Just when I thought the Olympics couldn't depress me further....

[scifisam]

But May said...



Nothing in that suggests the government is paying G4S anything more as you have suggested, in fact the total opposite - G4S is footing the bill for the cock-up.

Why are you so insistent on this? Do you think I hallucinated a news report or something?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I reckon all these security guards have got a secret website and they're all planning a strike unless they get a £500 bonus in line with transport staff

 

[claphamboy]

Why are you so insistent on this? Do you think I hallucinated a news report or something?

Because every news resource is saying G4S will be paying the cost for their cock-up, not the government, May has said exactly the same, I've already provided 2 links to support this, there's dozens more if you do a google news search.

If you are so sure you are right, and all these TV stations & newspapers are wrong, feel free to provide a link to support your claim.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

It wouldn't surprise me one fucking bit if we end up paying for it, we're paying for everything fucking else - some with their lives.

Apparently the torch & security bubble are passing through Brighton this evening, staying over night, then fucking off somewhere else. Hopefully straight up Lord Coe's arse.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Not sure about that, G4S's Chairman seems somewhat pissed-off with his senior managers, and the company's share price has dropped almost 9% today.

Let's see, share price is just the vultures doing their evil shit. I suspect the 'loss' will turn out to be a loss of profit on the contract, rather than G4S writing Gideon a cheque for £50m, and when the dust settles there'll still be a handsome profit to be trousered.

I'd be more than happy to be proved very wrong on this though, obviously.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Because every news resource is saying G4S will be paying the cost for their cock-up, not the government, May has said exactly the same,

Which is exactly why they won't really be paying for it.

Come on mate, you're you been on the anti-cynicism pills again?

 

[ViolentPanda]

Because every news resource is saying G4S will be paying the cost for their cock-up, not the government, May has said exactly the same, I've already provided 2 links to support this, there's dozens more if you do a google news search.

If you are so sure you are right, and all these TV stations & newspapers are wrong, feel free to provide a link to support your claim.

I think that the pair of you are talking at cross-purposes here.
G4S are being fined and picking up the extra security tab. Current estimates put that at about £50 million.
The value of the G4S contract is north of £250 million.
£50 million deducted from £250 million+ still leaves £200 million+ of turnover (albeit a lot less clear profit than they'd have liked).

 

[claphamboy]

Which is exactly why they won't really be paying for it.

Come on mate, you're you been on the anti-cynicism pills again?

As I've said, that is what is being reported everywhere, the only person I've heard claiming exactly the opposite is scifisam, and I can see no reason why the government would not take up G4S's offer to pay this extra bill, because they are in breach of contract, the terms of which includes penalties for any failure in delivering on the contract.

FFS, G4S has left the government with egg on their faces, WTF would the government want to let them off the hook?

There's plenty to laugh about over this situation, without getting the facts of the matter wrong and then making up possible outcomes that don't make any sense at all.

 

[ViolentPanda]

It wouldn't surprise me one fucking bit if we end up paying for it, we're paying for everything fucking else - some with their lives.

Apparently the torch & security bubble are passing through Brighton this evening, staying over night, then fucking off somewhere else. Hopefully straight up Lord Coe's arse.

The "payment" is notional. The goverment will simply not remit the amount of money that constitutes the fine and the security costs when they pay up the overall contract. G4S don't lose, because the actual money was never in their bank to be repaid, so they don't need to show it on their accounts, and the government don't lose because people think that they acted tough, and business knows they didn't.
Trebles all round for the ruling classes, and shit sandwiches yet again for us plebs?

Good call on a final resting place for theOlympic torch, Bish!!

 

[claphamboy]

I think that the pair of you are talking at cross-purposes here.
G4S are being fined and picking up the extra security tab. Current estimates put that at about £50 million.
The value of the G4S contract is north of £250 million.
£50 million deducted from £250 million+ still leaves £200 million+ of turnover (albeit a lot less clear profit than they'd have liked).

Nope, that's exactly what I've been saying, scifisam claimed the government has increased the security budget & suggested they are paying G4S more, when in fact they will be paying them less, because it's G4S that's picking up the extra tab.

Teresa May's response to G4S not turning up was to increase the security budget. Does it occur to no-one in govert that they should pay G4S less after fucking up?

 

[claphamboy]

The "payment" is notional. The goverment will simply not remit the amount of money that constitutes the fine and the security costs when they pay up the overall contract. G4S don't lose, because the actual money was never in their bank to be repaid, so they don't need to show it on their accounts, and the government don't lose because people think that they acted tough, and business knows they didn't.
Trebles all round for the ruling classes, and shit sandwiches yet again for us plebs?

Good call on a final resting place for theOlympic torch, Bish!!

True to a point, but the figures were already in their forecasts for the year, and will now be taken out, so basically they do lose out, especially because the cost of covering for police & troops will be far higher than if they had actually provided 'cheap' security staff.

But, more importantly, not only do they lose in monetary terms, but in PR terms- from a triumph to a complete fucking disaster.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Which is exactly why they won't really be paying for it.

Come on mate, you're you been on the anti-cynicism pills again?

That or he's a bit flustered after *accidentally* seeing his teenage neighbour undressing in her bedroom while cleaning his binoculars.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Nope, that's exactly what I've been saying, scifisam claimed the government has increased the security budget & suggested they are paying G4S more, when in fact they will be paying them less, because it's G4S that's picking up the extra tab.

Well, notionally they have increased the budget, but only by diverting money from one contractor to another.

 

[claphamboy]

Well, notionally they have increased the budget, but only by diverting money from one contractor to another.

No, the overall budget remains the same.

 

[ViolentPanda]

True to a point, but the figures were already in their forecasts for the year, and will now be taken out, so basically they do lose out, especially because the cost of covering for police & troops will be far higher than if they had actually provided 'cheap' security staff.

But, more importantly, not only do they lose in monetary terms, but in PR terms- from a triumph to a complete fucking disaster.

I'm not so sure that the monetary loss will be anything more than transient, and while bad PR is bad, the stock market will judge them on performance, once this fiasco is out of the public eye.

We need to introduce stocks for corporate criminals.

And gallows, so Si can enjoy himself.

 

[ViolentPanda]

No, the overall budget remains the same.

Note the word "notionally". They've played it to people so it sounded like they're "beefing up" rather than just substituting one type of security for another.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

For a bit of light relief, check out these reviews of the olympic mascot toys from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

 

[Captain Hurrah]

 

[DaveCinzano]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...people-Inside-slum-camp-Olympic-cleaners.html

That's Spotless Facility Services (Uxbridge) Ltd, part of a big, multi-million (if not billion) dollar wedge of Australian service companies run by Andre Carstens, Josef Peter Farnik, Colin Patrick Caulfield and Michael Nathan Givoni, with Craig Lovett their London point man.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

We need to introduce stocks for corporate criminals.

And gallows, so Si can enjoy himself.

Neither a body to kick, nor a soul to damn.

The very reason for the existence of the corporation.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Neither a body to kick, nor a soul to damn.

The very reason for the existence of the corporation.

Unfortunately true.

 

[scifisam]

I don't have a link to something said on TV, no. But if you're so desperate to defend the govt then I'll happily say that I must have hallucinated the six o' clock news rather than continue this stupid argument.

 

[two sheds]

Ha well having read several versions of this story I can tell you that you're both wrong.

 

[scifisam]

I can't be wrong, really - I know what I heard - and the govt's statements in claphamboy's links are pretty definite too. Govt in contradictory statements shocka!

 

[marty21]

I'm assuming a bit here - but surely G4S has full-time staff who have all been trained and vetted, etc - surely it would have made more sense to use these staff for the Olympic security, and hire temp staff to cover for them in less sensitive jobs?

 

[weltweit]

Well it seems the army is everywhere. Probably a good thing.

 

[marty21]

I saw a coach full of soldiers in Hackney on Sunday - I assume it's to do with the Olympics

 

[Ranbay]

I'm assuming a bit here - but surely G4S has full-time staff who have all been trained and vetted, etc - surely it would have made more sense to use these staff for the Olympic security, and hire temp staff to cover for them in less sensitive jobs?

There full time staff are just as shIt as temps, trust me

 

[marty21]

There full time staff are just as shIt as temps, trust me

they should just hire me and Badgers then

 

[audiotech]

It gets worse, with '"slum camp" for Olympic cleaners - ten to a room and one shower for 75 people':

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...people-Inside-slum-camp-Olympic-cleaners.html