Overblown infrastructure projects damage lives and imperil democracy. Why is Britain addicted to them? | George Monbiot

The Lower Thames Crossing proves the point. It's a white elephant plan, sucking money from local projects that could actually improve lives

There appear to be two main determinants of what infrastructure gets built. The first is whether it provides large and lucrative contracts for powerful corporations. The second is whether ministers can pose beside it in hard hats and yellow jackets. Otherwise, it is hard to explain the decisions made.

Both determinants favour large and spectacular schemes. Big corporations don't want to dabble in minor improvements: real money comes from prestige projects over which governments cannot afford to lose face, ensuring that they keep throwing cash, however high the budget spirals. And few ministers want to pose beside a new bus stop: a grand ego demands a grand setting.

George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist