They haven't finished building the Greenwich Millennium Dome yet, but it is already viewed by many as a disaster in waiting. Since the Minister without Portfolio, Peter Mandelson, was put in charge of the project six months ago he has been embroiled in controversy over whether it would be an exhibition of jingoism.
Church leaders have condemned the failure of the project to focus on the spiritual dimension of the millennium, and key staff have walked away from the project, predicting that it will be an embarrassing failure.
Christians are concerned that it will not emphasise the fact that the millennium is a Christian event. Other religious leaders are concerned that it will, on the contrary, put too much emphasis on Christianity.
Mr Mandelson has attempted to reassure both camps, but church leaders were unimpressed this week when Sir Terence Conran, a creative adviser on the project, announced that a dominant Christian theme would be "absolutely inappropriate".
Some were outraged and others were bemused when Sir Terence stated that the millennium was "not an event that has very much to do with Christianity. It's to do with time."
In an effort to appease the Christian faithful the New Millennium Experience Company is considering putting the sets and puppets of an animated feature film of the life of Jesus on display in the dome. That film is being made for the millennium but the devout are unlikely to be impressed if Jesus only finds room in the dome as a puppet.
God's role in the dome is far from being the only contentious issue. On Tuesday night the Prime Minister invited Japanese corporations to invest in the project, which was initially touted as a celebration of all things British. The idea did not please prisoner-of-war veterans' groups, who claim many private Japanese companies used PoWs as slave labour during the second World War.
On top of those controversies the dome has also been plagued by internal disputes. On completion it will apparently be so vast as to be able to hold two Wembley arenas or 13 Royal Albert Halls. Last week it was demonstrably not big enough for Peter Mandelson and Stephen Bayley, the distinguished designer whose job was to mastermind the interior of the dome.
Egos of considerable dimensions clashed. One of them had to go, and it was not going to be Mandelson. The spin doctor extraordinaire, who is widely credited with turning around the electoral fortunes of the Labour Party, has embraced his role as so-called Dome Secretary. He wants the dome to symbolise the spirit of Britain as a "young, modern and dynamic" country.
Mandelson also has personal motivation to succeed with the dome. He wants to emulate the achievements of his grandfather Herbert Morrison, a towering figure in the post-war Labour government and the man behind the 1951 Festival of Britain.
Bayley had disagreements with the dome's administrators in general and Mandelson in particular. He was apparently indignant at being overruled in debates on the £758 million project. Last Friday he resigned as creative director of the dome and took the opportunity to describe Mandelson as a "dictator" . He said the project was in danger of being "crap".
"I don't like political interference and they don't like creative advice so it's completely un-doable from my point of view," he said. "There is a total mismatch between the creative impulse and political impulse. They won't take advice from me, Richard Rogers or Terence Conran.
"The way it is being run is pure East German. I get memos from the Millennium Commission talking about the `creative task force'. It's awful and absolutely scary."
Bayley also criticised the cost of the dome, saying it was needlessly expensive. "One of the first things I said to the organisers was , `Give me £40 million and I'll give you the most stunning exhibition under the sun'. For £100 million you could do something world-class."
Mandelson has few friends in politics. His influence is resented by his Labour colleagues and his abilities are resented by opposition parties. One might have thought that Bayley's outburst would lead to a tirade of abuse aimed at the minister without portfolio, but glee at Mandelson's unfortunate situation has been tempered by the arrogance of some of Bayley's comments.
Referring disdainfully to Mandelson's much-hyped visit to Disney World last week Bayley said: "If Mandy went down to a voodoo sacrifice in Brixton tonight he'd come back tomorrow saying, `We must have voodoo sacrifices in the Dome'."
For his part, Mandelson dismissed Bayley's remarks. "I have not been a dictator but I have been decisive and I have got a grip on a project that was suffering from drift," he said.
Mandelson's ambition demands that the dome be a success, but if it turns out to be more gnome than dome - or if the builders fail to meet the deadline - his many critics will be keen to witness the undoing of Peter Mandelson as they enter the new millennium.