No Room at the Inn
World Youth Day, the Roman Catholic jamboree, is in danger of not finding a home in Sydney. I can’t for the life of me figure out why Randwick Racecourse was deemed the appropriate venue for the event. They’re expecting hundreds of thousands of teenagers from around the world, which would exceed even the capacity of Telstra Stadium, out at the Olympic Park. I’ve seen the racecourse, and no way is it going to outdo the stadium. (Of course, with the Rugby and AFL matches there, it might just be a matter of conflicting dates, but maybe the Pope’s a fan?) Is the Darling Harbour Convention Centre booked out? It would be just as convenient as Randwick, and there are plenty of backpacker dorms in the area. “Don’t scare the horses” seems a pretty lame excuse, and so’s the problem with the trainers. What, they sleep in the stable, too? It’s about money, who wants it, who’s going to spend it. The NSW government wants all those RC tourists spending it, to offset it’s own AU$20 million outlay, but no way can Randwick charge admission, and I guess the Cardinal figures he’s laying out enough already.

(Meanwhile, fun reading out of Hansard, especially toward the end, from about when the WYD logo is discussed.)