THE spot where Usain Bolt is expected to blast to another gold medal is still bare concrete, with no hint of a running track, lanes or tape.

Outside the towering metal coliseum of the stadium itself, much of park is still a building site – dotted with fencing, piles of earth and busy-looking staff in fluorescent jackets.

No matter. With 434 days to go to the lighting of the flame, there could be no doubt that the Olympic Games will be an extraordinary and unforgettable success.

That was my verdict when I was lucky enough to join a bus tour around East London’s Olympic Park and enjoy a sneak preview of how around £8.5bn of taxpayers’ cash has been spent.

Many of you will have seen pictures of the Olympic Stadium, but they do not prepare someone for the magnificent, intimate bowl – a fitting backdrop for the triumphs to come.

The Velodrome is even more impressive, its sweeping roof built to mirror the contours of the track beneath, while the basketball arena has a unique, and stunning, white-pimpled design.

But the arenas are only part of the story, because – before their foundations were laid – a deadly cocktail of industrial damage had to be painstakingly removed from a forgotten site, bearing the scars of 400 years of toil.

Petrol, oil, tar, arsenic and other heavy metals were taken out... oh, plus 185 feral cats and some Bronze Age skeletons, at least 2,000 years old.

I left convinced that the venues will become a vital legacy for local sports’ groups, rather than decaying white elephants, and that people from across the country can enjoy the games.

The parkland, alongside the rescued river, is gorgeous. There will be “non-event” tickets for those who want simply to soak up the Olympic experience, with big screens to watch the action.

Ah, but about the huge cost, you say? And it’s certainly true that Britain would not have spent £8.5bn if we had known, back in 2005, of the terrible economic crash to come.

It’s also true, of course, that no government ever finds the cash for such iconic projects in the North-East, in Yorkshire – or anywhere outside the capital.

However, much as I hate to agree with Tony Blair, who predicted seven years’ of moaning about the Olympics, it must be time to stop wringing our hands – and start rubbing them in anticipation.

Also, from the viewing platform, we had a tremendous view of the Canary Wharf skyline beyond – home to the wretched bankers who ruined us.

It struck me that just four years of taxing their monstrous bonuses would pay for the whole thing.

NO ONE could doubt the force of David Cameron’s opposition to the AV voting system – “hopelessly unclear”, “unfair” and “indecisive” were just three of his criticisms.

For good measure, he also stirred our hearts by pointing out that generations had “fought and died” for the principle of oneperson, one-vote, as achieved by the firstpast- the-post system.

So what happened when MPs tried to amend legislation to ensure city mayors are elected by first-past-the-post, rather than a variation of AV?

The prime minister whipped his MPs to defeat the amendment, of course – ensuring the next Ray Mallons are chosen in a “hopelessly unclear” way.