The consensus was all but sealed. Given the chance in May 1997 to act like a new regime, unneedful of hyperbole, Mr Blair decided he couldn't let the old, dead, corrupted one outflank him in nationalistic display, however pointless. Nobody ever answered the question about what the dome was for, except for that. They still can't. Made manifest before our eyes, the dome declared its irretrievable emptiness.
Many political projects turn out to be less than perfect.
Most, indeed, can never hope to succeed in anything but a contingent and partial way. There are always more schools to build and patients to cure. For that reason the political rhetoric attaching to them is almost meant to be taken with a shovelful of salt. The level of pretension is understood to be an aspiration, the money available for its fulfilment is always inadequate. Blaming politicians for their failure is often a ritual that they can deflect with earnest remarks about the sincerity of their efforts.