. . . a pale wood fence, Rainham’s Great Wall of China: it stretches for mile after mile. The purpose of this new landscape feature is obvious: it masks blight. Smouldering landfill, discontinued industry, carcinogenic paddocks are hidden from the eyes of the Olympic commissioners. That’s why the train is so smart, roomy, air-conditioned and unreal. It’s part of the pitch, the ruinously expensive and doomed 2012 bid. Doomed to be successful, condemning us to years of puff and spin as we creep towards the Great Project. Bleak times for those who are cheerfully off-message.