Hubble Bubble: toil and trouble?

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has unveiled the winning design for the iconic public sculpture in Stratford's Olympic Pack: the ArcelorMittal Orbit by Anish Kapoor, which Boris has nicknamed the 'Hubble Bubble' to deflect attention from his wayward hairdo. And, chiefly, because it is being privately funded.

There will now follow a period of vicious ranting and name-calling on blogs and in the press, including speculation about whether the sculpture merits planning permission. A lengthy row about the waste of public funds will morph into resigned indifference.

Then, just before the Olympics starts, we'll get fiercely patriotic and the press will say it's a fantastic structure that knocks the Eiffel Tower into a cocked hat. And we'll forget the expense, saying that £19 million was a small price to pay.

The public, from 2012 onwards and not before, will love it.


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