Olyminc Medals - Better than buying back the QE2
Poll: Olyminc Medals - Better than buying back the QE2
Total Members Polled: 50
Discussion
With millions spent on a handful of medals that will now be locked away for few to ever see, was the hundred million or so a good investment? For the same money, the Government could have bought back the QE2 off the Americans - the last ever British made ocean liner, as a monument of the best Britain can achieve - and would have a different legacy to show generations to come.
Which would you prefer?
Which would you prefer?
Or £50 million to buy two paintings
Or £100 million to build a hospital
Or £100 million to build a prison
Or £50 million to buy one Eurofighter Typhoon for the RAF
And so on and so on.
There are many, many choices that can be made as to where our money should be spent.
I would be reluctant for tax payers to have to shell out to buy an obsolete and no longer-commercial ship which, no matter how iconic, is well past her sell by date.
If the Americans look after her as well as the old Queen Mary, does it really matter where she ends up?
Or £100 million to build a hospital
Or £100 million to build a prison
Or £50 million to buy one Eurofighter Typhoon for the RAF
And so on and so on.
There are many, many choices that can be made as to where our money should be spent.
I would be reluctant for tax payers to have to shell out to buy an obsolete and no longer-commercial ship which, no matter how iconic, is well past her sell by date.
If the Americans look after her as well as the old Queen Mary, does it really matter where she ends up?
Okay, but the yacht Britania is doing very well with tourists - the ship would be a stationary hotel - same as the Concorde fleet - not for cruising. Don't know the economics, but such a ship would be a tourist attraction for all nearby, a hotel, and an educational destination like The Victory etc. Queen Mary was a little abused, but QE2 has more of a following.
Firstly, I think you mean the RMS Queen Mary, as the QE2 is going to Dubai.
One trains people for the future, and in turn brings investment towards new youth projects, bearing in mind we have ever growing numbers of lardy, stabby kids.
If the other is a monument to the best we can achieve, then thats just a depressing prospect, Concorde, that is something different and inspiring. QM to kids, is a big boat that looks like any other cruise liner.
So yes, I'd prefer investment in the olympics, because it brings more to the general populace and this country in terms of rejuvination (albeit at a cost), and helping promising atheletes that hitherto may not have been given a chance. (that suddenly sounds like olympic propoganda).
One trains people for the future, and in turn brings investment towards new youth projects, bearing in mind we have ever growing numbers of lardy, stabby kids.
If the other is a monument to the best we can achieve, then thats just a depressing prospect, Concorde, that is something different and inspiring. QM to kids, is a big boat that looks like any other cruise liner.
So yes, I'd prefer investment in the olympics, because it brings more to the general populace and this country in terms of rejuvination (albeit at a cost), and helping promising atheletes that hitherto may not have been given a chance. (that suddenly sounds like olympic propoganda).
Eric Mc said:
Or £100 million to build a hospital
If the Americans look after her as well as the old Queen Mary, does it really matter where she ends up?
I dont think I would like to go to your hospital. Equipment costs are huge.If the Americans look after her as well as the old Queen Mary, does it really matter where she ends up?
The fact is the Americans love the British heritage and have more respect for the QE2 than the British would. So would rather they looked after it superbly, then maybe one day if I would like could go on it.
QE2 moored central London on the Thames, kitted out as a good quality hotel, waking up to view of the South Bank and Belfast in a bit of history right in the heart of London. Yes please.
Technically she hasn't really been British since Carnival bought Cunard, although she had a GB senior crew/ managemnet team in the main.
Cunard wouldn't sell her to a competitor as usually happens with old ships because she has a hard core following, some of whom who would probably go with her if she was still sailing. Thus they have been weaning them onto the Queen Victoria (tandem NY crossing, legs of cruises together and I suspect the same will happen with the new QE(3) when she launches 2010.
Brown and Boris said:
QE2 moored central London on the Thames, kitted out as a good quality hotel, waking up to view of the South Bank and Belfast in a bit of history right in the heart of London. Yes please.
Fatastic ship to stay on. If it was a hotel, the last place I would want to wake up would be the s
t hole of London.Of all places in the world you could wake up, it would be London. Are you mad??
Parrot of Doom said:
£100 million is quite cheap if it means encouraging children to exercise more often, and compete.
exactly. What is the point of keeping an old cruise ship in London? If the op likes big British ships so much, we'll have a couple of new aircraft carriers to look at soonelster said:
Brown and Boris said:
QE2 moored central London on the Thames, kitted out as a good quality hotel, waking up to view of the South Bank and Belfast in a bit of history right in the heart of London. Yes please.
Fatastic ship to stay on. If it was a hotel, the last place I would want to wake up would be the st hole of London.Of all places in the world you could wake up, it would be London. Are you mad??
I think it is one of the world's great, great cities. I lived in central London for three years and it felt like having the world on your doorstep.
Brown and Boris said:
QE2 moored central London on the Thames, kitted out as a good quality hotel, waking up to view of the South Bank and Belfast in a bit of history right in the heart of London. Yes please.
Probably wouldn't be able to get up the Thames due to the QE2s draught, would certainly ground out at low tide and also doubt it would fit through Tower Bridge when it opens.Zod said:
I couldn't care less about a tacky cruise ship. Olympic medals and Titian paintings are valuable to me.
Tacky! It was 25 years ahead of it's time, with really cool photo-electric touch control buttons that lit up as you passed your fingers over them (this wasn't even in Star Trek until the late 1980's). Though in hindsight it was a stupid idea, as the passengers could never resist passing their hands over the panals in the lift and seeing all the buttons light up. (ok, so I was one of them!).Keep the olympics, to inspire our youth. Though I'd still rather look at an innovative cruise ship rather than a couple of old grease marks on canvas.
thinfourth2 said:
No you MUST hate the QE2 as this is PH and she was built in scotland so must be a labour ship who wants to ruin everyone and live in a communist utopia
Oh and she is a rusting festering bucket of bolts and the arabs can have her
And financed by the Government, like Concorde - 'course since that great idea to join the EU, the Government can't give industry anything without loads of other countries objecting to unfair competition, so they chuck it at anything that looses money (some deserving, many less so)Oh and she is a rusting festering bucket of bolts and the arabs can have her
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