Rising East Online

Olympics Effects

Mitchell Panayis: when the wow! factor wears off; Sir Robin Wales goes for golden community spirit

• When the Wow! wears off, Mitchell Panayis
• The Spirit of Newham, Sir Robin Wales

When the Wow! wears off

—Mitchell Panayis

‘Wow! The Olympics are coming!’ This expression can be heard in schools, offices, homes and pubs across East London. ‘It really is the best time to live here.’ Really? As I sit by my window writing this piece, I can see Forest Gate’s grey tower blocks stretching across the unforgiving landscape of Newham. The sirens echoing continually through nearby estates make me wonder if this land will ever live up to the promises made by Lord Coe and the Olympic bid team.

Will this be the greatest sporting spectacle the world has ever seen, on our doorstep? Probably. Will it really rid East London of the social problems that have plagued it for decades? Probably not. Billions of pounds will be spent on new stadia, transport and facilities, but outside this glitzy display, East London will be left to survive on scraps.

The boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest and Hackney have been neglected for years. Even with the Olympics, they are hardly over-endowed (hence recent council tax hikes of £70 per person). Witnessing the effects of poverty, crime and drugs on my neighbourhood, I am in no doubt that every single penny of that money should be used to clean up our area and our lives. We need funds for causes far more humane than a red ring around a grass field, or a state-of-the-art spa for athletes.

The hearts of Lord Coe and Mayor Ken Livingstone are beating away to produce an event that will show the world what they are capable of. Basking in their glory, will they smile at each other across thick cigar smoke and ask, aren’t we just darn great? No, they are too smart. They know that to convince people it is legitimate to pour millions into a four-week sporting event, they have to be seen to be oriented towards social improvement, aka The Legacy. Having got the go-ahead, however, they need only glance at social improvement – just often enough to keep us happy. Well, I’m far from happy.

You see, crime in East London is spiralling out of control. I’d love to come out and watch the Marathon, pay tribute to Pheidippides, who ran all the way home with news of the Persian landing at Marathon, but I am more likely to be running down Stratford High Street as I’m chased for my Digi-Cam by a fix-hungry crackhead.

We live in a culture where violence is the norm. Our doors are locked, our kids kept inside, our heads down and eyes wary. Is it any wonder? Hackney and Newham clocked up 13 murders each in 2004–5.

Two recent murders have had a shattering effect on communities in East London: Clifford Coby, shot dead in a pub row; and Charlotte Polius (15), fatally stabbed at a teenage house party. Speaking on behalf of Coby’s bereaved family, Foster Mansu-Asmah summed up the culture of fear: ‘These maniacs are still roaming our streets and it could be you next time. If people are prepared to use guns indiscriminately to resolve arguments, instead of their heads… then I am afraid we are living in a very sick society and these things are bound to continue.’

We need the government to step in with funding for extra Bobbies on the beat. We need money for improved education on the dangers of guns and the alternatives to a life of crime. We need a fast-track justice system where offenders are dealt with sternly, but also supported with rehabilitation. We need funding for research into the root causes of crime, and for experimental schemes to address the consequences of drugs, poverty, poor relations between different communities, and the vexed relationship between police and ethnic minorities. We need improvements now to stop the runaway train that is full steam ahead for Anarchy 2012.

So Lord Coe, Mr Blair and Mayor Ken, while planning the sporting event that brings out the best in the country for four weeks, remember to plan the social and cultural changes needed to bring out the best in the country for our future. Even as new stadia begin to tower over the London skyline, please find the time and money for hospitals that can tower over the sick. When regenerating Lea Valley, how about regenerating relations between ethnic minorities? Transport links? We need links between police, children, offenders and the victims, so that young people are made fully aware of the consequences of wrong doing. Olympic bus lane? I’d rather see extra bus lanes that get our children to school and college on time. When showing off the world’s athletes, how about releasing funds to show alcohol and drug abusers a new way of life?

Or we could just forget about all that, and blow everything we have on a four-week party. Cheers, Sebastian.

Mitchell Panayis is studying journalism

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The Spirit of Newham

—Sir Robin Wales

The Olympics has nothing whatsoever to do with sport.

It could just be a great, big stage for politicians to swan around on. If so, it would be a waste of time.

It’s about what it does for our community, that’s the only way I can justify it. It can change the nature of people’s experience.

The big regenerator will be Stratford City. Re-developing Canning Town will also be bigger than the Olympics in terms economic regeneration. But how do local people access those new jobs, especially the 11.4 per cent who have never worked? The key is the psychology of the people you are trying to reach. The issue of the Olympics is about inspiring people to aspire. What we have to do is build an Olympic community.

When London got the Games, Newham experienced a drop in youth offending – the announcement had the effect of diverting kids away from crime. We have used the bid process for that, now we can use the road to the Olympics to build a new kind of community.

Our Big Sunday event was attended by 32 000 people. Because of the people who signed up for fostering and adoption, it will make a profit. We want to use the enthusiasm and excitement so that people will come and take part. Can we get them to volunteer? Can we get them out of the rut? The opportunity won’t come again for another 64 years.

Sir Robin Wales is Mayor of Newham. These are edited extracts from Sir Robin’s remarks to the Host Cities conference organised by UEL at Excel.

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