The incredible, invisible Millennium Dome

Peter Mandelson and his cohorts in charge of the MillenniumDome were recently chastised by a Commons Select Committee forrefusing to say what the Dome will actually contain. They havereacted in the most extreme and effective manner. Pretend thething doesn't exist.

The controversial pounds 750m superstructure, which is soakingup 20 per cent of the Millennium Commission's money, wasconspicuous by its absence from a newly unveiled Internet websiteshowing where the lottery-generated cash is being spent.

But was it cock-up or conspiracy? Was this the dawn of atwo-year campaign of spin doctoring to convince the public that theDome was never more than an absurd fantasy, the product of fevered,egomaniacal imaginations? The Commission insisted that the Dome'snon-appearance was an administrative oversight rather than adeliberate attempt to play down its significance in favour of lesscontentious projects which have been overshadowed by publicitygiven to the New Millennium Experience.Mike O'Connor, policy director, said: "It's a mistake, anoversight. It's not a conspiracy and it will be on there. Wethought it was on there already and we expected it to be. It willbe on there." He said that the Dome would feature along with majorcapital projects being funded by the Commission as a "pin prick",which browsers could click on to find out more about itsbackground.The website also features the new logo for Commission-fundedprojects, a distorted blue "M" hovering over an orange crescent.Suggestions that it looked like an M for Mandelson rising above aDome were dismissed by officials who said it symbolised the dawningof the new Millennium.But if the Millennium Commission really is serious about puttingthe Dome on to the website, why doesn't it take a truly radicalstance and put it only on the website? If the picture of their mostcherished project looked nice on the Internet, why not let thatvirtual Dome replace the real thing? How grand it would look in 3-Dcolour. We could all visit the Dome without having to worry aboutwhether the Jubilee line extension was up and running. Sir CameronMackintosh could have whatever lavish spectacle he liked, courtesyof state-of-the-art computer graphics. Peter Mandelson could spindoctor the opening in cyberspace. It would definitely be ready ontime. And the country would save pounds 750m.