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Thursday, 21 September, 2000, 09:29 GMT 10:29 UK
Is the Dome worth it?
The UK's most controversial Millennium attraction is to get another £47m of lottery money to keep it going until the end of the year.
But the cash boost for the Dome will only fuel the debate over what was meant to be a star attraction for the Millennium.
With the number of visitors falling far below what had been hoped for, some critics say it is only political vanity keeping the Dome open.
What do you think? Is the Dome worth another huge injection of lottery money? Or is it time to call it a day and use the money elsewhere?
If you went to a fun fair, would you go on every ride? No! The Dome has parts that some people like and others that people don't like. It cost a lot of money - big deal, its been spent now, and there's nothing that's going to change that.
The Dome should be scraped its a waste of money how about saving all that dosh and use it to cut the tax on fuel. Or turn the Dome into a car park. That would get more use and money from it.
Even if it is a waste of money, it's lottery money not taxpayer's money.
Doomed from day one. Surely most people could see that. It was conceived by the Tory's,and labour should have seen it for the pile of nonsense it is. I've been there and it is rubbish
Sell it to Wimbledon Tennis Club to cover the Centre Court, then we can get the games over and done with quicker.
The problem with the Millennium Dome, and the cause of its failure, is that ventures like this in the past used to celebrate the future but the Dome seems to have been designed as a resounding affirmation of the status quo which most people may be anxious about, but do not really feel good about. Another problem is the design of the Dome itself: it looks like an enormous circus tent, or a ground-hugging toadstool, and I was astounded to read that it cost so much to build such a "yawn" of a monumental structure.
The Doom (sorry Dome) is a national disgrace. Not because of the content or technical marvel, we all appreciate how advanced it is in these respects, but the COST is by any evaluation perverse and obscene in the light of what other good could have come from that money. The administrators and political masters of this fiasco should be pinned to the wall and never see public or private office again.
A $1 billion construction bill for a building the government is now trying to sell for $100 million. Are your politicians as stupid as they look? Anyway, why don't they convert it into a huge swimming pool complete with beach and artificial waves? Beats the weather anytime!
Ian Hosier, UK
Interesting that money is thrown at the Dome in such amazing quantities, while at the same time, essential services have grudged vital, life saving cash. For example, drugs for illnesses denied to people on the basis of cost. WHAT A JOKE!
Absolutely pointless idea. What were they thinking! I haven't even bothered to go and visit. I wouldn't bother wasting my money on such a thing! I feel that money could have gone towards much better uses, such as to charities where the money is desperately needed!
After having moved away from the UK, there was no more of my hard earned money going to this shambles. What a complete waste of taxpayers money - haven't the government got anything better to do?
Maybe I'll be back in the UK, in time to help vote Tony and his wasteful cronies out...
Alex White, UK
Correct me if I'm wrong but the Dome was project started under Conservative rule, so firstly William Hague should get back in his box and secondly the Dome over spend has been a nice distraction from the overspend and waste of money on the Scottish Parliament building at the expense of Scottish taxpayers.
At least the Dome serves as an attraction for everyone.
The Dome was an inconceived idea from day one and the concept has been influenced and led by complete incompetents. The sheer arrogance of the Government in its recent handling of the situation is staggering. The theft of public funds to feed the ego of ministers is a national disgrace as many worthy charities and research suffer.
Living in Cornwall, the Dome is completely meaningless to me apart from wasting my tax money, money I worked hard to earn.
New Labour, New Disaster!
The Dome was doomed from the start by a critical press. Everyone I know
who's been has seen it as worthwhile, and maybe if it didn't have such an uphill struggle it would have made a profit.
People seem to forget that the Dome and its contents were a legacy of the last Government that this one was stuck with! Also, no taxpayers money is being spent on it!
Would it not be better to spend £47million compensating small businesses for their loss in earnings due to Blair Fuel Fiasco?
It is appalling that press coverage on the Dome is so negative. Having visited the attraction twice, I can confirm that it is excellent value for money and depicts Britain as it has evolved over many centuries whilst giving a potential insight into what may happen in the future. It was never designed as some moronic AltonTowers/ Disney attraction and should not be compared with such commercial attractions. It is a celebration of Briton and its people.
The Dome is a waste of money. To get my family there would cost about £250. Having spent a week in hospital following illness, I would have preferred a "Millennium Hospital" to have been built; longer lasting and would have been a shining example. The Tories started the damn thing so they must share blame. £1billion for what is effectively a tent is scandalous.
Why don't they turn the Dome into the new national football stadium and save millions of pounds on the construction of a new Wembley stadium
The hypocrisy of Blair's government is breathtaking. I am sure the most ardent Labour voter would admit that if the Dome debacle had happened during a Tory government the noise from the opposition would have been deafening.
Perhaps Labour are now just part of the "no blame" culture that has infested Britain. The only problem is who do we sue?
The Dome can be summed up in one sentence: The biggest waste of money ever!
I think the Dome would have been a great for raves and the like. Surely the money can be got back by renting some space out for parties and other functions.
The Dome should be closed and left to rot and fester like the Government has done with our hospitals and schools. It should stand there as a reminder to future governments to never spend so many millions of public money on such vanity!
Dome £ 628m
Motorist £ Nil
If the Government hadn't wasted all their money on the Dome they might be able to improve public transport or reduce petrol taxation! The Dome is another example of London bias in this country - the world does exist outside the M25.
It was built in the wrong location, has no vehicle access and was stuffed with dull PC exhibits. It should have been built near the NEC in Birmingham within reach of the whole country. The exhibits and the running of the Dome should have been left to the private sector.
Close the dome stop wasting money. There should have been a large cancer hospital built with all this money. Why not use some of the money being wasted on the dome to bring the tax down on fuel?
I'll only visit if they can guarantee me a parking space.
I'd love to go to the Dome - but I can't afford it! For myself and my husband to travel there, and get into the Dome we would need £100. This is just for 2 return train fares, and entrance. £100 for a day out? That's more than our monthly budget for entertainment. I wish we could go - but unless we win some money on the lottery, I can't see it happening.
Phil W, UK
If there were a dog as sick as the dome, we'd have put it down a long time ago.
It makes me laugh how many people still believe
that this money could have been spent on a worthwhile cause
if anyone (excluding ballet and arts lovers for obvious silly reasons)
can name a worthwhile cause, I'm pretty sure it's not true.
The lottery fund has since it started, provided the government with a fund of cash that it can waste, without having to be accountable for its use. People have effectively given it away. The money spent to bail out the dome should be put back into the pot for the charities by reducing lottery duty over the next few years
I pains me to say it, but William Hague has got it spot on again, scrap the dome now.
After law and order, asylum-seekers, the euro, schools and now the Dome, Hague is VERY, VERY close to winning my vote. Blair watch out, I've voted Labour since 1974.
Joan Woodhill, Australia[British]
The dome should remain open until the end of year as planned.
I for one am still hoping to visit, the only problem is that due to all the bad publicity it had received before it even opened no-one is willing to go with me!!
Here in Venezuela, the last year of the Millennium began four hours later than it did in Europe. We were, therefore able to watch television pictures of midnight being struck over the world's monuments. Sure, Sydney Opera House, the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower were spectacular, but without a doubt London's Dome took the first prize. It was simply spectacular. What a way to welcome the Year 2000.
Views on whether the Dome is a good or poor attraction are irrelevant. Likewise discussing which political party conceived the idea or who may be embarrassed by its failure is also irrelevant. It is a business losing a colossal amount of money and should be closed down ASAP.
A friend of mine works for the NHS. He needed a new machine (cost £1000) to carry out part of his job properly but has had to spend time in meetings, writing reports etc only to be told that it would be too expensive.
It's terrible that the Dome can get that much money so quickly while other genuine causes have to wait.
Instead of the present performance artists working their socks/ lycra catsuits off, we should have Lord Falconer, Mandelson, Heseltine and Blair suspended in the air, dancing. That would bring in the punters.
It makes me sick and angry to hear idiots like the media and William Hague asking for immediate closure of the Dome. Why should all the thousands of staff lose all their jobs just because the media hate it, the Government can't handle it and it has been mismanaged by the senior managers. Why can't it be given the chance it should have been given in the first place? Like all staff at the Dome I am proud that I work there and refuse to be forced to feel embarrassed or
Dave B, UK
I wish all those people who say the money should have gone to schools and hospitals would realise that Lottery money cannot be used to build new hospitals and schools - it has to be spent elsewhere!
I enjoyed visiting the Dome earlier this year and can only wonder how much higher attendances would have been if that VIP ticketing disaster hadn't occurred on the first day!
I'm speechless. What does this say about the UK? People are homeless, dying of cancer, starving and all our politicians care about is their reputation and embarrassment as a result of this major mistake in British history. The Government should feel ashamed.
Let's hold a competition and the winner gets to press the button to blow up the Dome - imagine how much money would be made!
For the amount of our money the Government has thrown at this, we should have had a Dome on the Moon by now.
It is disturbing to think that the people who make these decisions are looking after our country and people. Have they got a heart or are they just selfish little rich boys playing a game which they're not going to win anyway?
No wonder Blair says that motorists are paying for the NHS - a huge part of the 'good causes' fund is paying for this great big white elephant. It's a shocking waste of money, but I bet that no politician is going to take the blame for it!
We seem to have ignored the fact that the conservatives came up with the idea in the first place. Closing it down will cost £65m anyway so we may as well keep it.
Another £47M for the Dome announced on the same day that only £4M is being set aside for prostate cancer research. It's just obscene. Scrap the Dome, now.
The amount of money the government has spent on the Millennium Dome is just a complete disgrace. All the money could have gone to more useful fields, like education, pensioners, art galleries, NHS.
I think the Dome has been a shameful waste of money, mainly because its content was ill-conceived. I doubt whether Universal Studios or Disneyland would have made such a flop. It would mean huge financial punishment for them. The Dome gets away with it because the government has staked part of its prestige on it. It's almost enough to make me consider packing it in as a Labour Party member.
I think it is a disgrace the government spends so much money not belonging to them, but belong to the punters on the national lottery, which was suppose to go to various charities.
Having been to the Dome last week I can honestly say that it is the most colossal waste of money ever. The building itself is fantastic, unfortunately it is filled with "attractions" which seem targeted at no one in particular and more fast food outlets than you can shake a stick at. All we got were tired feet and empty pockets, nothing was learned, there was no inspiration. It is an embarrassment to England and a monument to political egos who are now keeping their heads down (Mandelson/Blair/Heseltine). The money would have been better spent by establishing the best equipped teaching/research hospital possible - now that really would have been a monument to the last 2000 years of humanity
I have not been to the Dome, but I don't want to go simply because of the amount of money spent on it. It could have been put to so better use. The government could have boosted the NHS.
I feel ashamed to be a citizen of this country - indeed a member of the human race - the more I hear about The Dome. It is a dreadful indictment of our society that it was decided that this was the best way to mark the turn of another Millennium. Would it not have been a far more worthy and fitting tribute to have used the money to eradicate homelessness in this country? As it is, we are giving future generations a truly woeful insight into what we really valued in 1999/2000 - and we are all the poorer for that.
The Dome is a truly remarkable structure that may benefit from silicon implants - and be a testimony to the culture of our time.
I would like to know why so much money is being spent on a project that from the start showed no sign of success. The money could have been spent on the national health.
All the money lavished on the Dome should have been spent on a monument to Princess Diana - an equally appalling waste of money but the Press would not have gone overboard in condemning it.
The Dome was a good idea in principle, but it was ruined by predictable bad press and the sheepish mentality of people who let the newspapers think for them.
I admit I have not visited the Dome, but five of my work colleagues saw it on five separate days and all told me it wasn't worth going. Children who have been inform me that the London Aquarium and London Zoo are much better attractions.
We should face the fact that the Dome was a mistake. Its management and the Government should put an end to the misery and close it in October. If it is allowed to stumble on into December it will only continue to lose more money. It is an international joke.
After all those crisis loans, how can the Dome possibly be a viable business proposition? Do they really expect to be able to pay all our money back at the end of the year and end up in the black? I don't think so.
I would be interested to see where the money is going. I can't believe it costs so much to run an attraction. What are the overheads? Someone must be making a packet.
The latest joke is the claim that it was worth spending all this money regenerating a rundown area. Although I'm not familiar with the area itself, I think most people from the north will find it hard to believe that the best place to spend this regeneration money was within the M25 where property prices are booming.
Many postings have suggested that we try the Dome.
OK, I'll get a flight from here in Scotland, stay over for the weekend in London and pay a reasonably high price for an attraction that has never had glowing reviews.
I'm sure many people north of Watford feel the same.
Sean O'Connor, England
I wonder if this latest "boost" of money for the Dome will last until the end of October, let alone the end of December. We've heard so many times before that the Dome is getting an obscene amount of money so it can run till the end of the year, only to hear a few weeks later that it needs even more!
I was inclined to agree with all the criticism of the Dome, until I visited it myself. It was impressive and exciting from the moment I walked through the doors. I left at the end of the day feeling happy and optimistic and may well return as there is more there than one can take in in one day.
The Millennium Experience is a celebration of human achievement which is refreshing in these days when humans seem to be the 'bad guys' in most news stories.
For the price of the Dome, the Government could have given every person in the country free entrance to Alton Towers and still saved money. I'm sure everyone who went would have had a better time. What a ridiculous waste this monument to left wing, politically correct pap has been.
It is interesting to see that almost all of the contributors here who have actually been to the Dome have, like me and my family, enjoyed the day. Perhaps if this message was got across more often, then there would have been 12 million visitors and no need for the extra money. (By the way I do not live in London or the South East.)
Like most new businesses, the Dome has failed. The Millennium Commission doesn't have a monopoly on underestimating public demand. What infuriates me is that this Government will be pilloried for the failure of a Tory initiative. They had a real dilemma, in terms of whether to fork out more funds. Sadly, their decision (I assume) to back the Commission and agree to the extra hand-out will lose them more votes than pulling the plug.
I took my grandchildren to the Dome and in fairness they enjoyed the visit. Whilst the aerial show was good it did not, in my view, compensate for the other attractions which I found a bit pointless. The whole thing struck me as being a mixture of a poor quality science museum and a village fete. Let the thing go as soon and as cheaply as possible.
The Government agreed to subsidise the cost as income from visitors would not have rendered it commercially viable in the first place. So the initial estimate of visitors is not being reached but it is incorrect to say that the subsidy should stop. The initial cost of construction is now fixed and that will offer greater value over time.
It must continue to be supported as from the reviews of visitors, it does offer reasonable value for money. More attractions should be built in nearby brownfield sites.
The Dome is a sad reflection on the theme park England is becoming.
A grand facade with little real substance.
What goes around, comes around and I would say that this Government cannot expect any sympathy on the next occasion it cries poverty to the people. Tony Blair will rue the day he sanctioned this venture, if not already.
Over the peak Easter holiday period, poor attendance was excused by inclement weather, but I was there, (almost alone), and the weather was simply fine.
Nothing surprises me. When the Government is happy to force small businesses out of the country that DO make a profit with absurd red tape and high taxes brought in by IR35, it's no surprise that they are happy to continue keeping a lame duck going. Why aren't the accountants of the Dome being sacked and why is that French bloke who took charge and promised they wouldn't need any more handouts, still being paid vast sums to stay? He should be the first to go.
The decision to sanction this latest cash lifeline is a disgrace. I am appalled that the Government is bailing this monstrosity out yet again. Tony and his cronies just don't get it do they? What could those millions they are wasting buy? More policeman to help cut down the horrendous crime rates in this country, more nurses to care for the patients who are waiting for operations, more teachers to fill in the 4000 vacancies as highlighted today.
Personally, I have never met anyone who has been to the Dome, has any intention of visiting it, or even cares about its continued existence.
If the redevelopment of the Greenwich site is so important, why doesn't the Government support it? At the moment, a huge number of small charities are being deprived of funds for WORTHWHILE projects in order to ensure that our leaders don't have to lose face.
I am very angry at the way the Millennium Dome is portrayed by the media.
I have been to the Dome and was very impressed.
It was fun, intelligent, very good value for money and perfect for all ages.
I found so many things to do, I could have spent another day there.
We must be a laughing-stock pouring more and more cash into this carbuncle. Scrap it now, use the money for something useful and salvage something from this millennium.
NICE (the UK pharmaceutical watchdog) recently recommended that Beta Interferon at a cost of £10,000 p/a per patient is too expensive and therefore not recommended for prescription to UK Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.
Imagine how angry I feel to know that the "Millennium tent" is valued more highly than the life of my wife and others like her who suffer from MS.
The sooner punters on the lottery are allowed to tick which good cause they want their money going to, the sooner this out of touch government will stop pouring money down a drain in the South East called the dome.
This monstrous waste of public money must be stopped immediately. If this were a commercial enterprise they would be bankrupt by now and the government would be howling for legislation to protect people against this sort of thing. The Millennium Turkey should never have been built, and certainly should have been abandoned long ago, along with Lord Falconer who has done such a fine job of wasting our money.
Furthermore, none of the original investment was ever worth it. A 2nd rate theme park; and theme parks should be privately funded. The money could have been used so much better for projects around the country. By the way the "land clean up" spin doesn't cut any ice either. A monumental disaster, STILL being compounded!
Warren Tucker, UK
I have visited the Dome, admittedly on
a reduced price ticket. I spent an excellent
7 hours there. With so much negativity
about the place, we are overlooking the
fact that even if attendance is not reaching
the figures expected, the Dome is still
exceeding the attendance of many of our
theme parks. I believe it is something like the
second most popular attraction in Europe.
The dome may be a great attraction but it is the location that puts me off. Getting into and out of London is notoriously difficult and costs a lot of time and money. A day trip for myself and my wife would cost £218 for the train, tube and entry free as well as 3.5 hours travelling time each way. Unlike the millennium commission, I think my money is best spent elsewhere.
Marcus Eayres, England
Give the money to the NHS. The Dome is not something for Britain to be proud to have produced.
The politicians that helped plan and create the Dome like Tony Blair simply want to save themselves from embarrassment, and will do anything and spend anything to make sure they don't look bad.
I could maybe have understood bailing it out in its 1st year had it been intended to keep the Dome open permanently, but this is now getting ridiculous !
Main reason for not attracting visitors? You can't drive there! Sorry Mr Blair and Mr Prescott, if you want an attraction to pull in 12M visitors you can't do it relying on the Jubilee Line. The car isn't dead yet, despite what your wishes.
Is the dome worth the money? No.
The amount of money spent on the Dome has gone beyond a joke. With not many people taking interest in it from the start, and the uproar that happened with the first injection of lottery money, still didn't make the people of the UK want to visit the eye sore in the heart of London. Surely if not many people have visited it in the 9 months it has been there, then no one will visit it for the rest of the year, therefore loosing obscene amounts of money that could be well invested in the growth of the nation rather than on something that is no longer going to be, at the end of the year.
Close the damn thing and stop wasting money. Any business manager and his team responsible for this fiasco in the private sector would now be unemployable. I suppose somebody will get an OBE for the "success" of the Dome when the next honours list comes round.
I worked at the Dome during the construction and opening phases. It was a privilege to be associated with what should have been the world's finest Millennium showpiece. However, during my employment the incumbent senior management team was arrogant and obviously incompetent. One sensed that it wouldn't be the runaway success they were predicting. Decisions were made too late in many cases (or not at all in some). The creative element was stifled and compromised throughout. The time has come to admit mistakes were made that were unable to be corrected. Recognise the efforts of the staff who have endured a national campaign to shame and embarrass and hope that who ever takes over learns from the dramatic and fatal errors that were made.
Close it down and spend the money on something useful: schools, overseas aid, the NHS, medical research, the arts, social security, anything except massaging the dome designers egos. We don't want it!
I haven't visited the Dome because I don't wish to pay to be advertised at, I don't eat McDonalds junk, and I suspect that all the "educational value" could be obtained elsewhere. It possibly has a value for those with kids of the right age. But if the main message is BT's "It's Good To Talk", well we all know that already don't we? Which reminds me - how many of the sponsors have yet to pay up, withholding money because the crowds stayed away?
The lottery has been born because English people are so desperate to have a decent life in a country that no longer cares about it own people. They ease the fact that they might not win with the thought that the money most of them are chucking away will be put to a good use.
My daughter went to the Dome and had a lovely day, but her favourite place in London is the National Museum, why not move some of the favourites from the Dome to the museum which has always attracted the general public and leave the lottery money to worthwhile causes.
I am absolutely flabbergasted! Someone must be brought to book for this, it just cannot be allowed to go on. The public should be heard, I cannot believe that anyone really and truly believes that another payment of such a momentous proportion is money well spent - GIVE IT UP NOW!
It is a gross waste of money and heads must roll! When do we ever see this level of investment (sorry money wastage) anywhere north of London? Many successful businesses are closing (particularly in the defence sector) yet the Government continues to plough money into this attraction that can only be described as appalling! Also if the attraction was only intended to be open for a year how can redundancy payments be due?
I have visited the Dome and felt it was well worth the entrance fee. The exibits provide enough diversity for the enjoyment of all ages. If our notoriously derisory press had not been so quick to condemn the Dome it would have had the visitor numbers required and would not have needed vast amounts of extra finance. Most people who complain about the Dome have not visited it, and should really experience it for themselves. The Dome was doomed from the outset.
The Dome: Mandy's Monstrous Molehill. A not-so-gay folly. To mix metaphors: lance the boil now!
At the announcement that the Dome was to be given another £47M, I was speechless with anger. There has been a re-shuffle at the top no doubt so that another group of fat cats can line their pockets with our money. Lord Faulkener said that the end result was in the interests of the local area and it would regenerate Greenwich. How much of the money is going into the pockets of those in charge who live outside the area and probably outside London? I am absolutely disgusted and I would imagine that within a stones throw of the Dome I could find someone who is homeless or abused or unemployed who hasn't, isn't and will not benefit from this appalling waste of money. Ooh, I'm so angry.
Yet more money wasted on a failed project. Yes, I agree that the money would have been better spent on the NHS and education, but it wasn't and why? Because it is in London that's why. Can anyone, be they a politician or that rare item, a Dome visitor, honestly tell me that if the upturned wok had been outside London that it would have had all this money thrown away on it? No way. Close it now and get the priorities right.
Having attending the Dome from Cardiff, I was not left with a big "WOW" but just amused. Also the cost to get from Cardiff to London, including night stay in London left me to feel the Dome was not made for the people of UK. It was just for people of London to have other attraction and to attract the few tourists from other countries. This latest money shouldn't be spent since, granted it might not do much on NHS, it would make a big dent on homeless numbers in say London. How do we know that they won't ask for anymore money in the future?
Close down this monument to metropolitan arrogance immediately. Sack those responsible for this gross waste of public money. Sell of the site and assets to the highest bidder, and use the money to fund much needed regional projects.
Having visited the Dome from the NE of England, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it was a very good day out. However the management, marketing and managing of the finances associated with the Dome leaves a lot to be desired. An exceptional attraction alone without good management support is like a building without foundations.
The wholly unjustifiable quantity of public money being poured down the drain to support this failed enterprise demonstrates once again how far our politicians will go to save face. If the Dome cannot pay its own way it should be go into liquidation like any other business would in the same circumstances.
My family went to the Dome and loved it. My 10-year-old son wants to go again. I think it is a great pity that the Dome gets such negative publicity all the time as this is bound to affect people's wanting to visit it.
I recently went to the Dome and came away disgusted at the money I just spent for nothing. To be frank the Dome is crap. There is nothing in it, and as for the body zone: what a joke! I do think that throwing more money at this a disgrace and I can not believe at the end of the day, this is public money they are using.
Heads must roll. To keep it going so that "one day people will look back and say I'I was there'" is absurd. At this rate people will be embarrassed to say "I was there"!
Perhaps the new lottery operators should be chosen on their ability to raise money for hopeless causes.
How many hospital wings, nurses, teachers pay rises, school books or facilities could have been funded out of £47m, let alone the whole cost of the Dome? Surely this would have been a better use of the money?
05 Sep 00 | UK
Dome given an extra £47m
21 Jul 00 | UK
Dome falls far below targets
15 Jun 00 | UK Politics
Dome was days from bankruptcy
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