Time To Pull It Down

[youngmafbog]

or flog it to developers?

I for one dont want that much of my hard earned spent on MP's

http://news.sky.com/story/1504140/bill-for-crumbling-parliament-could-hit-7-1bn

[Khandro]

It isn't a rebuild as I understand it, I saw in an interview in an inner courtyard how the fine masonry carving was crumbling due to the London air/smog/acidity of past years and the plumbing must be Victorian.
I think if The House of Parliament isn't worth restoring, then the country really is knackered.

[youngmafbog]

Jeez. What on earth has Thatcher got to do with it?

Talk about scraping the barrel to write a negative Tory post!

//I think if The House of Parliament isn't worth restoring, then the country really is knackered.//

It's a pile of bricks. The country is much more than that for Gawds sake.

[Khandro]

youngma. It isn't made from bricks (cor blimey!) it's built with Anston limestone.
There's quite a lot of people think like you, and wouldn't mind if is was demolished because it has no meaning for them, but what they would want to replace it with is a mosque!

[ubasses]

It is both a grade 1 listed building and a Unesco World Heritage Site. So whoever works in it, it will cost the taxpayer to renovate.

[ToraToraTora]

I just cannot see were 7bn comes from and that's an initial price, you can double that. I mean if they bulldozed it and built it again exactly as it is using the same materials it wouldn't come to 7bn. Some builder is taking the ***.

[mikey4444]

Andy has it right here ! We have ignored this growing problem for many years, and now we have no choice, but to bite the bullet and do it !

[stuey]

TTT, in a situation like this I believe that it's the architects that are suggesting the pricing. I doubt very much whether any construction firms are involved at this stage.

[Prudie]

I'm very saddened to know that some would think it's better to pull it down. Doesn't matter who sits there it's an icon of Great Britain.

[Gromit]

It is stupid having all the country's lawmakers in one place at one time, at the same time. A huge security risk.

They should knock it down and have a cyber-parliament. An terminal in every costituency office across the land. No more second homes, hotels or late night allowances. A virtual Patluament with no physical building, no astrominacal building cost.

A physical building is just a waste of money. The function of Parluament can be done remotely in this digital age.

[mushroom25]

//The function of Parluament can be done remotely in this digital age. //

whilst that's true on the face of it, in practice i don't believe it's desirable to try and attempt that for anything that may be really important.

anyone who has tried to conduct an important decision making meeting by remote control will understand how underirable it is when participants walk off at their end and disappear.

[stuey]

Old HP Sauce bottles may become quite collectible in the future.

[jourdain2]

In Northumberland and Co. Durham (both on A1 and with mainline train services) there are whole townships with crumbling rows of terraced houses.

How about a bit of 'out of the box' thinking? All these terraces could be renovated into living accommodation for MPs (no more scandalous claims for second homes in London) and a new administrative centre and Parliament built.

London would still continue (you can bet your last penny that rail, road and internet links would improve) and the North would be rejuvenated and earn money for the UK. Not least, most of the MP's would realise that London was not the be-all and end-all and that there was the rest of the UK to consider.

As an historic building, I think the current Palace of Westminster should be preserved, as cheaply as possible and turned into yet another tourist attraction - but perhaps all the office space could be turned over to charities' use?

All this is off the top of my head and not properly thought through - but the basic idea seems to me to be sound. If the partners of MPs want to go to Harrod's, then make the North attractive enough to Harrod's to go there! Well, it's a thought!

[Canary42]

Worth considering, certainly, jourdain2

[Prudie]

Anyone who sits on lots of meetings done by video conferencing, like me, will know it's a very second rate method to thrash things out. Apart from the fact that everyone shouts, either talks at once or is nervous to speak for fear of interrupting, the technology just isn't up to it with links frequently dropping out. We're not ready to do government like that.

[Khandro]

//I just cannot see were 7bn comes from//
That is maybe the worst scenario option, there are several other cheaper ones.