NEWS: Millennium Dumb

CULTURE: Millennium Dumb

When the Millennium Dome was built, critics said that the £759 million structure would celebrate the continued existence of Queen and Country. Now, five years later, it barely attracts visitors and tenants of the building put the blame squarely on how the structure is managed, and some even call the building “passé.” The Guardian traces the sordid history of all involved with its construction and looks at how the dome is fairing now.

Sitting on the Meridian Line, the structure sits like a half-inflated balloon. According to it’s website, Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the dome is “[the] most exciting thing to happen anywhere in the World in the Year 2000.” This last summer, the dome’s management announced that they will convert the dome to seat 20,000 for athletic competitions and, with £4 billion of investments, will be the main feature for London’s bid for the 2012 Olympic games.

i think everything that was tied to the millennium turned out to be a a bust

I'd never even heard of the Millenium Dome until now.

If that's the most exciting thing Tony Blair saw in the year 2000, no wonder he was so psyched about the prospect of a war.

The dome was one of the first examples of Blair doing his "I'm right, I know I'm right, and all these people telling me I'm wrong will change their minds once I've done this" thing.

I guess a lot of people hated it because it was expensive, and seemed a bit pointless.

The structure is only going to last for twenty five years or something; hardly a lasting monument.

With all that cash they could have done something to the public transport in London and got some real, lasting, results.

i totally agree.

also, that sounds like my dad saying im a stubborn bastard

It's a bit late to say now, but:

"Homes not domes!!!"

i think the 10k clock is a much more fitting tribute to the millenium.

this is the thing they talking about:


Didnt James Bond slide down this thing in one of his movies? I believe it was The World Is Not Enough

[Edited on Dec 07, 2004 10:43AM]

The vast majority of British people thought this idea was crap.
No one really wanted it, other than the politicians.

From what I remember (I could be wrong here) the Labour government made the excuse that they were tied into the contracts left over from the previous (Conservative) government. Wether this is really the case I'm not sure, if it is I'm not convinced thet did enough to try and wangle out of it.