What do Istanbul, Reykjavík and Stavanger all have in common? All of them applied at different times to be European Capital of Culture, and all of them won the accolade. This is despite Turkey, Iceland, and Norway not being members of the European Union. The clue should be in the title: the European Capital of Culture, not the European Union Capital of Culture. Not that this matters to our so-called friends in Brussels who just enjoy being vindictive.
Because it is a vindictive decision to exclude cities in the UK from bidding for the title, especially as Dundee, Leeds, Belfast/Derry, Milton Keynes and Nottingham put an enormous amount of time (and money) preparing bids. The EU likes to present itself as Europe when it is obvious that it is not. It is an artificial construct - and an anti-democratic one at that. It would love to control the whole of the continent, but we know that that is not going to happen.
I love travelling around the Europe. I am proud of Western civilisation that emanated from the continent. I love visiting the great castles and cathedrals, the food, the beer, the wine. I love the differences in culture and language.
On the plus side, the decision will have made more people who voted to Remain last year realise that the decision to leave was the right one. The EU is not a benign organisation that wants to spread peace and happiness. It is controlling, petty, and vindictive.