paddy Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 When I first heard the Pope was coming to the park at the end of my road I was quite pleased I seem to remember. Quite a coup having the Pope come to your local park. I thought I might even go and see the event just to see what was going on. Since that moment everything I hear about the visit just seems a complete waste. Mainly of money, but also time, public space. For example we got a letter through the door the other day saying the park will be closed for TWENTY FIVE days. For him to be there for a couple of hours. To bless a statue of Cardinal Newman which hasn't even been finished and will be vandalised soon after being pu in the park anyway. The amount of sunday league football that happens there each weekend is huge. Do all those matches get cancelled for those 3 weekends? Presumably. The letter also explained we'd still be able to use the 'perimeter' of the park for those days. Great (not that I'd be using it). I went past the other day. Literally 2 metres worth of grass between the edge of the park and the massive barriers at most points. Less in some places. There's been 24 hour police presence at three points around the park for a few weeks now. One of the points you can barely see the park as it's at the bottom of a hill shielding their view of the park, ridiculous. British tax payers are paying £12m for this bloke to come on his holidays here. Yet even if mos of us wanted to go and see him we can't. Everyone who goes has to be catholic and be selected by their church (they get an allocation). So why are the rest of us paying for something we're not allowed to attend on account of our religion (or lack of). Whether we want to go or not is irrelevant. But can you imagine the outcry if a high profile Islamic leader came to the UK, at a cost of £12m. And all Christians, Hundus etc. weren't allowed to attend? The tabloids would have a field day. So why is it accepted for the Pope. He's the head of an organisation worth an estimated $100bn (the richest institution in the world) so why are we paying for him to come? And what benefit do we have of him coming? Even ignoring the cost he's causing massive disruption to people around the sites he's visiting. I assume I'm not alone in this view, bu I'm interested to hear if any of the Catholics on here support his visit or are even going to one of his masses? Please don't turn this into an argument about religion or it will just get locked. Let's just leave it as a discussion about his visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZZAM Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 12 **** million?!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 I don't think you should be paying for it tbh, they have plenty of dosh in the coffers. I would've said it was a good thing of it was John Paul, as he was a pretty cool guy. This guy on the other hand is a bit of a nonce. He should be getting arrested too. It's good for the Polskis I guess, I doubt the rest give a damn in all honesty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 Where's the "I don't give a shit" option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 11, 2010 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2010 Waste of money. This should not be paid for from the public purse. Leader of possibly THE WORST cult in the world, in terms of impact on humanity. Evil evil religion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 British tax payers are paying £12m for this bloke to come on his holidays here. Yet even if mos of us wanted to go and see him we can't. just to take this slightly off topic, and onto the area of the cost to the public purse of protecting state leaders and ex-state leaders £6m a year, and not many people get a chance to see tony either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumerican Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 Where is the " I hope he gets blown away by a sniper" option ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLN Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 Where is the " I hope he gets blown away by a sniper" option ? No I don't want that. It'd be weeks of coverage of popeyness and religion and people talking about their imaginary friend in the sky. The way it is, very few people of intelligence are paying any attention to what the Catholic church says or does. Or at least if they are, they're keeping out of my way. And that is a fine equilibrium to maintain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted September 11, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted September 11, 2010 Where is the " I hope he gets blown away by a sniper" option ? Snap. He shouldn't be allowed into the country. When he is, he should arrested for crimes against humanity. We certainly shouldn't be paying for it. This isn't a Catholic country. Nor is Catholicism a particularly prevalent, at 8%. If this 8% want to see the evil bastard, they should go and visit him themselves, and not cause the rest of us to be pay for their priviledge. If he must go on his jollies, let him do it off his own back, and let him pay for his bloody security, and let him recompense the nation for the sheer chaos it'll cause. ...the whole thing has made me rather angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf_stewart Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 I like the Pope. The Pope smokes dope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claret75 Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 What a carnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 I'm sure I heard they were struggling to sell the tickets, £12m of taxpayera money yet the tickets don't go on general sale? Stinks imo Not that id go see him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted September 12, 2010 Author Share Posted September 12, 2010 I'm sure I heard they were struggling to sell the tickets, £12m of taxpayera money yet the tickets don't go on general sale? Stinks imo Not that id go see him Well you wouldn't want the general public mixing with the Catholics would you? Perish the thought. I hadn't heard this actually. Where did you read/hear it? It wouldn't surprise me for a second, just wondered where you'd seen it. I'm going to go up on the hill behind my house to look out over the park when he's there to see how full it is, will be interesting to see. I imagine I'll be up there with all the snipers. But then I guess they'll be lying down so they shouldn't be in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted September 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted September 12, 2010 It should also be mentioned that it's not just Cofton Park that he'll be causing havoc at. The end of his trip sees him visit St Mary's College Oscott, which is leading to havoc around that area. My brother lives right near one of the main roads affected by that aspect of the trip and is dreading it, it's going to be hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted September 12, 2010 Author Share Posted September 12, 2010 Apparently he's not even using the pope mobile now. Arriving by helicopter then using some other car. Not sure where he's landing in the helicopter though, I assume not Cofton Park seeing as they relaid the whole Bristol Road for his visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 Radio iirc I'm sure they said the 1st method they'd come up with for selling tickets had resulted in nowhere near as much demand as they'd anticipated so they were restructuring it Afaik it was some raffle system where you registered through your local church for the chance to buy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 Bit daft they are selling tickets, they could've at least used those sales to pay for the expenses. Last time the Pope went on a dander it wasn't paid for by the state and it was free to go listen to his nonsense. How times have changed (or reverted?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted September 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted September 12, 2010 I do remember seeing a poll a week or so ago that said that not only was there not much support for his visit, tere was even more pathetic amount of genuine interest. I can only hope, for the sheer joy it would bring me, that he gets embarassingly piffling crowds. Sadly, even if they don't sell as many tickets as they hope, as the hoardes of nutters who turned up for a box of bones a while back in Liverpool showed, the living bones of this evil little man will bring out enough not to embarass him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 I think they should replace the pope with Richard Dawkins at the last minute and have him give a lecture to the congregated masses instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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