AS THE 2012 Olympics draw ever nearer we should all do two things.

First, brace ourselves for a deluge of self-regarding and unctuous propaganda which will make silly claim after silly claim for the Olympic Games to possess all sorts of special powers to bring people together, heal divisions – racial, geographic, political, religious and economic – and make the world a better place.

Second, keep a close eye both during the build-up to the games and in its aftermath, on how much of our money the government spends on this carnival.

Already the security bill for the games is estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds – and it will inevitably increase.

It really does seem to me that we had a lucky escape in managing not to host the World Cup in 2018.

Paying for two of these grotesque international jamborees in one generation would probably have sunk UK plc. And for what?

Why do the Olympic Games have to cost such a vast amount of money? If we want to make the world a better place and promote international harmony, I can think of other ways of doing it than synchronised swimming and equestrian dressage.