On my way to work in Salford, I take the train to Manchester Piccadilly. From there I stretch my legs with a walk to Piccadilly Gardens. You have to be nimble of foot on that route, slaloming past the dispossessed: the addicted; the rough sleepers.
I get the tram to work at Media City and prepare for my radio programme. A news item pops up on the little monitor next to my computer. There is an aerial shot of an infinity pool atop a skyscraper in London. Its four sides are all flush with the edges of the building. One question begged: how do you get into the pool – a helicopter drop?
Another question was: what on earth are we playing at, building fancy pools on the top of buildings when there are so many troubles down below? If it sprung a leak, would that be trickle down economics?
It turned out this was computer-generated image of a project a firm of architects has been working on for a while. I know this is a cheap shot, but isn’t there something more worthwhile they could apply their brilliants minds to?
And then I make my way into the studio, where somebody has left a copy of the Financial Times magazine, How to Spend It. It is a beautifully put-together publication, no mistake. But my word, it is an uncomfortable read – especially when you can see with your own eyes how much homelessness and destitution is on the rise.
The main feature was about homes for people who love their cars so much that they want to have them on display in their living rooms. The photograph was of a huge, open-plan space with an enormous glass case suspended from the ceiling: this was the garage for some supercar to be displayed in. I ask you.
• Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist
