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Millennium Dome comes down
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AFTER a year of hype, spite and disappointment, the Millennium Dome of Britain will open the doors to its vast interior last time on December 31. The troubled 758 million pound project will end much as it began.
It's an inauspicious end to the millennium attraction that opened on last New Year's Eve with a glittering party attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who hailed the structure as a "triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness."
Within weeks of its opening, the dome, with its exhibits mixing education and entertainment, was mocked and reviled and decried in the press as a national embarrassment.
It has received a series of cash injections from the government totalling US$265 million but had taken in just under US$237 million in admissions and sponsorship by the end of November, according to government figures.
Its future remains unclear. The current preferred bidder is the consortium Legacy, which plans to build a high-tech business park called Knowledge City.
Last week, Blair paid a final visit to the dome to thank staff and to admit that mistakes had been made. "Whatever the failings of politicians,'' he told the employees, "you can be proud of all you have achieved.''
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