The Anglo-French War, part 37,890,483.
I wondered how long it would be before the French whining starts.....
The Telegraph.
Chirac: Wasn't as good as Blair was at supporting his country's bid and "wooing" the IOC members.
Downing Street reacted furiously last night after Tony Blair was accused by a leading French newspaper of winning the 2012 Olympic Games for London with private lobbying that breached the ethics of the International Olympics Committee.
An investigation by Le Monde falls just short of alleging that the Prime Minister's personal conduct amounted to corruption.
But it suggests that several "deals" were offered to undecided delegates during two days of behind-the-scenes meetings ahead of last July's IOC vote in Singapore, awarding the games to London by 54 votes to Paris's 50.
Le Monde quotes a European but non-French delegate as saying Mr Blair closeted himself in his hotel suite with a procession of voting IOC members.
The newspaper speculates that the Prime Minister could have used the meetings to confirm agreements reached earlier after each delegate was asked the simple question: "What can London do to obtain your support?"
Another unnamed IOC member is quoted as saying: "Lobbying is not a case of cash in envelopes. That's finished, or nearly.
"It's a case of commissions on contracts, grants for projects. Who would know if a company made a very advantageous bid for work, including commissions, and that its government covered its losses?"
Mr Blair's lobbying, Le Monde states, "contravened the ethics of the IOC, but the Belgian president, Jacques Rogge, let it pass".
The paper says that of 25 undecided members who cast tactical votes in the final round, 19 went to London.
Mr Blair's official spokesman described the claims as "wild and inaccurate" and said London had won through "bloody hard work".
He said: "I would rather not respond to wild and inaccurate claims from France.
"There was a lot of bloody hard work by people in this country to win the Olympics bid - partly by the team headed by Lord Coe, partly by the team headed by Tessa Jowell and partly by the Prime Minister who found time in his diary to go to Singapore.
"The success of our bid should be seen in that light rather than any wild and inaccurate accusations made months after the bid."
The allegation that Mr Blair may have breached the ethical code of the International Olympics Committee could not have come at a worse time for the Prime Minister, who has been caught up in allegations that political parties have offered peerages to businessmen in return for loans to the Labour Party.
Mr Blair could be questioned by the police as they investigate whether the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act, 1925 has been breached.
Again quoting its "non-French European" source, Le Monde contrasts Mr Blair's energetic support of the London bid with President Jacques Chirac's almost detached approach.
"Mr Chirac spent eight hours in Singapore, three of them wasted at the inaugural function and the rest shaking hands and drinking cocktails in public with voting members.
"Tony Blair, on the other hand, shut himself in his suite for two days, saw 40 members and no one would ever know what was said there."
www.telegraph.co.uk
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As it says in the "Sun Says" section of today's Sun newspaper -
"France never learned to show grace in defeat - despite plenty of practice.
But accusing us of cheating to win the 2012 Olympics takes the biscuit.
They say they had already stitched up the votes in advance!
If corruption was an Olympic sport, France would win gold, silver AND bronze."
thesun.co.uk
I wondered how long it would be before the French whining starts.....
The Telegraph.
Chirac: Wasn't as good as Blair was at supporting his country's bid and "wooing" the IOC members.
Downing Street reacted furiously last night after Tony Blair was accused by a leading French newspaper of winning the 2012 Olympic Games for London with private lobbying that breached the ethics of the International Olympics Committee.
An investigation by Le Monde falls just short of alleging that the Prime Minister's personal conduct amounted to corruption.
But it suggests that several "deals" were offered to undecided delegates during two days of behind-the-scenes meetings ahead of last July's IOC vote in Singapore, awarding the games to London by 54 votes to Paris's 50.
Le Monde quotes a European but non-French delegate as saying Mr Blair closeted himself in his hotel suite with a procession of voting IOC members.
The newspaper speculates that the Prime Minister could have used the meetings to confirm agreements reached earlier after each delegate was asked the simple question: "What can London do to obtain your support?"
Another unnamed IOC member is quoted as saying: "Lobbying is not a case of cash in envelopes. That's finished, or nearly.
"It's a case of commissions on contracts, grants for projects. Who would know if a company made a very advantageous bid for work, including commissions, and that its government covered its losses?"
Mr Blair's lobbying, Le Monde states, "contravened the ethics of the IOC, but the Belgian president, Jacques Rogge, let it pass".
The paper says that of 25 undecided members who cast tactical votes in the final round, 19 went to London.
Mr Blair's official spokesman described the claims as "wild and inaccurate" and said London had won through "bloody hard work".
He said: "I would rather not respond to wild and inaccurate claims from France.
"There was a lot of bloody hard work by people in this country to win the Olympics bid - partly by the team headed by Lord Coe, partly by the team headed by Tessa Jowell and partly by the Prime Minister who found time in his diary to go to Singapore.
"The success of our bid should be seen in that light rather than any wild and inaccurate accusations made months after the bid."
The allegation that Mr Blair may have breached the ethical code of the International Olympics Committee could not have come at a worse time for the Prime Minister, who has been caught up in allegations that political parties have offered peerages to businessmen in return for loans to the Labour Party.
Mr Blair could be questioned by the police as they investigate whether the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act, 1925 has been breached.
Again quoting its "non-French European" source, Le Monde contrasts Mr Blair's energetic support of the London bid with President Jacques Chirac's almost detached approach.
"Mr Chirac spent eight hours in Singapore, three of them wasted at the inaugural function and the rest shaking hands and drinking cocktails in public with voting members.
"Tony Blair, on the other hand, shut himself in his suite for two days, saw 40 members and no one would ever know what was said there."
www.telegraph.co.uk
---------------------------------------
As it says in the "Sun Says" section of today's Sun newspaper -
"France never learned to show grace in defeat - despite plenty of practice.
But accusing us of cheating to win the 2012 Olympics takes the biscuit.
They say they had already stitched up the votes in advance!
If corruption was an Olympic sport, France would win gold, silver AND bronze."
thesun.co.uk
