team GB and to cross the line and

:18:35. > :18:40.be able to stand on the podium, but at the same time, we have to get

:18:40. > :18:43.with the reality is that that's not what pays the bills at the end of

:18:43. > :18:49.the day. That also has to be considered more than anything else,

:18:49. > :18:54.I think. Let's find out what people are saying at home. We have a big

:18:54. > :18:59.response here. Adam maybe this is for you, a question for you. He

:18:59. > :19:06.says, why should the taxpayer, pay for it. He lives in Northumberland

:19:06. > :19:10.and says it has no effect on him. LAUGHTER

:19:10. > :19:15.I live in Lincolnshire. I'm a fairway from East London. But I

:19:15. > :19:18.think it's a national event and a national event, with all kinds of

:19:18. > :19:22.events that will be held around the country, as you know. So it's not

:19:22. > :19:27.just in London. A national event is national. Are your constituents

:19:27. > :19:31.excited, empowered and engaged by the Games? Yes, I gauge that by

:19:31. > :19:37.this. How many constituents will be following the Olympics? I suspect a

:19:37. > :19:42.high proportion indeed. We've got another comment here and this seems

:19:42. > :19:48.to be the overwhelming response, "The Games will only benefit the

:19:48. > :19:53.large sponsors and those already rich politicians." Then quite a

:19:53. > :19:56.nice one from Pearl, "I'm extremely excited for the Olympics because

:19:56. > :20:01.it's going to go down in sporting history and not just in British

:20:01. > :20:04.history." That is mirroring what you're saying. Now there is only

:20:05. > :20:09.one way for our panel to find out what you guys at home think about

:20:09. > :20:19.the comments that they just made, that is to fire up the power bar.

:20:19. > :20:20.

:20:20. > :20:23.Let's do it. Yeah, it seems like you're doing quite well there.

:20:23. > :20:26.You're obviously echoing what a lot of people at home are thinking.

:20:26. > :20:29.Your comments about benefiting young people with the Olympics is

:20:29. > :20:32.important. I want to get quickly, we heard there on the internet from

:20:32. > :20:36.someone saying we should be proud of the Olympics, this is something

:20:36. > :20:40.to celebrate. I'd love a couple of comments from people who are

:20:40. > :20:45.excited about the Olympics and they don't care about the economic

:20:45. > :20:50.benefit, it's just about having the Games? Just talking about the

:20:50. > :20:54.workers and the Olympics... LAUGHTER

:20:54. > :20:58.After the Olympics I don't think it's going to benefit the economy.

:20:58. > :21:02.After the Olympics over 25,000 people are going to get fired. What

:21:03. > :21:06.effect is this going to have on our economy, what will happen to them?

:21:06. > :21:10.You clearly didn't want to talk about the excitement of the Olympic

:21:10. > :21:14.Games. I think we should leave that point. Thank you very much and

:21:14. > :21:20.thank you for your comments on that and all of you online who shared

:21:20. > :21:25.your thoughts with us. Now the next topic. This is Starstreak High

:21:25. > :21:30.Velocity Missile, rapier surface- to-air weapons. They've put them on

:21:30. > :21:33.tower blocks in East London. One of them is just five minutes from here.

:21:33. > :21:37.Vital for Olympic security says the Ministry of Defence. No-one's asked

:21:37. > :21:45.us about it, say those in the flats below. Innocenced people from one

:21:45. > :21:49.block went to court to have their weapons removed. They lost. A local

:21:49. > :21:53.resident loaded this video. I live in the borough where the Olympics

:21:53. > :21:56.are going to be and where the tower blocks are with the missiles on top.

:21:56. > :22:00.I think it's great there's something in place to make us feel

:22:00. > :22:03.safe and keep us safe from potential terrorist attacks. But

:22:03. > :22:08.having it on top of flats where people live, it's out of order to

:22:08. > :22:12.me. The trauma of knowing that there's missiles on top of your

:22:12. > :22:16.house is just beyond belief. If they do go off, it's going to be a

:22:16. > :22:19.major problem, we all know the risk. It's going to be really loud. Now

:22:19. > :22:24.you're a potential target for terrorists. Even if they don't,

:22:24. > :22:26.it's not fair on the residents to know it could happen at any point.

:22:26. > :22:30.It's ridiculous, especially if there's children in the house. I

:22:30. > :22:35.wouldn't want my children, little sister or brother to be in a house

:22:35. > :22:37.where potential missile will go off on your roof. It's out of order.

:22:37. > :22:41.APPLAUSE She says it's out of order. Plenty

:22:41. > :22:45.of passion there and more here. Now a question, Natalie, what do you

:22:45. > :22:52.want to know? Are the missiles necessary to help protect London

:22:52. > :22:57.during the Olympics? OK, are they necessary? They're on the tops of

:22:57. > :23:01.buildings in your constituency. I know your residents, some of them,

:23:01. > :23:06.aren't happy, but isn't security paramount? Yes, it is, of course.

:23:07. > :23:11.What my constituents took issue with was that they hadn't been

:23:11. > :23:15.properly engaged when this decision was imposed on them. And there was

:23:15. > :23:19.no sense of what the alternatives were, whether they'd considered any

:23:19. > :23:24.alternatives before deciding to put these missiles on their roof tops.

:23:24. > :23:28.That was not satisfactory. They felt that the answers, the

:23:28. > :23:32.questions they had asked the MoD were not being properly answered.

:23:32. > :23:37.One constituent, who lives in that block is here and has been a great

:23:37. > :23:42.campaigner on this issue. People support the need for proper

:23:42. > :23:47.security, but they also are quite right to be concerned about having

:23:47. > :23:51.these missiles on their roof tops. That was where the objections lay.

:23:51. > :23:56.It feels not what they've done but how they've gone about it. Security

:23:56. > :23:59.is critical in these Games. We walk into the House of Commons every day

:23:59. > :24:05.past heavily armed policemen. I have to tell you, when you walk

:24:05. > :24:10.past them with a machine gun, every day of your life, it is pretty

:24:10. > :24:14.disturbing. It's disarming. We know that's essential for our security.

:24:14. > :24:18.These things are never easy. Security has to be the number one

:24:18. > :24:22.priority. Everyone has to be safe. That does involve taking some

:24:22. > :24:26.measures that are appropriate to the risk. It's a measurement of

:24:26. > :24:29.risk. It's a professional judgment. I'm not going to get involved in

:24:29. > :24:34.the constituency issue because that's your business. But I think

:24:34. > :24:38.security is paramount. I think this issue could have been handled very

:24:38. > :24:43.differently and I think the Government was very poor in making

:24:43. > :24:48.sure that residents had the right information, because for quite a

:24:48. > :24:55.long time people didn't have a clue what was going on. That was not

:24:55. > :24:59.helpful. That was not satisfactory. Michelle? Aside from the residents

:24:59. > :25:02.not knowing, James says, "Well of course, it's for the need of

:25:02. > :25:06.national protection in case of an attack."

:25:06. > :25:09.So as far as James is concerned, he thinks we need it to keep our

:25:09. > :25:17.country safe. Maybe he's not living with the reality of this. Adrian

:25:17. > :25:25.Weale is with us this evening. You are living -- Brian Whelan is with

:25:25. > :25:31.this reality. -- living with this reality. I was, but I moved out.

:25:31. > :25:35.John says he goes past police every day. You chose to work in the House

:25:35. > :25:40.of Commons. People living in Bow didn't ask for missiles. They

:25:40. > :25:44.didn't ask for police at their door. They were given no say in it.

:25:44. > :25:49.not a necessary show of strength though? That seems to be all it is

:25:49. > :25:54.though. If that deters terrorism? How do you deter terrorism by

:25:54. > :25:58.blowing up a plane over Tower Hamlets and showering debris over

:25:58. > :26:02.everyone there? What they're saying is people who live in Tower Hamlets

:26:02. > :26:07.are less important than the people in the Olympic Stadium. Brian says

:26:07. > :26:09.what kind of message does it send. Do you think there's a message that

:26:09. > :26:13.shows the disconnect between communities and the Government?

:26:13. > :26:16.think that the fact that there was no real consultation is another

:26:17. > :26:21.case of the Olympics doing something to Londoners rather than

:26:21. > :26:25.with Londoners. It's important that disconnect is mended. For me, I'm

:26:25. > :26:29.delightly concerned. One of the worst things that happened in this

:26:29. > :26:35.city is 7/7. What could missiles do to prevent that happen sning that

:26:35. > :26:42.was people on the transport system. So that being there as a deterrent

:26:42. > :26:45.worries me. Seeing the extent to which we've seen our streets

:26:45. > :26:48.militarised yet the greatest security has come from a private

:26:48. > :26:51.company being commissioned to police us, rather than anything

:26:51. > :26:54.else, really highlights the spirit of the Games. We have to trust the

:26:54. > :26:58.Government in this situation, don't we? We have to trust they have the

:26:58. > :27:02.information to know what the right thing to do is? I think if they

:27:02. > :27:06.knew the right thing to do, they probably would have consulted the

:27:06. > :27:11.people that lived there. Of course, as everyone said, it is important

:27:11. > :27:17.because we've seen 7/7. We've seen 9/11 and more relevant, we've seen

:27:17. > :27:21.Munich. So we know that people will try to use the Olympics as a

:27:21. > :27:26.grounds for whatever their political issues are. But I think

:27:26. > :27:29.it is very poor of the Government to have gone ahead and just made

:27:29. > :27:33.this decision without even a discussion. Even if you're going to

:27:33. > :27:37.go ahead and do it any way, at least, have a conversation with the

:27:37. > :27:39.residents and say to them, this is what this is. These are the

:27:40. > :27:43.benefits, these are the risks. This is what you're going to be living

:27:43. > :27:47.with, so they could at least feel somewhat involved. To just have

:27:48. > :27:52.this thing planted on your building and have no say, you feel, I can

:27:52. > :27:56.imagine that would be, you would feel helpless. Can you give us a

:27:56. > :27:59.reply on this on behalf of the Government? Were the constituents

:27:59. > :28:06.asked? The estimate of risk is something that's done by security

:28:06. > :28:14.forces. You're right, we live in a dangerous world and there are a lot

:28:14. > :28:17.of bad people about. I'd love it if we didn't have that high profile,

:28:17. > :28:21.very obvious show of security strength. I mentioned my working

:28:21. > :28:25.environment, which has changed dramatically... Shouldn't they

:28:25. > :28:30.still have asked the people with them on their roofs? Actually the

:28:30. > :28:34.issue is whenever you have a massive national event of this kind

:28:34. > :28:37.it becomes, unfortunately a magnet for the good people there, but also

:28:37. > :28:43.a potential magnet for those who are not so good. It wouldn't matter

:28:43. > :28:51.whether it was the Olympics or any massive event of this kind, biggest

:28:52. > :28:57.low jestic event since the Second World War in Britain, is bound to

:28:57. > :29:01.bring issues with it. Let's get the thoughts of people in the audience.

:29:01. > :29:05.It's unbelieve that people think they would have a say on where the

:29:05. > :29:10.missiles are site. They're sited where they are to defend London. If

:29:10. > :29:15.you asked people living in them, they would say no. Would you have

:29:15. > :29:19.one on your roof? Yeah, I don't mind. I'd feel safer with armed

:29:19. > :29:24.police there. Some of the fears are it makes those buildings a target

:29:24. > :29:28.The whole of London will be a target during the Games. We forget

:29:28. > :29:33.there were planes used in 9/11 against the Twin Towers and it's

:29:33. > :29:40.conceivable it could happen again. The back row? I'm sorry, I have to

:29:40. > :29:45.call you on what is an incredibly patronising response and especially

:29:45. > :29:48.to Tower Hamlets. People are usually reasonable. Has an

:29:48. > :29:53.explanation been made as to why it's necessary. If people are told

:29:53. > :29:57.that it has to be there, they would understand that. I live in Tower

:29:57. > :30:04.Hamlets and the first time I heard of this was when I read it on the

:30:04. > :30:13.BBC website. I thought it was a joke. I thought I had to look again.

:30:13. > :30:22.People are generally quite I think people should be

:30:23. > :30:25.communicated with. I think people should be involved. This is a

:30:25. > :30:27.London-wide event, it's a people's Olympics, that's the way I see it.

:30:27. > :30:30.I think the gentleman is right, actually in the end it's about

:30:30. > :30:34.tough choice. If security is the issue, which with we know it is, we

:30:34. > :30:39.are going to have to take tough measures to deal with that. That's

:30:39. > :30:45.not a perfect world, but we don't live in a perfect world. Frankly,

:30:45. > :30:49.whoever had been in Government, that would have been the case.

:30:49. > :30:52.think it's missing the point a little bit. It's not just about the

:30:52. > :30:56.asking of the residents do you want these on here, it's about the

:30:56. > :30:59.respect of the people in your city, giving them the respect to at least

:30:59. > :31:04.have the conversation. OK, let's see what people are saying online,

:31:05. > :31:13.Michelle. Helen says they wouldn't make me

:31:13. > :31:20.feel safe. And west Coast says be grateful you are being kept safe. A

:31:21. > :31:24.lot of conflicting - my favourite, Yatsu is saying the missiles are

:31:24. > :31:30.out of order! Not sure you can blame the missiles, they're the one

:31:30. > :31:37.thing you can't blame. The Power Bar looks interesting. It's funny,

:31:37. > :31:43.I get asked a lot is it real? Yes, it is. It's not being pushed along

:31:44. > :31:48.by treadmills. You can see now, Tasha and Symeon are neck and neck.

:31:48. > :31:51.John t seems not only the gentleman at the back is feeling patronised

:31:51. > :31:54.by your comments... The price of being in Government. Thank you very

:31:54. > :31:58.much for your thoughts on that and once again, sorry we can't come to

:31:58. > :32:02.you all in the audience but thank you for getting involved. Our next

:32:02. > :32:06.topic. Does an athletic body make you a beautiful person? Tasha,

:32:06. > :32:12.please don't take this the wrong way but Olympians kind of like

:32:12. > :32:22.getting their kit off. Look at this lot led by a certain Tom Daley.

:32:22. > :32:43.

:32:43. > :32:46.# I am sexy and I know it APPLAUSE.

:32:46. > :32:51.There you go. Our athletes showing off their bodies beautiful there, I

:32:51. > :32:55.have to say if my body was like that I probably would upload a

:32:55. > :32:58.video to YouTube. Our poll found 74% of young people have not been

:32:58. > :33:01.inspired by the Olympics to take part in more sports and this is

:33:02. > :33:05.interesting, a recent research has shown women are put off sport

:33:05. > :33:10.because they fear becoming too muscular. Let's start the debate

:33:10. > :33:15.with Amelia. How can the Olympics inspire a

:33:15. > :33:18.generation who are so obsessed with body image? Let's speak to someone

:33:18. > :33:28.this evening who was inspired to get involved in being an athlete

:33:28. > :33:31.and was wonderful as well, often represented Team GB, Jeannette

:33:31. > :33:35.Kwakye, you won't be competing in a couple of weeks because of injury,

:33:35. > :33:41.how do you feel women are put off because they look too muscular?

:33:41. > :33:44.have been vocal about this in the past and it's down to your event,

:33:44. > :33:48.the sport and like myself and Tasha and you are committed to what you

:33:48. > :33:51.you want to do you don't care what you look like. You have an end goal

:33:51. > :33:56.and go for it. I work a lot in schools with a lot of young you

:33:56. > :34:00.women who are put off by the fact they might have a bicep or six-pack

:34:00. > :34:04.that's too much and I try to convince them that it's a healthy

:34:04. > :34:11.body and that's the most important thing. There is far too many girls

:34:11. > :34:15.completely caught up looking like Kim Kardashian and there should be

:34:15. > :34:24.more sportswomen put forward with wonderful bodies, healthy bodies

:34:25. > :34:29.and act as great role model. When I was younger I was like, I don't

:34:29. > :34:34.want to do the pulldowns, because I don't want back muscles and you

:34:34. > :34:37.know, as I matured and realised what it was I wanted, I realised

:34:38. > :34:42.there's certain sacrifices I had to make in order to get to the level

:34:42. > :34:48.that I got to. That was getting a few muscles. I don't know, I think

:34:48. > :34:52.if you look at someone like Jessica Ennis and other athletes, what is

:34:52. > :34:55.wrong with that amount of muscle? It looks good to me. I wonder where

:34:55. > :35:02.the idea is this is such a bad thing, where is that coming from?

:35:02. > :35:07.Is it coming from media? Frankly, like Jeannette said, it's a healthy

:35:07. > :35:10.body, a good body, a fun body. us into the mind of the 14-year-old,

:35:10. > :35:16.did you think, you realised boys exist for the first time, do you

:35:16. > :35:20.really want biceps? You are right, my sister is 15, I see it

:35:20. > :35:25.straightaway and she moans about her legs and backside and I am like,

:35:25. > :35:28.what you are doing is just what every normal girl wants. They're

:35:28. > :35:31.going through the stages. If you are a sportswoman you have to look

:35:31. > :35:35.a certain way to be good at what you do. I think it's just something

:35:35. > :35:38.that we have to sacrifice. It is not a bad thing and Tasha is right,

:35:38. > :35:42.what they do, the media, is constantly put across a negative

:35:42. > :35:49.image that looking muscular is not good or looking fit even is not

:35:49. > :35:54.good. I have heard journalists go at Kelly Rowland for having massive

:35:54. > :35:59.biceps, I am like I must be Hulk Hogan! It's a negative response.

:35:59. > :36:05.saw something in the paper about people saying Jessica Ennis was fat.

:36:05. > :36:10.There was a quote the other day that someone's legs was big and she

:36:10. > :36:14.took it as a compliment because she was fit for the Games. You were

:36:14. > :36:17.sporty and decided it wasn't for you. I was 14, I did athletics for

:36:17. > :36:21.four or five years and it got to the stage I was never going to be

:36:21. > :36:26.at your level, I thought, you know what, no. Looking back on it now

:36:27. > :36:32.the comments thaeu got from people, you are muscular, it was a bit

:36:32. > :36:37.offputting. I still get it now and I am like what what! It shouldn't

:36:37. > :36:42.be offputting. I think the media are the biggest culprit in making

:36:42. > :36:49.women, especially women of colour, and talking about them in negative

:36:49. > :36:53.ways, Serena Williams, she has too much testosterone, looks like an

:36:54. > :36:58.NFL line backer, she is a champion and it's the way the media portrays

:36:58. > :37:04.her and it's wrong. The media are the main culprits. More needs to be

:37:04. > :37:09.done to empower women into sport and not - not make a muscular body

:37:09. > :37:15.a negative thing. OK. Let's hear from the many arms in the air. A

:37:15. > :37:21.great point from you. Yeah, it's just about determination,

:37:21. > :37:25.motivation and passion for your own sport. You shouldn't be put off by

:37:25. > :37:30.anything different. That's a good point. Is it an excuse that some

:37:30. > :37:34.people realise the amount of effort you have to put into getting to the

:37:34. > :37:39.Games and might say I am not interested? There is an element of

:37:39. > :37:42.laziness milling around in there somewhere. If you want to be sporty

:37:42. > :37:47.and want to be involved in sport, you will just get on with it. You

:37:47. > :37:53.are not going to worry about, - we are professional athletes and this

:37:54. > :37:58.is the criteria for our job to lift weights, to get strong, look a

:37:58. > :38:03.certain way. I have had people come up to me and say, like you said, oh,

:38:03. > :38:07.mate, how do you get them biceps, you are bigger than me, mate! On

:38:07. > :38:12.the other hand, I get women coming up to me and saying oh, God, I wish

:38:12. > :38:18.I had a body like yours. You get a mixed response. I was doing it to

:38:18. > :38:22.be successful. You got the medal. got the medal. Wonderful, let's

:38:22. > :38:26.hear from Darius. I am interested to hear what you have to say on

:38:26. > :38:30.this, because you are one of our greatest young table tennis stars,

:38:30. > :38:36.but for you it's more about looking good, you claim sport saved your

:38:36. > :38:41.life almost. Basically from a young age, I lived in Battersea, over the

:38:41. > :38:51.years I kept on doing it, a lot of my my friends dropped out and today

:38:51. > :38:52.

:38:52. > :39:00.one of my friends called me, and said I am out tomorrow, -- sport

:39:00. > :39:03.has changed my life, I am part of Team GB this summer. What do you

:39:03. > :39:08.say to young people who say those young girls that don't want a

:39:08. > :39:11.sporty body, what is your message? If you want to get somewhere,

:39:11. > :39:15.doesn't matter what it is, you have to do it. If you want to be the

:39:15. > :39:20.best at something, I mean, I love living in London but I now live in

:39:20. > :39:24.Sheffield and I train in Austria. If you want to get anywhere in life,

:39:24. > :39:28.you have to put away what everybody says and do what's best for you and

:39:28. > :39:34.what you believe in. Good luck this summer. Well done. The lady next to

:39:34. > :39:39.you. I am an Olympic wrestler myself for Team GB and it's all

:39:39. > :39:44.about sport it involves skill and our bodies are are made to do

:39:44. > :39:48.certain things. Some are born faster, stronger and you should use

:39:48. > :39:52.them skills to pursue your dream. Women should forget about do I look

:39:52. > :39:56.muscular, especially in wrestling, that's part of the sport. If you

:39:56. > :40:01.can't, then there's no point in pursuing your dream. It's about

:40:01. > :40:06.ignoring what people say and do what you want. Who do you want to

:40:06. > :40:13.please? It's your life, go for what you want. Enjoy your Olympic

:40:13. > :40:17.experience as well. Michelle, online. I don't think girls with

:40:17. > :40:21.sports bodies are healthy, I am not sure if that makes sense. Girls

:40:21. > :40:27.with curves who aren't stick thin are more beautiful.

:40:27. > :40:32.And also, I like this one, no way, I would o love to have an athletic

:40:32. > :40:36.figure like these women. Who doesn't want a six-pack? Indeed. We

:40:36. > :40:40.would love to hear from you on all kinds of issues, not just whether

:40:40. > :40:47.you want a six-pack. You can get in touch with us and Michelle. You can

:40:47. > :40:54.also find us on Facebook. We are also at BBC Freespeech. Keep

:40:54. > :40:58.getting in touch on all all kinds of topics. Next, commercial

:40:58. > :41:01.sponsorship. For the the opening ceremony there will be a guard of

:41:01. > :41:06.honour of 2000 school children from 250 schools. But, it's emerged

:41:06. > :41:12.today that the Olympic organisers, LOCOG, have issued guidance that

:41:12. > :41:16.the children should wear these Adidas trainers or these unbranded

:41:16. > :41:24.footwear. This kicked off a row, but tonight in answer to an inquiry

:41:24. > :41:34.by Free Speech LOCOG has confirmed if children wear these, Nike or

:41:34. > :41:38.reebok they won't be turned away. Other big sponsor include McDonalds,

:41:38. > :41:44.and being an official sponsor gives them rights over branding. Let's

:41:44. > :41:48.discuss this on Free Speech. We have a question. Have the Olympics

:41:48. > :41:51.become more about consumerism rather than sport?

:41:51. > :41:55.Well, some people say commercialisation goes against the

:41:55. > :42:00.fundamental principles of the Games, as an athlete, how do you respond?

:42:00. > :42:05.I don't see a problem with it, frankly. As we know, first of all

:42:05. > :42:09.the Olympics is an amateur event, so we cross the line, we win a

:42:09. > :42:13.medal, we get nothing unless we have some contract worked out. I

:42:13. > :42:17.don't see a problem with it. Other sports, you look at racing, race

:42:17. > :42:22.car driving, they're up to their eyeballs in all kinds of branding.

:42:22. > :42:27.I don't see a problem with the Olympics getting with the times and

:42:27. > :42:31.being commercialised. Somebody has to pay, don't they? The sponsor

:42:31. > :42:35.have contributed �750 million to the pot. If it didn't come from

:42:35. > :42:39.where. Somebody has to pay and they did, we paid. The majority of the

:42:39. > :42:42.money for the Olympics came - it was public money. I think I have

:42:42. > :42:46.seen sports do amazing things in the lives of many different people

:42:46. > :42:52.and to see it become a corporate Games is worrying. Considering what

:42:52. > :43:00.we saw last year and people talking about that being a summer in which

:43:00. > :43:05.consumerism exploded - this year some - - having a force that's

:43:05. > :43:08.going to walk around. These have really I think these are really

:43:08. > :43:12.sold our soul. We cannot have McDonalds sponsoring a Games

:43:12. > :43:16.supposed to be about fitness, it's a contradiction. Can we appreciate

:43:16. > :43:21.we may have paid a lot for the Games but we would have paid more

:43:21. > :43:26.if it wasn't for the sponsors? amount of money came from public

:43:26. > :43:30.money, that is clear. They didn't even pay 50%, even 20%. We paid for

:43:30. > :43:33.the bulk of it. This should be a public Games for the benefit of the

:43:33. > :43:36.public. I think that has not been the case. It's been a corporate

:43:36. > :43:46.hospitality event, hosted in London, paid for by the many for the future

:43:46. > :43:47.

:43:47. > :43:51.and that is wrong. John, you are I'm just still basking in the

:43:51. > :43:57.relief thaw didn't ask a middle aged politician about the shape of

:43:57. > :44:00.women's bodies. I'm grateful you didn't. But on sponsorship, you

:44:00. > :44:04.know sponsorship in sport has been around for a long time, not just in

:44:04. > :44:07.the Olympics. There is a balance. I do think there's a balance. But

:44:07. > :44:12.actually, if sports weren't sponsored there wouldn't be the

:44:12. > :44:15.investment. It covers a range of sport. All the sports we're

:44:15. > :44:22.interested in I guess virtually have some form of sponsorship. Yes,

:44:22. > :44:28.keep it balanced. And make sure as many businesses benefit from the,

:44:28. > :44:33.and the economy benefits, coming back to the point, the masses of

:44:33. > :44:37.people coming to spend money. balanced? I thri there are inherent

:44:37. > :44:41.contradictions as Symeon was saying around health, if you're promoting

:44:41. > :44:45.health and fitness don't let McDonald's hold the Olympics to

:44:45. > :44:48.ransom. It's important to have flexibility around this. Similarly

:44:48. > :44:52.with what kids wear, it's ridiculous they thought it was OK

:44:52. > :44:56.to send this message to children. Children in my constituency, many

:44:56. > :45:01.of them wouldn't necessarily be able to afford to buy a different

:45:01. > :45:05.pair of trainers. These things actually need to be looked at for

:45:05. > :45:12.the future so we have a proper balance and equally, we need to

:45:12. > :45:16.think about sustainability. If we want to ensure that people respect

:45:16. > :45:22.human rights for instance, do you chemicals is one of the -- dow

:45:22. > :45:28.chemicals is one of the sponsors, they have connections with the Bo p

:45:29. > :45:38.al disaster. We campaigned to ensure that the Olympic Stadium was

:45:39. > :45:39.

:45:39. > :45:46.wrapped in them. I'm glad you came to me. Nick says "Just because they

:45:46. > :45:49.put a money in the pot, doesn't mean they own the Games." Darius?

:45:49. > :45:54.Without the sponsors the Games wouldn't work. I'm sponsored by

:45:54. > :46:02.Coca-Cola. They've actually helped me get to the Games. They make good

:46:02. > :46:08.drinks as well, McDonald's make salads, you know Powerade, that

:46:09. > :46:15.sportsmen can use. They may have water. It's a big brand. Stuff like

:46:15. > :46:20.McDonald's, who doesn't sometimes like a McDonald's. They make salads.

:46:20. > :46:25.OK. Defending your sponsors very good. Stratford station where I

:46:25. > :46:30.live is now covered in advertising. Can you not walk through. It it's a

:46:30. > :46:36.public space. Does that offend you? Greatly. Why? Because I pay so much

:46:36. > :46:40.towards the public transport system and I am forced -- I am force fed

:46:40. > :46:47.these images of McDonald's. As a constituent I will not be getting a

:46:47. > :46:50.free ticket to the lich. It won't benefit me in that way. Why should

:46:50. > :46:54.they wrap these buildings in sponsorship. You're nodding your

:46:54. > :46:56.head. Yeah I would agree. Fair enough if athletes need the

:46:57. > :47:01.sponsorship from the larger organisations, but you're saying

:47:01. > :47:04.it's for the people of East London, there are lots of independent

:47:04. > :47:07.businesses here, why can't they sell their produce, their food and

:47:07. > :47:14.merchandise. There should be a place for everyone. Let's complete

:47:14. > :47:18.the row. I'm quite disappointed by John's comments so far about the

:47:19. > :47:22.Olympics as a whole. All I hear you say, yes you should be inspired by

:47:22. > :47:28.the Olympics, but you have to be inspired by people putting up with

:47:28. > :47:31.missiles, putting up with public inconvenience and now being

:47:31. > :47:34.commercialised. Look, this is a great event for Britain. Of course

:47:34. > :47:38.it brings with it all kinds of challenges. The first time we've

:47:38. > :47:43.had the Olympic Games since 1948. Yes, of course, legacy is really

:47:43. > :47:46.important. I'm working to make that happen in my part of the Government.

:47:47. > :47:51.I think we should be proud of. It I think we should celebrate. It I do

:47:51. > :47:55.think that thousands, millions of Britons are going to get a real

:47:55. > :47:58.thrill out of this. If that's too optimistic, well then I'm too

:47:58. > :48:03.optimistic. I bet that a large number of people at the end of the

:48:03. > :48:08.Games will say, what a fantastic celebration of sporting excellence,

:48:08. > :48:11.of our country, of athleticism, of all the things that Sasha

:48:12. > :48:16.represents for example. A young lady shouted out "In six months

:48:16. > :48:20.we'll have forgotten about it." Really? Yeah, no disrespect to Tash

:48:20. > :48:27.ya. That's her medal. She will remember that. But in the country,

:48:27. > :48:31.we'll forget about it. You don't remember Linford Kristy getting a

:48:32. > :48:37.gold? I don't care that much. I care about keeping hospitals open,

:48:37. > :48:41.having provisions for young people. Things like that. OK. Online?

:48:41. > :48:46.nice round up of this. "Commercialisation is required. The

:48:46. > :48:54.money makes for better Games, better venues, better competition,

:48:54. > :49:04.sports gets better." OK. The power bar? Yes, John you're doing good

:49:04. > :49:08.

:49:08. > :49:13.babe. Tasha is yeah, you're owning Well done. Just as you did a few

:49:13. > :49:16.years ago in the Olympics. Next up, who's welcome at the Olympics and

:49:16. > :49:19.who isn't? What about Syria where the defence machine was killed

:49:20. > :49:24.today? The Assad regime denies massacres of civilians, including

:49:24. > :49:27.women and children but the IOC is not inviting the head of Syria

:49:27. > :49:33.national Olympic committee to London. Is that enough? Is it right

:49:33. > :49:40.to mix sport with politics? David has a question. Should Syria be

:49:40. > :49:45.allowed to participate in the Olympics? Nice and simple. I think

:49:45. > :49:51.this is obviously a matter for the IOC. But we have to make a

:49:51. > :49:55.distinction between sportsmen and women, who may be victims

:49:55. > :49:59.themselves of repressive regimes versus what the repressive regime

:49:59. > :50:04.does. This is a tricky balance. But I actually think it is, you know

:50:04. > :50:09.the Olympics provides a focus for people to campaign against human

:50:09. > :50:12.rights violations. So if you take the anti-apartheid movement, the

:50:12. > :50:15.sporting events couldn't be disassociated from what was

:50:15. > :50:21.happening. So where that is the case, of course, we should reserve

:50:21. > :50:24.the right to stop people from coming to our Olympics if they are

:50:24. > :50:28.involved. Would you like to see Syrian athletes banned from the

:50:28. > :50:33.Games? It's not my decision but we need to look closely at human

:50:33. > :50:36.rights violations of any country and make sure we take a stand, as

:50:36. > :50:41.members of the public and politicians. But this is something

:50:41. > :50:46.that the IOC should look at for the future, because increasingly people

:50:46. > :50:50.rightly ask why countries who take part or sportsmen and women who

:50:50. > :50:59.take part should do so. This is a live debate that we should

:50:59. > :51:01.encourage. Let's have that debate. I'm Syrian as well as British. I'm

:51:01. > :51:05.against athletes, Syrian athletes playing in the Olympics this year,

:51:05. > :51:09.because I don't think it's good for them as well not being good for the

:51:09. > :51:13.country itself. Yes, they may not be affiliated to the regime and may

:51:13. > :51:17.not support it, but the fact that they're playing, representing a

:51:17. > :51:20.country which is governed by a regime that it's killing its people

:51:20. > :51:25.is wrong. I don't think it's haeplty for them. They're going to

:51:26. > :51:30.be running with the Assad flag. To go down in history you were playing

:51:30. > :51:35.under the Assad regime and flag, you were supporting it, by holding

:51:35. > :51:40.that flag. Where do we draw the line? Today, Iran have been accused

:51:40. > :51:43.of a terrorist attack by Israel. We've had talk in the past of

:51:43. > :51:46.countries with human rights violations, there was plenty of

:51:46. > :51:50.talk about China not being allowed to host the Olympics in 2008.

:51:50. > :51:54.People thought that wasn't right. If you start, where do you draw the

:51:54. > :51:59.line? I'm not sure. But I question the Olympics as well. Like Symeon

:51:59. > :52:03.said, you know, it's paid for by the many and it's only a few

:52:03. > :52:09.benefit from it. I'm not sure about the whole idea of the Olympics in

:52:09. > :52:14.that it's so good in helping people and developing both on a national

:52:14. > :52:17.scale and on an individual scale, because for me, I've never been

:52:17. > :52:21.inspired to do sports because I've watched the Olympics. I've been

:52:21. > :52:25.inspired to do sports because of a great PE teacher. It's about

:52:25. > :52:28.getting involved on the ground, interacting with people and

:52:28. > :52:33.providing opportunity for people. Great point. Thank you very much.

:52:33. > :52:36.Let's make brief points and get round the audience. Just kind of

:52:36. > :52:41.like in terms of what Symeon was saying about London, the Olympics

:52:41. > :52:46.being for the few, I was listening to something on radio about how

:52:46. > :52:50.someone was refused not only a job at the Olympics, but refused

:52:50. > :52:57.volunteering because they had tattoos and piercings. We are

:52:57. > :53:01.talking at the moment about despotic regimes. We have to keep

:53:01. > :53:04.on topic. Fire away. I don't think you should blame the people of the

:53:04. > :53:07.country. It's not them who are making the decisions and why should

:53:07. > :53:11.they suffer. If they've been training and working to take part

:53:11. > :53:15.in the Olympics, why shouldn't they be able?

:53:15. > :53:19.APPLAUSE Would it not be a kind of a victory

:53:19. > :53:24.for the Assad regime if their athletes weren't allowed to London

:53:24. > :53:30.to the Olympics. Wouldn't that be the regime wing and more repression

:53:30. > :53:32.and taking away -- winning and more repression and taking away from

:53:32. > :53:36.people. How would you feel about having to perform in front of

:53:36. > :53:40.athletes that you didn't feel should be at the Games? It's my

:53:40. > :53:43.personal belief that the athletes are representing the people of the

:53:43. > :53:50.country, not the Government itself. Just because they're running under

:53:50. > :53:54.the flag, doesn't mean they are supporting the regime. The sport

:53:54. > :53:59.that they're partaking in brings hope to themselves and their people.

:53:59. > :54:03.They shouldn't be excluded in my opinion. Thank you very much. A

:54:03. > :54:09.final comment from you. It's not the athletes' fault. The regime is

:54:09. > :54:15.the problem. And Also, if we go back to the

:54:15. > :54:21.power bar. It's rather even. think we have a clear winner, I'm

:54:21. > :54:24.feeling Tasha's taken gold here. You get gold tonight Tasha. Thank

:54:24. > :54:28.you all very much for your time this evening. It's all looking

:54:28. > :54:30.rather even on the power bar. Round of applause for our panel.

:54:30. > :54:34.APPLAUSE Thank you for being here this

:54:34. > :54:39.evening. We really appreciate it. That is almost it for tonight.

:54:39. > :54:48.Don't forget the debate is always online. The next show is in

:54:48. > :54:55.Edinburgh on August 15. We leave you with Deanna Roger with a poem.

:54:55. > :55:01.She has written this for us. My honest contradictions with no

:55:01. > :55:06.doubt leave me in the mouths of rafbness fiends, because I don't

:55:06. > :55:12.know what I truly believe. As a teen I saw five bowls of sweet

:55:12. > :55:18.poison, squeezed, slipped, piled onto a cluttered table. I saw them

:55:18. > :55:23.tipping and coursing through my messy city. My lovable, detestable

:55:23. > :55:28.broken city. My city buried in the pit of minds and factories,

:55:28. > :55:35.derelict with nothing built to replace them. My southern arrogant,

:55:35. > :55:40.come see us only city. But years have passed since and despite my

:55:40. > :55:46.apocalyptic whispered riot it's here. So I search the web to find a

:55:46. > :55:50.buzz of my own tangled opinion. I read minutes from meetings and

:55:50. > :55:54.budgets revised and public polls and they all told me that my split

:55:54. > :56:00.perspective is normal and representative of the population.

:56:00. > :56:05.So I write poems and prose of pros and cons, even proa con. Even cona

:56:05. > :56:14.fear I have been ingesting from free news for years. Immigration,

:56:14. > :56:19.terror, money, drugs, trafficking, slavery, congestion, jobs, change.