"Our research shows you really do support the Games!"

So, you don't back the bid, eh? Well, as it happens you're wrong. And the folks at the Back the Bid website can prove it - here's how they answered the Commonwealth Games Federation question about providing evidence of public support for the bid:

Question 2.11
Provide any evidence of the support of the national, regional and local population towards your project of hosting the Commonwealth Games, including possible other localities involved in your project.
• Opinion polls –
Please provide details of any polls carried out including:
dates, questions asked, sample size, area covered
• Referendum (if applicable)
• Awareness campaigns
• Other.

Public support

The Bid has received formal support from individuals and groups throughout Scotland. All local authorities, chambers of commerce, universities, national agencies and a vast range of other organisations in the public, voluntary and commercial sector have signed up. Many have been represented formally in the Bid structure.

Individuals, companies and organisations, schools, other educational establishments and sports clubs have been encouraged to Back Scotland’s Bid and so far total support represents over 1,700,000 people in Scotland and further afield [our emphasis]. Included in these numbers are some of Scotland’s best known figures from business, culture and sport. Glasgow and Scotland will continue to reflect the ride in hosting such a prestigious occasion.We will use it further to raise national and International awareness of the Games, the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Wow! "So far total support represents over 1,700,000 people in Scotland and further afield". That's a lot of people. Funny though, I don't remember being asked. And as you can see from the answer above, no opinion polls were referenced, and there will be no referendum - so how do they figure 1,700,000 people support the Bid?

Well, when we look at the Back the Bid website, all is revealed. At the moment, apparently the number of supporters is up to 1,745,159. And a helpful breakdown is given:

"Who is backing the bid?
87,424 individuals
1,437,920 companies & organisations, staff & members
32 local authorities
179,218 educational establishments, staff & students
40,565 sports clubs and their members"

So, actually 87,424 individuals have signed up to support the bid. The rest of the numbers are arrived at a little generously it would seem. And the individual backers are indeed from "further afield" - like New York, Copenhagen and, interestingly, Halifax, Nova Scotia. You may remember that Halifax's bid fell apart recently.

And we're not entirely confident about the Back the Bid website's information gathering abilities. The first listing under "companies & organisations" is " ,Edinburgh" (sic). Do they mean the entire city, or is there a company in Edinburgh with no name?

We'll be contacting the Back the Bid website and asking when they plan on carrying out some opinion polls.