Was European Capital of Culture the Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Liverpool

When I started editing this blog it was with the vast amount of frustration that both myself and my trusted colleagues felt, that set the tone. In being truthful and honest to what you believe it is more than necessary within this city of spivs and shysters to step on a few toes. There were a lot more spivs at work than I first thought, and you know who you are. I have also met some of the most truthful people whom I respect and admire. Who have fought for things that they believed in at their own time and expense, to try their best to save the essence of a town set upon by uneducated idiots who did not care one hoop what they left behind on their journey to retirement in Spain or some other exotic location a million miles away from Liverpool.
After fighting the planning process for some time now, trying to defend the degeneration of the world heritage site, fighting for principles we hold dear I have come to the conclusion that the Spivs have won and it is all over par the embarrassment of having to live in a city with such a lack of culture that it destroys its best asset in the year labelled as European Capital of Culture for all to see.
Imagine if you built across the Taj Mahal or the Sphinx or the Pyramids.
Please spare me the "City should not be kept in aspic" PR stunt that was taken from the programme Coast where the presenter was talking about the World Heritage Site Jurassic Coast being full of people. This was then lifted to suit the PR firms and bandied about by all at Liverpool Vision relaying it to everyone so it would stick they knew this was the line that would sell the developments to the public through the press. Imagine if they had built three blocks of flats across the Pont D'Avignon or the Palace de la Papes it is unimaginable. You would never get it past the public. But this is Liverpool.
I thus conclude in my personal opinion that 2008 is the worst thing that could have happened to Liverpool in its recent history.
It sent the whole carpet-bagging regime that descended on the city for a European Culture of Capital fest. Or Capital of Vultures, whatever. We all know we needed a few more shops, we all know we needed some redevelopment but to destroy the very thing what made you that held you together, that gave you pride, is plain stupid.
A respected architectural journalist for a national said to me "Wayne, why does Liverpool always shoot itself in the foot"
This is something I have had to live with all my life through darkened days when Liverpool seemed to be at the point of no return. I recall the slogan daubed on a wall in frustration 'Will the last one out of Liverpool please switch off the lights".
I was working in Lodge lane when the riots were on I was a property developer in the Derek Hatton era and now I deal in art post 2008. A small individual unusual business the thing that the city should be cherishing not a homogenisation that looks like any other town. We are heading for a Grosvenor-pool within a Tescopool. I can find the same shops anywhere, what about unique-ness and individuality.
We had a blank canvas to weave some magic in with the old.
I was recently asked "Do you like any new building that has been built in the last ten years". This was levelled in a way that I should, and there was something wrong if I did not, that I was somehow stuck in the past. Having studied modern architecture "Le Corbusier died decades ago" I declared "In order to understand the question you have to know that what we now call modern is in fact 70 years old built with inanimate materials such as steel and glass".
It is a real shame that we have been over-run by the carpet bagging Spivs and the uneducated people who have allowed this to happen should hang their heads in shame. It breaks my heart to watch and understand that we have created so little out of so much.