This week s Private Eye magazine says of Liverpool s status as the European City of Culture 2008: What culture actually means to the city council has long been clear from the continuing demolition of historic buildings, the approval of every crass new

This week's Private Eye magazine says of Liverpool's status as the European City of Culture 2008: "What 'culture' actually means to the city council has long been clear from the continuing demolition of historic buildings, the approval of every crass new commercial development and the disfigurement of Pierhead with the gratuitous new Museum of Liverpool building..."

If it weren't for the fact that Hitchin is not actually a city I wonder if the high-rise residents would have put forward the "historic market town(tm)" up for the City of Culture title next time around...

I've taken a look on the Liverpool08 website and find it rather ironic that having the "city of culture" tag allows a council (for I think it is the council behind the merchandise, it doesn't actually say who the money will go to) to take advantage and sell rather cheap and boring merchandise.

You can buy Ringo Starr wristbands, a "sun visor with 08 logo" (a sun visor, in Liverpool!) and, get this, a small bowling bag.

The one item which really caught my attention was The Liverpool 2007 Official Souvenir Brochure.

Why are they flogging this as part of the 2008 city of culture experience?