London's Millennium Dome

February 27, 2001 8:56 AM

London's Millennium Dome for sale, or at least its contents, which are being auctioned today at bargain-basement prices (view live online here.) Meanwhile former Dome boss PY Gerbeau, hoping to buy the attraction itself, wins an injunction to remove hundreds of items from the auction. This photostory shows the carnage as the Dome's insides are ripped out in preparation for this year's biggest yard sale: a sad and humiliating end.
posted by tobyslater (7 comments total)

The news coverage of the event was very much geared towards the novelty ha-ha aspect of it (man buys fibreglass mouse for £3,000, man buys mannequin for £900 and wife is annoyed, youth with pink streaks in hair buys mechanical pubic louse, Jarvis Cocker turns up and does nothing worth reporting) and totally failing to nail down the point that everyone buying anything is in fact paying for it twice over.
posted by timewaster at 2:50 PM on February 27, 2001

The news coverage of the event was very much geared towards the novelty ha-ha aspect of it (man buys fibreglass mouse for £3,000, man buys mannequin for £900 and wife is annoyed, youth with pink streaks in hair buys mechanical pubic louse, Jarvis Cocker turns up and does nothing worth reporting) and totally failing to nail down the point that everyone buying anything is in fact paying for it twice over.
posted by timewaster at 2:50 PM on February 27, 2001

whoops.

posted by timewaster at 2:52 PM on February 27, 2001

Hey, I paid to read that lame post twice over! ;-)
posted by dhartung at 6:07 PM on February 27, 2001

Timewaster, you've hit upon a point that I hoped someone would mention. I know there are some English people who use this service so I think it's worth mentioning; in the midst of all the foot and mouth news an important story about the Dome has been relegated to the 'comedy news' section of our media.

But not only are these extremely valuable items being given away for next to nothing, the community projects which should have benefited from the Lottery money are not getting first refusal or any benefit from the huge cache of audio/visual, costuming or catering equipment. In addition, we as members of the public and Lottery players have already paid for the items in the Dome which are being sold back to us.

But we're not getting any say in the future of the structure itself, the inside of which is being cleared (as the photos show) to make way, presumably, for offices and high-class housing. It's an extremely valuable piece of London land which is being stolen from the people and given to some corporation. We should pay attention to this travesty.
posted by tobyslater at 1:25 AM on February 28, 2001

everyone buying anything is in fact paying for it twice over

Does that mean every UK citizen is entitled to some goodies out of the Dome?

I can see it now actually: turn up to vote on election day and go home with your free mechanical pubic louse...

Seriously, though, none of the media seem to be prioritising Toby's point. OK, we've got a national crisis on right now, but that doesn't mean they should let the asset-stripping go unnoticed. There must be some good causes who could use the laptops, etcetera, that are being sold off for a song, even if they might not be in such urgent need of a seven-foot-tall fibreglass hamster.
posted by CatherineB at 8:49 AM on February 28, 2001

I don't want to get too conspiratorial on this, but I think this is in a way what the Government wants. They've delayed the sale until after the election so it can be given away to Corporate Britain with little argument.

That's why the assets are being stripped so cheaply- to get rid of them quick so that office blocks/ luxury housing can be built inside the Dome and around it. But I agree with Timewaster... anyone who's played the Lottery should be entitled to goodies because they paid for them!
posted by tobyslater at 9:05 AM on February 28, 2001