What an extravagance!
There is a big fuss here about the cost to the taxpayers of the new Scottish Houses of Parliament. Final costs were ten times higher than estimated, the design upsets many and there are lots of complaints. Just as there were when the Palace of Westminster was built in London for our Huses of Parliament. (We are Olympic whingers here!)
However, not half as good as the Chinese...
Their Emperor Zhu Di built the Forbidden City, a fleet of treasure ships, mended the Great Wall of China and built?/dug? the Grand Canal. (How do you describe that process?)
He denuded the country of trees, people and swathes of land needed for the canal. Survivors were not amused and there were many uprisings. Now I hope I am not tempting providence here, but the City burnt down soon after it was finished when a tremendous storm hit the city.
Not much changes does it?