European Capital of Culture

HL Deb 01 May 2002 vol 634 cc772-90

7.46 p.m.

Lord Luke

rose to ask Her Majesty's Government by what criteria they will select the United Kingdom's entry for the European Capital of Culture for 2008.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, before I start my speech I should perhaps declare an interest as I deal in watercolours and have been known to sell watercolours of some of the cities in the list we are discussing.

In my researches for this debate the one word that came up most frequently was, naturally enough, "culture". So I thought I had better look it up in the dictionary. The most apt sounding definition that I could find was that it was the "intellectual side of civilisation". I am not at all sure that I know what that means. Can the Minister say whether that corresponds with the definition used by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport?

We are talking this evening about an annual award from the EU to what was originally the "European City of Culture", and at this present time still is but will be changed to the "Cultural Capital of Europe" in 2005. Up until 2004 each designated country in the EU will decide which of its cities to nominate and that will be the end of the matter. However, according to the DCMS briefing, from 2005 it appears that, The European institutions will take part in the selection procedure". Can the Minister explain what that means? For instance, will the Government go through the procedure of selection and submit a city to the EU, only to be told by the aforesaid European institutions that they have selected an entirely different British city for 2008? If that is not the case, why are they creating their own selection panel at what must be considerable effort and cost?

The Government announced that they will run a Centres of Culture Award in parallel with the European Capital of Culture competition. That award will be given to each of the cities forming the short list for the ultimate award which will be chosen in March. That is an excellent idea—but only if it is accompanied by a grant substantial enough for each city to make a real impact.

The list of British cities which have put in bids is a large and culturally formidable one. But it seems that the largest and most powerful city in cultural terms—of course I mean London—has not put itself forward. Why not? After all, Athens, Paris, Berlin and Madrid have all been cities of culture in their turn. Was London dissuaded from entering to make it easier to select from others in the list?

Of course, each of the cities which did put in a bid, ranging from Canterbury and Inverness to the leviathans such as Birmingham and Newcastle, has its own specific attributes, which make each one an excellent candidate for the award. The difficulty will be how to judge between one attribute and another. That must in the end be a subjective judgment that will call for a particularly adroit panel of judges. Can the Minister tell us tonight who the chairman will be? Perhaps she can announce the names of the other members as well. If not, perhaps she will tell us when that announcement will be made.

I come to the main reason for this debate: to elucidate the criteria by which the panel will determine its shortlist and eventually, next March, a winner—or will the final winner be chosen by the Prime Minister? There has been a report to that effect. Perhaps we shall hear about that later.

The guidelines published by the DCMS are broadly right but I shall suggest some criteria that I hope will not be used as well as some that I hope will. In my list, political correctness would have no place. Political opportunism, however tempting it may be to choose such and such a city, should in my reckoning be ignored. "Dumbing down", that particularly unattractive but nevertheless descriptive phrase, should not be included in any city's programme.

On the other hand, transport infrastructure is particularly important. Access by rail, air and road—and in certain cases sea—should all be really effective. What happened at the Dome, where the family car driver was virtually ignored, must not be allowed to happen. After all, the winning city will want to attract tourists and visitors from the rest of Britain as well as from abroad.

The winning city must have shown itself to be especially adept at exploiting the assets that it already has, as well as to be likely to have the collective imagination to find new and attractive ideas. To return to the guidelines issued by the DCMS, what does, the ability to display a city's cultural wealth within a European context", mean? The guidelines also state: encourage other European States' participation". Does that mean flamenco dancing in Inverness? Surely, people would visit to Inverness to see Highland dancing.

The object of a successful programme should be to uplift a city's citizens' ideas of culture. As I said, that means the liberal use of lively imaginations. It will be extremely difficult for the panel to compare, for example, the attributes of Liverpool and Canterbury. I hope that they will bear in mind that a good little 'un can often be as good as a good big 'un. Fair and proportionate judgments are required.

I hope that, if nothing else, I have put forward some ideas that will stimulate a wide-ranging debate. I look forward to listening to your Lordships and, as always, I shall enjoy the reply of the noble Baroness, Lady Blackstone.

7.54 p.m.

Lord Burlison

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Luke, for initiating this debate. I must add that when I dealt with the noble Lord when I was a Whip in this House, I always found him to be fair. I am grateful to him for his colourful style in this House.

I am not sure that I require an explanation of the criteria that will be used to determine the successful bid. I have enough confidence in the Government to know that whoever is chosen, the selection will have been made for the right reasons. However, the debate gives me the opportunity to say a few words about my preferred bid.

The Government have asked local authorities to work with partners to develop a local cultural strategy. Whatever happens to the bids when they are finalised and whether or not they are successful, communities will benefit from the fact that they have had to work together to formulate the bids in the first place and are therefore more likely to work together in future.

I know from my experience on Tyneside that many years ago we were forced to work together by the circumstances at the time. In the early I 980s, the North East had unemployment thrust upon us almost overnight. At that time we in any case had the highest unemployment on the mainland. That was partly because of the economic climate, partly because of government policy and partly because, in industry, we as a region had all our eggs in one basket. That made us very vulnerable when downsizing and industrial decline came upon us.

Coal, steel, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were all affected. I hope that I never again have to witness the despair of families who have lost their only wage-earners so suddenly. Not just wages or jobs are lost when there is a rapid decline in a region's industrial base. The loss is much more long term than that. Training and skills are lost. It is much harder to start the wheels of industry again if a workforce must he trained once more.

I have touched on the past problems of the North East simply to highlight how far the region has come since then. Part of any criteria to qualify for the European Capital of Culture must be a city's ability to work together. That is where the Newcastle-Gateshead initiative scores so highly—for out of the problems of the 1980s, the North East decided that it could not survive on government handouts. Not that there were many of those around, as I recall.

After years of struggle, we created the Northern Development Company, which brought together the various elements of the region: industrialists, local authorities, trade unionists and educationists. It involved people from all political persuasions. That body had a number of successes during that period, including bringing the Japanese company, Nissan, to the region. It was the forerunner to the regional development agency, One North East. I am pleased to say that that now has a 10-year strategy that complements the region's new vibrancy.

As the Newcastle-Gateshead initiative clearly demonstrates, it is now an outward-looking region that is self-reliant and has vision, ambition and aspiration. But the North East has much more than that, it has a cultural distinctness that puts it apart from any other part of Britain. Establishing a strategic cultural partnership is not a problem for the region. In fact, it comes naturally. There are a warmth and trust that are easily recognisable and which make it much easier to create working relationships.

I do not intend to list all the attributes of the North, as they can be read in various publications. However, I recommend the Newcastle-Gateshead council's 10-year strategy for culture booklet which highlights much of the regions' culture: the beauty of Hadrian's Wall stretching across the region and through the city; the picturesque city of Durham; and the coastal city of Sunderland. Attractive as those cities may be, it is, however, the city of Newcastle that is recognised as the hub of the region.

I bring your Lordships' attention to recent developments on both sides of the Tyne. There is the Baltic, the centre for contemporary art, the new music centre on the Gateshead side of the Tyne and, of course, the quayside developments on the Newcastle side. I must admit that the last Tory government can, through its Development Corporation, take some credit for working with local authorities in promoting that development. However, I must make it clear that credit for vision and planning must go to the two excellent councils, so ably led by Tony Flynn and George Gill. Both men have a lot of vision and commitment to their community.

I should explain to those who are not aware of the region's geography that it is only the River Tyne that divides Gateshead and Newcastle; they are linked by numerous bridges. We feel justified in referring to the conurbation as "the city".

People in the North are more aware of and more involved in cultural activities because of the cultural enterprise shown in the area. The success of any cultural strategy depends substantially on the extent to which everyone feels included in the process. The Newcastle-Gateshead initiative is based firmly on the involvement of the communities in cultural activities. Whether or not the North East is successful in its bid to be the European Capital of Culture, we have learnt that cultural development can make a major contribution to real progress in the delivery of a regional initiative. That is why the Newcastle-Gateshead initiative recognises that, to be truly effective, it must listen to and involve local people in delivering its programmes and ideas. Winning the title would hasten the process of developing well thought through, imaginative and realistic plans.

8.2 p.m.

Lord McNally

My Lords, I can only assume that the noble Lords, Lord Pearson of Rannoch and Lord Stoddart of Swindon, were not aware that European institutions would be involved in the selection process or they would have been in their places making their regular speeches about the iniquities of Europe.

I speak as a humble Back-Bencher. The noble Viscount, Lord Falkland, will give the official party view on the matter. I come to the question in a genuine spirit of inquiry. I shall say nothing detrimental to the bids of any of the cities hoping for the accolade. I know how quickly "Good morning" leaflets can be got out on the eve of an election, and I do not want any derogatory comments from me about any of the competitors appearing in a last-minute leaflet.

It is worth asking why the prize is worth winning. As well as its artistic and cultural benefits, it brings enormous economic benefit to the winning city. That was first seen in Glasgow, where they had the "Glasgow's miles better" campaign. The city took the opportunity to remind an initially sceptical public of its cultural riches and re-positioned itself as a centre for inward investment by concentrating on the more positive aspects of life in the city and on its cultural merit.

What should the Government look for? Credible candidates must have a genuine cultural base. Even the most skilful PR campaign could not underpin a bid that did not have genuine cultural merit. The city must also have supportive civic leadership. A council with a poor record of support for cultural activities will quickly be found out. There must also be a cross-community vision, shared with local communities and business groups. The bid must fit in with an overall regeneration plan and be seen as bringing benefits to the candidate city and region. I understand why London is not applying; the preferred candidate should be a city that will get a positive benefit from a title that, for London, would simply be a cherry on the cake.

In some ways, the Minister will have to behave like a judge at a 1950s beauty contest of a kind that is now considered so politically incorrect. Various Members will parade the assets of their city before her, hoping that they will catch her eye. That is not, in itself, a bad thing. The process encourages cities and centres to "Search for the hero inside yourself", to use the words of the popular song. It causes communities and their civic leadership to look positively at the cultural aspects of their region, emphasise them and knit them together in a programme.

I make no secret of the fact that my preferred centre would be Liverpool. It would be a fitting culmination for its 800th anniversary celebration in 2008. It would also be a fitting acknowledgement of the successful rehabilitation of the city after the bleakness and lunacy of the 1980s. Since childhood, I have thought about the awesome aspects of the city. There is its architecture, including St George's Hall, the Pier Head and the two cathedrals. There are also the eight art galleries, the Philharmonic, the three universities, the Albert Dock, the maritime museum and Tate Liverpool. All that represents a considerable concentration of artistic and cultural power. We can add the city's sporting heritage and its special place in popular entertainment. I am old enough to remember Ted Ray, Arthur Askey, Jimmy Tarbuck and Ken Dodd.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire

What about George Formby?

Lord McNally

My Lords, George Formby was not from Liverpool. Tommy Handley was. Yes, ITMA. Dare I mention to the Government Front Bench the impact of the Beatles during the wonderful 60s?

Liverpool has certainly had an impact that will weigh heavily, but I do not want to demean any other bids.

In making the selection, the winner should be able to gain real benefit from the title, as Glasgow did, with "Glasgow's miles better". Liverpool has put its bid in under the title "The World in One City". It is part of a general economic, social and cultural programme that has the support of all the relevant regional authorities in the North West. Like me, the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Oldham, is a former Member of Parliament for a north-western constituency, and he will know that the North West does not always speak with one voice in support of Liverpool.

There is a sense of unity and it would set a seal of self-confidence and self-esteem for Liverpool, which could be converted into jobs, investment and all-round environmental improvements. Liverpool perhaps paid a higher price than most for our change of direction from Empire to member of Europe. This European accolade could be a significant boost to a city which is already on the move.

8.10 p.m.

Lord Rogan

My Lords, I would like to thank the noble Lord, Lord Luke, and congratulate him on securing this timely and important debate today.

I begin by declaring a professional interest in the outcome of this selection process in that a company of which I am the non-executive chairman is helping to promote the Belfast bid. Perhaps more significantly for the purposes of this debate, however, is the fact that I wish to declare a personal interest. I am from Belfast and I am proud of it.

Two thousand and eight will be exactly 10 years on from the signing of the Belfast agreement. The race to be the European Capital of Culture allows Belfast the perfect opportunity to show the world that it is a much changed city. It is also an opportunity to put cultural flesh on the political hones of what the media like to describe as the "peace process" and be able to show what we have done in those 10 crucial years of our history.

For well over a year now, a group of highly committed people from the arts, business, political, voluntary and sporting sectors have come together—and in the words of the noble Lord, Lord Burlison, have worked together—to prepare the bid on behalf of all the people of Northern Ireland—not just the population of our capital city. That group, through the organisation "Imagine Belfast 2008", has been both creative and inclusive in developing our bid through, for instance, a postcard campaign across all of Northern Ireland asking people to "imagine" what they would like to see in their Belfast in 2008. This campaign brought in a huge response from right across the community and some of the best ideas were even projected in a special light show on to the famous Harland and Wolff cranes which dominate the Belfast skyline.

Winning this title would represent a massive opportunity to be brave, bold, pioneering and—dare I say it?—revolutionary about creating change in Northern Ireland. It is a chance to challenge every preconception and misconception about Belfast and an opportunity to present a new image which, in the long term, could help to reposition the city and all of Northern Ireland in the eyes of the rest of the UK, Europe and the world beyond. The bid has been given the full support of the Northern Ireland Executive and was warmly endorsed by First Minister David Trirn1Ple and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan when it was delivered at the end of March.

However, a key message that I would like to convey to your Lordships today is my confidence that Belfast will be a very worthy representative of the United Kingdom should we be selected to become the UK's nominee for the European Capital of Culture in 2008. To be the UK's entry would be a badge we would wear with honour, while of course bringing our own distinctive Northern Ireland interpretation to our proposed activities. My confidence is based on the ideas within the Belfast bid document which represent a new approach to culture and to the arts, placing them at the very centre of our society and using a definition of culture that embraces every aspect of social, political and creative life in Northern Ireland.

I would also like to offer noble Lords the opportunity to examine this document to see for themselves the innovation and creativity that has been used in the proposal—helping to match the massive physical regeneration of Belfast that has been wrought in recent years. Indeed, I would urge your Lordships to come and see for yourselves how Belfast could and indeed should be a proud and worthy recipient of this honour.

If "Imagine Belfast 2008" is ultimately successful, I am sure that the confidence that I have in my home city will be fully appreciated by your Lordships.

8.15 p.m.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I am delighted that my noble friend's Question gives us the opportunity to debate issues relating to cultural activities and aspirations in some of our great cities. I look forward with great interest to the Minister's reply to the various questions raised by my noble friend.

European culture in the context of the Council of Europe and the European Union plays a major role. As a former Member of the European Parliament and as a current member of the parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, I am greatly involved in developing the continuity of our heritage and the need to define culture as widely as possible in order to ensure for the future that the peoples of Europe know and understand each other at least a little.

I believe that that can best be achieved through cultural activities. I also believe that it is a fundamental principle of our membership of the European institutions to try to work with and develop activities of common cultural interest. In that, the award of European City of Culture plays a very important role. We all know that Glasgow benefited enormously from being the chosen city some years ago. In the current year, the citizens in the fine city in the north of Portugal which holds the title—I believe it is Oporto—have greatly benefited from the influence it has brought.

Many noble Lords will know that, like the noble Lord, Lord McNally, I have a strong association with and an attachment to Liverpool. Liverpool was one of the first cities to throw its hat in the ring for the award. I regret that it did not figure as one of the leviathans to which my noble friend referred in his opening remarks. However, like other applicant cities, Liverpool is, as the noble Lord, Lord McNally, said, one of the great old industrial cities which has had to come to terms with its past in order to transform itself and find a new image and identity. It has gone a long way towards achieving that. It has received aid not only from central government but also from the European institutions. In that context, it can be said already to be a European city.

I know that I have no need to speak at great length in referring to the various attractions of Liverpool. However, as a former trustee of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, I cannot but sing the praises of the Walker and the plans for the updating of the Liverpool museum. I cannot help also but refer to the fine conservation centre which is one of the leading such centres not only in this country but in Europe and probably the world. There is the fine maritime museum and in terms of more popular culture the Beatles museum and so forth. There is the philharmonic orchestra, the playhouse and the three universities. As a great educational centre, Liverpool has a fine reputation and brings together many young people who make the centre of the city a vital place. But in addition to the atmosphere and the living environment, there are many fine buildings in the centre of Liverpool which owe their preservation and refurbishment to the need to accommodate students in central locations in the city. That, too, has been most satisfactory and refreshing.

As has already been said, from the world of sport Liverpool boasts two famous football teams and the Grand National, the greatest steeplechase horse race in the world. Many will also think of Liverpool as primarily a great sea port, with people coming into the city as well as those departing for other shores. As a consequence, we have a number of minority groups. We have the oldest Chinese community in the country. Many groups originating from other parts of the world came to Liverpool because of its success as a port and then stayed to make their homes in the city.

Together with the local authority, other institutions and several individuals, many of those groups have worked very hard on the bid to make Liverpool "the world in one city". To that end, perhaps I may quote a poem which was written with the bid for the European Capital of Culture in mind. It rather sums up the matter: The train is now leaving for two thousand and eight, It's travelling to Liverpool, it'll be well worth the wait, As Capital of Culture there's plenty to see, Just listen to this, I'm sure you'll agree. The first stop's the theatre, Of which there are four. The Empire and Everyman provide shows galore and, The Neptune and Playhouse give you lots more. The passengers want music, What shall they do? My answer is simple, Your choice is of two. The Phil provides tunes, Of a classical sort, For something more modern, You have the Royal Court. The museums and galleries come along thick and fast, With Liverpool, Life and the Maritime showing the past, For those wanting art you alight at the Tate, Then there's the Walker and Sudley where the pictures are great. And all through the city wherever you go, You're reminded that this city was the home of John, Paul, George and Ringo". I have ventured to quote the whole of that poem because it was published as the result of a competition across schools in the city, asking to children to set out their thoughts. The poem was written by Rebecca Loveridge, aged 11, a pupil at the Childwall Church of England Primary School. I think that it is an excellent example of how everyone in Liverpool is enthusiastic about this bid.

I do not doubt that by 2008 a very good bid will have won. Whatever happens, I believe that all those who are now participating in the bidding process will have focused their thoughts and efforts on securing success. In doing that, they will have achieved something for themselves, something that will be lasting. They will have achieved a great deal for all those who will be the future visitors to their cities, as well as for all those who in the future will go to live in them.

Again, I thank my noble friend for giving us an opportunity to debate this issue. I look forward to the reply from the noble Baroness.

8.23 p.m.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire

My Lords, we are all trying our best not to be too partisan. I wish to follow the general tone of the previous speakers by suggesting that the criteria that the Government should be adopting ought not to be entirely subjective and to argue strongly that, if we are considering the European Capital of Culture, then we should celebrate Britain's great regional and industrial cities.

What we saw with Glasgow as European City of Culture was a major opportunity very well taken to revive the city. It made a huge difference. To an extent we have seen the same effect in Bilbao, Toulouse and Bologna. They, too, used the opportunity of being nominated the European City of Culture to help them to turn around what had been left after the ravages of the industrial revolution and also to rediscover some of the older heritage behind it.

In his opening remarks, the noble Lord, Lord Luke, suggested that we have to avoid political correctness and dumbing down. However, I hope that we would all agree that any European Capital of Culture should not be only a city of high culture. When I worked in Oxford, as those open-topped buses drove past my room every 10 minutes with the loudspeakers telling tourists about the famous sites, I came to realise that there is a view of Britain which comprises the rapid high culture tour: London, Oxford, Stratford, Cambridge, Canterbury and off again. Many of us have worked hard to explain to visitors that there is much more to Britain than that.

I have to admit that the first time that Bradford launched itself as a centre of tourism, I was not entirely persuaded. It was not until the following February, when I was walking in a snowstorm with my family up from Howarth to the top of the Pennines to visit the farm that was thought to have been the original inspiration in Wuthering Heights, and then passing around 60 Japanese tourists along the way, that I understood that, in its own way, Bradford is also a real draw for foreign visitors. We have around 8 million visitors a year.

Part of a British strategy for tourism ought to concentrate on attracting more visitors to Liverpool, Bradford, Newcastle and Belfast, as well as to the more obvious places. After all, our great industrial cities are larger than many of Europe's other capital cities. Bradford is larger than Copenhagen; Liverpool is a great deal larger than Berne. Those cities were the creations of the 18th and 19th centuries and, in the nature of their growth, they were immigrant cities.

Between 1810 and 1840, the population of Bradford exploded tenfold. People came to the city from Scotland, Ireland and France; there is an area called "Little Germany" in the city. We still have the descendants of Armenians, as well as families from the great flood of East European Jews who arrived at the end of the last century. The Poles and the Ukrainians arrived at the end of the last war. Today, Bradford is home to a substantial population of people from South Asia and a smaller group from Jamaica, Grenada and other parts of the West Indies.

I still treasure the occasion when a British professor from Newcastle came to stay with us in Saltaire. He asked about the formation of new communities in Bradford. He spoke Gujarati, so we walked down to our local corner shop where we enjoyed a wonderful discussion about the complexities of the Gujarati communities—there are three of them—in Bradford.

The richness and diversity of the local culture of the great industrial cities is very much a part of what we should be celebrating. When we consider the European Capital of Culture, which should be a symbol of the future as well as one of the past, then part of what Britain does have to offer our European partners is the fact that we are now a multi-cultural country, that British citizens come from all kinds of backgrounds, colours, religions and attitudes, and that we manage that successfully. Often there may be tensions— we have endured some fairly strong tensions in Bradford over the past few years—but we do manage our multi-cultural diversity and we wish to celebrate it. We should be looking at heritage, at rediscovery, at reconstruction and at renaissance.

I am extremely proud that this year Saltaire was given World Heritage status. When we moved into the village, it was rapidly going downhill. I am extremely happy that we managed to buy a house there just at that point. Since then, a collection of l960s drop-outs, entrepreneurs who were not entirely sure that they wanted to play the normal game, have managed to persuade the council to turn the village around. That effort has been much helped by David Hockney and a range of other people who wanted to see Britain's industrial heritage preserved.

We now have a thriving village. We have a mill which, at its height, employed some 3,000 people. Today around 1,000 people work there for two electronics companies. It is a flourishing place which also has a great many paintings by David Hockney.

There are many other things that we might celebrate. The Hockney family comes from Idle, a village which is two villages further down the Aire and famous for its Idle working men's club. We need to cherish the industrial heritage which we have throughout the City of Bradford—as in. Newcastle, Liverpool and elsewhere—and to educate our young people about it.

There is also our mixed religious heritage—the chapels and the cemeteries. The noble Baroness, Lady Warwick of Undercliffe, could tell the House a great deal about the beauties of Undercliffe cemetery in Bradford, which is second only to Highgate in the extravagance of its memorials. Some of the chapels have now been turned into mosques.

There are also the distinctive musical traditions, which in West Yorkshire are much to do with brass bands, the Black Dyke Mills being the best known band in the Bradford area. We have the literature of the industrial revolution—books by J.B. Priestly, the wonderful Armstrong novels about the way in which mill families behaved, and now Barbara Taylor Bradford.

There is the vibrancy of our sporting tradition. I am very proud that Saltaire cricket club now has a substantial number of good young Asians in its teams. It is the club that used to have Jim Laker as its professional in the 1930s. Indeed, Asian cricket is one of the most encouraging developments in West Yorkshire that we all wish to celebrate. The vibrancy of Asian culture and what it has brought in to West Yorkshire is celebrated in the Bradford Mela and in the quality of Bradford's Asian cooking.

Without being too partisan, the opportunity needs to be taken to celebrate Britain's cultural diversity and its industrial and civic heritage, which was allowed to run down in the 1950s and 1960s but is now slowly being rebuilt. It was taken exceedingly well in Glasgow. Let us make sure that we take the opportunity to do the same again.

8.32 p.m.

Lord Morgan

My Lords, the European Capital of Culture should embody a vision of opportunity. It should not involve simply high culture nor the culture which allegedly made Goering reach for his revolver. It should be culture in the broad sense, in Max Weber's sense, embodying the social energies and aspirations of an entire community.

Perhaps I may suggest one or two possible criterion. Following on from what the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, said, the candidate city should represent Britain as it is in all its diversity—a multi-cultural, polylingual Britain; a Britain that has been invigorated and renewed by immigration, by changes in Scotland and Wales and by its relationship with Europe.

It should also, in the famous term of my noble friend Lord Healey, have a hinterland—not only a geographical hinterland but a cultural hinterland. It should interact with the life of an entire region and embody its close links with that wider area. It should resonate and pulsate through many communities, including those in need of social and economic renovation. It should embody naturally a close and vibrant relationship with the whole of Europe, as would be appropriate for such a city. It should also embody in part the ideals of the young. It should convey a sense of renewal, as other noble Lords have said, and should not be elitist or ageist. It should embody the quality of life of every age group. It should convey and contain a cultural base with a great range of activities—social, intellectual and sporting. It should convey ways in which the cultural infrastructure can be taken forward and it should pass the test of sustainability.

That brings me, through a natural and seamless progression of logic, to the claim of Cardiff. I have no interest to declare. I do not come from Cardiff—I used to work in Swansea—and therefore support neither its rugby team nor its soccer team. However, it has a number of qualities which illustrate the wider theme. Cardiff has a hinterland. A bid from Cardiff, as the noble Lord, Lord Livsey, will confirm, is a bid from Wales. It has the support of all 22 local authorities and has resonance all over the country. One feature of its bid will be a new programme of activity for Theatre Clwyd in Mold, which is in the far north-east of Wales. This will have an impact on Swansea, Newport and Merthyr. It benefits from being the home of the Welsh Assembly, which is strongly supporting the bid from Cardiff. The mere fact of devolution is reflected in the considerable cultural liberation of the City of Cardiff in all its aspects in recent years.

The point has been made—quite correctly—about multiculturalism. There is scarcely a city in these islands which has a stronger and longer tradition of multicultural interaction than the City of Cardiff. It has been a highly inclusive place for decades. For generations it has housed within it a large number of migrants from the Middle East, from Africa and from the Far East—and very harmoniously so. We shall not see tomorrow a threat from the British National Party in the port of Cardiff. Tiger Bay and Butetown are famous for nurturing icons of our culture—the singer Shirley Bassey, the rugby league player Billy Boston and the Olympic athlete Colin Jackson. It is symbolical that Cardiff should have a notable art centre in a chapel built in the 1870s for Norwegian seamen coming to Cardiff.

Cardiff also has a very strong Jewish community, which has given the world—not to mention the Labour Party—the great names of Silkin, Edelman, Abse and the family of my noble friend Lord Janner, who is not in his place.

Cardiff cradles above all a naturally bilingual, bicultural city. It is the home of key institutions in the world of the Welsh language—television companies, the Welsh Academi, the University of Wales and its press. I hope this will be reflected in the kind of considerations brought to bear in choosing the European City of Culture.

In spite of everything, those of us who speak Welsh number half a million. It is easily the most robust of the Celtic languages and it is relevant that in 2008 the National Eisteddfod of Wales will be meeting in Cardiff, as also will the Eisteddfod of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth.

Cardiff is also very much a European city—indeed, its multiculturalism gives Cardiff its outward dimension. It has a strong series of links with not only western Europe but with central and eastern Europe and the cultures of Poland, Romania and the Baltic states. This multiculturalism gives Cardiff its outward look.

Not many cities can be more effectively and completely described as a city of the young. In physical terms, Cardiff is rapidly growing—it has been since the 1980s—and many young people are coming to Cardiff.

The Bay area has been transformed as a haven for young people. In the world of pop culture—with which I am sure your Lordships are totally familiar—Cardiff houses slightly more recent groups than the Beatles, of whom the noble Lord, Lord McNally spoke nostalgically. It has the Stereophonics and Catatonia, who are responsible for the famous disc, "Road Rage", and the memorable remark, Every morning I wake up and thank the Lord I'm Welsh". Cardiff is also the home of major artistic institutions—the Welsh National Opera, which is outstanding —in the world, St David's Concert Hall, the National Museum of Wales, with its unique collection of impressionists, many other galleries, the Chapter Arts Centre, the third largest film festival in Britain and, not least, the Millennium rugby stadium, which has been a triumphant success. Compared with the shambles of Wembley, the Millennium stadium has been a great success, both architecturally and in terms of management. It will host the cup final on Saturday, where Arsenal will win. Many other developments are forecast which convey the theme of sustainability. I mention in particular the Wales Millennium Stadium, due for completion in 2004—a great new venue for opera, ballet and music.

Any cultural capital of Europe benefits enormously. This is an enormous spur to jobs, investment and growth. It would be beneficial for Cardiff and for the whole of the South Wales Valleys, which are suffering deep deprivation at the present time. Cardiff is an outward-looking city. Its history is a chronicle of social inclusion. It has an outward-looking identity, which nevertheless cradles the oldest culture in these islands—that of the nation of Wales. So I hope that the adjudicators, and indeed my noble friend the Minister, will bear these cogent points in mind.

8.41 p.m.

Viscount Falkland

My Lords, I have found the debate fascinating. One must thank the noble Lord, Lord Luke, for introducing it. I know the noble Lord to be a jolly chap. However, I thought I detected a slightly pessimistic note in his comments about this project—although perhaps it was due to the lateness of the hour. He does not need to be pessimistic. There is no downside to this project. A number of speakers mentioned the experience of Glasgow when it was the City of Culture. The dramatic transformation of that city indicates that we are on the right track.

My noble friend Lord McNally gave me rather a fright. I always get a fright when I am reminded that from this Front Bench I have the worthy and honourable job of representing the party view on these matters. We on these Benches view the project with the utmost optimism and favour. We congratulate the department on the way in which it has outlined the criteria that will be applied when a city is finally chosen.

It has been notable from the contributions that there are advocates of cities who are absent. We have heard very little about Canterbury, for example, or indeed Brighton and Hove; or about Norwich—where is the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis? We have heard little about Oxford. We shall no doubt hear noble Lords express their spirited support for those candidates.

The noble Lord, Lord Luke, need not worry too much about the definition of "culture". We all know what we mean by the word in this country. It is slightly different in terms of emphasis and nuance from what is meant by culture—not high culture but culture generally—in other European countries. We are, as Her Majesty said in her admirable Golden Jubilee Address, a pragmatic and sensible nation. I agreed with those remarks. When we embark on cultural projects, we like to know how things work. We shall be asking the Minister to tell us in her reply how various aspects of the project will work in terms of selection and so forth.

I think that we can all agree that "culture" is civilisation. It is obviously about custom and history, it is about artistic achievement, it is about the quality of life in our country and in the cities and towns throughout our nation. It is right and proper that in reaching a decision the committee, and ultimately the Prime Minister, will take into account not only high culture, or culture as I have described it, but aspects of the life of these cities in terms of what can be done to increase their prosperity and decrease deprivation and exclusion. The noble Lord, Lord Rogan, made a similar reference in relation to Belfast. It is an important part of the process. It may be cheering to the noble Lord to know—this may not come within his area of expertise—that Messrs William Hill make Belfast the narrow favourite in the betting.

I recall doing an interview on the Green some years ago for a French television programme. I was asked to explain what was all the fuss about the Poet Laureate—what was the Poet Laureate, and why were the British so exercised about the matter? I said that they were not exercised about the matter as such:, they were exercised about the fact that William Hill had produced its betting prices on it. They found that absolutely fascinating. I understand that when the programme was broadcast on TV 3 in France it engendered a good deal of interest: not all French people realised that, as well as being a cultural people—which we are, with our great literary culture and so forth—we are betting folk as well, and we like to mix all these things up. That is part of our culture.

Incidentally, Liverpool is second favourite, at 7 to 2. If asked to give a tip—which I advise everyone to ignore, because I am always tipping losers—although I do not want to burden Liverpool, I think that it must stand an excellent chance for all the reasons that have been given. Liverpool has everything. I speak as someone who has no axe to grind about Liverpool. I went there in my working youth, and spent some pretty dank days there, greeting ships coming in and discharging at the port. But I found the Walker Art Gallery fascinating, even as it was in the early 1960s.

I suggest to your Lordships that, outside London, Liverpool has become the most successful and important area of cultural activity—thanks to the excellent work of the late Sir Richard Foster, who died in such tragic circumstances and to whom we should offer belated thanks for the great work that he did there. I see the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, nodding.

Apart from the great architectural and industrial traditions of Liverpool and its great entertainment and musical traditions, it has high culture as well. It is an astonishing city. I do not think that we need to be coy about its history—if I may say this to the noble Baroness, who so passionately advocated Liverpool. It has a history in the triangular trade which involved slavery, but other cities in Europe did as well. We need to cease to be coy about the matter. To that extent I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Luke. Let us not be politically correct about that. If Liverpool is a serious candidate, let us take that as part of its culture and let us examine the way it has dealt with it. It merely adds to the strength of its candidature.

We listed the Liverpool entertainers, and I reminded the noble Lord of Tommy Handley, who was a great influence on my life, which shows one's age. There are many others. One has to mention Lily Savage, that wonderful comedian Mr O'Grady, who has unfortunately recently had a heart attack, as well as many others. It is always dangerous to mention Freddie Starr, but he is another talented entertainer from Merseyside along with Mr Jimmy Tarbuck and others. They are part of the lively entertainment culture of that city.

Other cities, of course, have everything to offer, and other noble Lords have put them forward. This is a very exciting and entertaining project. It can only add prestige to this country. It can produce euros and dollars for tourism, which is so important.

Perhaps I may end on the question about London, raised by the noble Lord, Lord Luke. We both love London. But London has a brand image of its own. England has no brand image in tourism, but London has a brand image, as does Scotland. To opt for London now, when there is so much that needs to be developed in other cities in order to expand tourism would be a mistake. That is no criticism of London, but to do so would be to miss a great opportunity.

Of course, Goring waved his revolver and used it to steal many works of art, so he cannot be considered entirely a man lacking in culture, even if he was only a psychopathic admirer of culture.

I wish the whole project well. I should like the noble Baroness to tell us more about the decision committee. Who is going to chair it? When is it going to sit? When is it going to produce a result? I have not understood— though there may be very good reasons—why on earth the losers are to become centres of cultural excellence. What is the thinking behind that? How do they qualify for that apart from by being the losers? It seems an odd, rather British idea.

8.50 p.m.

The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)

My Lords, like other speakers in the debate, I am extremely grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Luke, for introducing it, although, like the noble Viscount, Lord Falkland, I was sorry that he was not a little more upbeat about the competition, as every other speaker has been.

The European Capital of Culture programme is an important EU initiative to develop and promote the contribution that culture can make to a range of wider agendas and to celebrate the importance of culture in the everyday life of our cities. That is something that we should celebrate.

Unlike every other speaker in the debate, apart from the noble Lord, Lord Luke, I am not backing any one of the 12. I have a completely open mind and I shall therefore be boringly non-partisan. However, before I go on in that vein, I congratulate all those who have spoken on their brilliant advocacy on behalf of each of the cities that they are backing. The cities might consider hiring all of them to be on their public relations committees, because they have all done a splendid job tonight.

I am delighted that 12 cities from across the UK have taken up the challenge and submitted bids for the competition to select the UK's nomination for 2008. No city has been leant on to bid or not to bid. It has been entirely a matter for the cities themselves.

Cities create a collective vision, which encourages participation in cultural experience, learning opportunities, growth and regeneration. They can celebrate the richness and diversity of our lives and our cultures and create opportunities for creativity to he cultivated and for growth to be stimulated.

The purpose of the European Capital of Culture, as a competition and as a title, is not simply to highlight existing culture and cultural excellence but to encourage cities to develop and innovate within the cultural sphere. That is what is particularly valuable about it. It is an opportunity to show that culture is central to the life of a city and to demonstrate the contribution of culture to regeneration, social inclusion, education and business.

The competition to select the UK's nomination provides a tremendous opportunity for cities across the UK to explore and develop their cultural heritage and their creative life. To be designated as European Capital of Culture is a great honour and, as a showcase for the cultural wealth of the chosen city, it is a great opportunity.

I am sure that all the cities that have entered the competition will benefit from the process of developing their bids, through building new partnerships and by identifying new and innovative ways of improving and enhancing their cultural life. I am also sure that the city that wins the title will be a magnificent showcase for its own cultural life and for the UK as a whole.

However, I emphasise that the competition is not just about winners and losers. We want all the cities to derive some benefit from taking part in the competition. I very much agree with the comments of the noble Lord, Lord McNally, on that. The competition offers benefits for all the towns that have entered.

In response to the noble Viscount, Lord Falkland, when we launched the capital of culture competition, we announced that we would expand it in the UK and designate the shortlisted cities as centres of culture. That is desirable, because not everybody can win, but just by dint of entering they will have put a lot of effort into developing their particular culture in the broadest sense of the term.

The Government's criteria, which are based on those developed by the EU, were set out in the document Criteria and Information for Applicants when we launched the competition. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Luke, for his broad welcome for the guidelines that we provided. For the record, perhaps I should briefly go through the criteria. Broadly speaking, they fall into one of three categories: objectives, programme and infrastructure.

The successful city will have clearly defined objectives for a year-long programme, and the ability to deliver them; the ability to create an event of excellence with maximum impact for all its residents and visitors; a programme of events that will increase awareness and participation in cultural opportunities, particularly among the young and within community groups; a programme of events that presents opportunities for learning and development for individuals and communities; the ability to ensure co-ordination and full partnership between stakeholders and investors; the ability to display the city's cultural wealth within a European context and encourage other European states' participation; the infrastructure to deliver the above or the ability to create it—the noble Lord, Lord Luke, particularly mentioned transport in that respect; the financial resources to deliver the above; a well developed tourism strategy for the year; a well developed media strategy that promotes it at home and abroad; a programme of events that is sustainable financially and in terms of projected attendance figures; and the ability to translate this into long-lasting benefits.

In making our assessment of the bids, we will obviously focus on the criteria that we have published, but we shall also ensure that the city that we select to be the UK's nomination will meet the EU's criteria. All the bids will be evaluated in the same way against the criteria.

As noble Lords are aware, we decided that the best approach to assess the bids would be to appoint an independent advisory panel. The panel will evaluate each of the bids against the criteria and produce a report and recommendations for Ministers to consider. As the noble Viscount, Lord Falkland, has already said, the final choice will be for the Prime Minister. We will announce the members of the advisory panel as soon as possible. The bids from the competing cities cover a broad cultural spectrum. We want to ensure that the expertise of the panel reflects this as far as possible. We shall appoint excellent people who will be able to do that difficult job. Listening to the debate this evening has reinforced my view that this will be by no means an easy task.

I was asked about the timetable. We are currently aiming to announce the shortlist in the late autumn and the final winner in spring 2003, although we will keep the timetable under review. The Prime Minister will submit our nomination, which has to reach the EU by the end of 2003. The EU requires each member state to submit its nomination no later than four years before the start of the year in which a city from that member state will hold the Capital of Culture title.

The noble Lord, Lord Luke, asked why the EU should have a selection panel of its own when the UK has already been through the process. I think it is reasonable that, as some EU money will certainly go into this, there should be a system whereby independent experts from the cultural sector are able simply to review the choices made by member states. I do not imagine that it will be a terribly time-consuming or expensive process. Indeed, I would expect the EU committee to endorse the UK's choice.

The noble Lord, Lord Luke, also asked about funding. As I said, we anticipate that the EU will provide some funding as it has done previously for the City of Culture programme. The Government have not yet made any decisions about government funding but we shall consider that in due course.

A number of speakers mentioned Glasgow. I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, and the noble Lords, Lord Wallace of Saltaire and Lord McNally, that Glasgow used the year and the title to great effect and benefited enormously from it. It had both economic and social benefits, and Glasgow made excellent use of the arts and culture both to strengthen and to communicate its own regeneration and vitality. I think that, on the basis of that example, we can all have high hopes for this competition for whichever city wins it. Glasgow in 1990 amply demonstrated the long-lasting cultural benefits that can be derived from taking on this challenge and doing it well.

Apart from a degree of partisanship, which is not at all unexpected in a debate of this kind, there has been a great deal of agreement across the House. I am sure that noble Lords will also agree when I say that the UK's cultural life is internationally known and acclaimed. The European Capital of Culture competition represents a great opportunity for our cities to harness their cultural assets and potential in search of a prize that is an excellent platform on which to celebrate our unique cultural successes. The city that is awarded the title will have an unparalleled opportunity to promote itself and its culture and to represent the UK on the international stage. Whichever city it is, I think that we should all wish it the very best for 2008.

House adjourned at two minutes past nine o'clock.