Tuesday 28 April 2009

Don’t waste the space

It seems to me that we could be missing a trick in London.

As I understand it we have spare capacity in Canary Wharf, a shortfall of funding for the Olympic Village, and some embarrassment in Westminster about MP’s second homes.

Surely the solution is staring us in the face? Why not turn those redundant banking towers into a social housing complex, downriver, which could accommodate both homeless athletes and provincial MPs in town to claim their Commons attendance allowance.

Indeed from their windows the latter could admire the Dome they insisted on building, while contemplating the savings to the taxpayer that would accrue from not building an absurdly ephemeral Olympic Village.

And in 2012 we might even have a new Olympic event in which they could compete?

Given the UK’s superiority in sedentary events (cycling, rowing, sailing and motor racing) the concept of competing for a seat is an obvious proposal.

And with the Tories’ excellent suggestion that the number of constituencies should be reduced we have the possibility of winning a gold medal in musical chairs.