The lesson from the Olympics

I'm proud of the way Great Britain has staged the Olympics. I am proud of our athletics. It is great seeing how my children have got into it. On Saturday I was out for a meal at Camino's in Kings Cross, the city was buzzing and as each Gold rolled in a huge cheer went up.

The Olympic park is magnificent, but the people draped in flags and the carnival atmosphere was brilliant. We've spent £9 billion on the event, but it has put Great Britain in the spotlight and we've shown we can deliver. People from all over the world will return having had a great time. Tens of thousands of young people have given up their time to steward, that is an inspiration.

Stratford has been completely regenerated and I believe that in ten years time we will see it as we now see Docklands, a thriving and integral part of our great city. A friend in the construction industry said that the Olympics kept the industry alive during the harshest years of the recession. Much of that £9 billion would have been spent on paying builders to sit around on the Dole if the Olympics hadn't taken place. As we build towards the climax, we should learn the lesson. That is that together we can achieve great things. All we need is for the government and the people to commit to it.

There are many challenges which we face. I'd like to see the Government commit to improve the lives of the disabled and the disadvantaged in the same way that they have committed to build an Olympic park. Is that really too much to ask.