Shiv Malik

They said it took nine years to build nine bungalows.

They were being slightly derisory of the whole thing.

They said this to you today.

But they said this to us.

Why you guys just don't know how to build?

You can't build.

Why would we invest?

It would take us ages to build and get nowhere.

What did you say?

I mean, I was embarrassed and I didn't know what to say because they're right, right?

And obviously I sort of also said, look, well, we have these special tools called development corporations.

And look, we built the Olympics.

You know, we got into an argy-bargy about that.

but there's always a sense of confidence that just isn't there about the built environment in Britain at the moment.

So you speak to anyone abroad, they want us to succeed.

They really want us to succeed.

We have, you know, partly because of our language, our history, and yes, all the things that we've given to the modern world, we have so many Anglophiles, either, you know, by sort of distant relation or just because they love our culture.

And so they want us to succeed, but they realise, well, look, you can't do it.

The professionals realise that you just can't do it.

What are you doing?