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Ooh, this is either cheeky, or a deliberate misunderstanding on your part. Mr Bradshaw is stating that UK culture is focused on London, not that everyone in Britain loves London and can't see past that to their own regional cultural offerings.

Culture in Britain is so overwhelmingly London-centric it isn't even funny. Of course the people in Manchester and Gateshead aren't London-centric. It's the people in London, who dominate policy, funding and organisation, who are so embedded inside the M25 you'd swear they aren't legally allowed to leave the capital. Chief culprit is the ´óÏó´«Ã½, whose staff bleat and moan at the very prospect of having to live in Manchester, who barely seem capable of producing a news story unless it's in London, and produce 95% of the theatre, concert, book and film reviews from the comfort of their London armchair.

As someone who has lived in the North West and London, I do agree with Mr Bradshaw. Coverage of the arts in the UK on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and national newspapers tends to focus on what is on in London, with the annual novelty sojourns to Hay on Wye, Glyndebourne, the Ed Fringe and the Eisteddfod.

If only we could see more reports on the Newsnight Review, or Front Row, or Sky Arts, giving information on the latest ballet in Birmingham, the next great concert from Gateshead, the Brighton arts festival, the last great play to be put on in Liverpool, the best comedy talent to come from Manchester. In the English regions we do not have the cultural cache that comes with having the level of political independence that Wales and Scotland enjoy, so we don't get TV specials with live coverage of our arts festivals. The forthcoming relocation of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ away from London can only be a good thing for representation of the Northern and Midlands arts scenes.

Since I am in London (from Manchester) at the moment enjoying London's facilities (which are not just confined to the City Centre) ,a occassioanly go to Paris and Brussels, I am not really so concerned about the attitude of the inhabitants of of those cities to what goes on elsewhere. However I am doubtful about a UK City of Culture. Mr Bradshaw seems to not have noticed that for the most part his remit is confined to England as "culture" is devolved to the Nations. If the 'UK's City of Culture comes off it will be interesting to see who bids. The cities that can sustain the costs and attract events are usually within large City Regions and might be thught not to need it. Others like Oxford, York and Norwich are tourist honey pots. Brighton and Canturbury are aleady within the London's mega city sphere (the inhabitants communte!) So it looks like Bristol , Plymouth Portsmouth and Southampton anf Stoke might bid, with Gloucester/Cheltenham as an outsider. I can't see the London Centrics/ "national prize giving going to Ipswich, Lincoln, Carlisle or Truro."
But why a City? Why not a 'virtual region' (like the area 35 or so miles round Gloucester or the round Hull be a "City of Culture."

I have to say that although I'm always happy to whinge about the London focus of the media I'm far more likely to visit an event there than in the much closer midlands or Yorkshire.

I've been immensely cheered today by reading an article in the Sheffield Star that refers to Chair of the Liverpool Culture company as "Phil Scal".

Is that what they call Professor Redmond at the DCMS I wonder!

Past results have shown to have a "city" of culture it has to be there in the population. It most certainly has not been there and the result is a bureaucratic lack lustre dead arts establishment killed by the same people "promoting" it.

"Cities and towns all over the UK work to create interesting and stimulating cultural programming..." Yes that is it precisely. Programming.
The yuppies killed the cities and the boheme, the real culture dynamos of the cities, left to be replaced by programmers. They cannot be replaced by office based initiatives. The results look good as statistics but the reality is the usual crap from a dead arts establishment.
It is not just London killing the fresh breath of air of the arts it is all cities now due to the hollow dictatorship of bureaucrats.
The truth is noone really wants the cost that goes with it and that is not just the monetary one.

With the vast amjority of cultural travellers from overseas only able to take it makes sense to maintain the capital as the art and cultural hub of the UK

London has to host most majot exhibitions - look at the shambles that was the Banksy exhibition in Bristol - Average time standing around unproductively 3 hours multiply by visitor numbers - do the math.

In fact I just saw an illuminating article

...saw an illuminating article by the that gave an insight to a visitors experience of the 2009 in Bristol - poor show by all accounts

Hmm - Bristol aside there is very little culture in the South West - that is unless you consider the Wurzels to be of cultural significance to the UK

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Although you would expect that the migration of Londoners to the peripheral regions of the British Isles would begin to make an impact on the cultural desert outside of the capital.