Kev
12-11-2007, 08:18 PM
The House of Lords has given its public backing to Liverpool as European Capital of culture.
The comments came during a special debate called by Lyndon Harrison, former Euro MEP for Wirral.
But the Labour peer urged his government to provide extra cash for the city council to help to ensure the celebrations were well funded.
Musical impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber called the city a "fabulous cauldron of joy and art".
Mr Harrison said: "The local council, the central funder, I think still needs support from the government to ensure the funding gap is closed to bring the fitting conclusion, please do not stint on this."
The former Liberal Democrat MP for Mossley Hill - David Alton - now an independent peer - said there was still hard work to be done.
"Just achieving capital of culture status doesn't ensure renaissance - it didn't in Patres (last year's Greek capital of culture) and was only of limited value in Cork.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39710000/jpg/_39710587_lloyd_webber203bbc.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It is just the most fantastic thrilling city http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gifLord Andrew Lloyd Webber
"But Glasgow, capital of culture in 1990, genuinely did become 'miles better' and that will happen too in Liverpool if the city unites to make it happen."
He added: "The objective must be a legacy of long-term growth and sustainability."
But the most passionate speech came from a non-Liverpudlian. Andrew Lloyd-Webber, arguably Britain's most successful musical impresario.
He rarely speaks in the House of Lords but the Conservative peer who's been working in the city in recent weeks said he thought Liverpool was "fabulous".
"It is just the most fantastic thrilling city.
"The extraordinary nature of what is going on there has currently got a lid on it and if the government were to give it a little bit more of a nod - then the lid would come off and it would be an absolute cauldron of joy and art."
BBC Liverpool
The comments came during a special debate called by Lyndon Harrison, former Euro MEP for Wirral.
But the Labour peer urged his government to provide extra cash for the city council to help to ensure the celebrations were well funded.
Musical impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber called the city a "fabulous cauldron of joy and art".
Mr Harrison said: "The local council, the central funder, I think still needs support from the government to ensure the funding gap is closed to bring the fitting conclusion, please do not stint on this."
The former Liberal Democrat MP for Mossley Hill - David Alton - now an independent peer - said there was still hard work to be done.
"Just achieving capital of culture status doesn't ensure renaissance - it didn't in Patres (last year's Greek capital of culture) and was only of limited value in Cork.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39710000/jpg/_39710587_lloyd_webber203bbc.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It is just the most fantastic thrilling city http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gifLord Andrew Lloyd Webber
"But Glasgow, capital of culture in 1990, genuinely did become 'miles better' and that will happen too in Liverpool if the city unites to make it happen."
He added: "The objective must be a legacy of long-term growth and sustainability."
But the most passionate speech came from a non-Liverpudlian. Andrew Lloyd-Webber, arguably Britain's most successful musical impresario.
He rarely speaks in the House of Lords but the Conservative peer who's been working in the city in recent weeks said he thought Liverpool was "fabulous".
"It is just the most fantastic thrilling city.
"The extraordinary nature of what is going on there has currently got a lid on it and if the government were to give it a little bit more of a nod - then the lid would come off and it would be an absolute cauldron of joy and art."
BBC Liverpool