I seem to spend most of my waking hours contemplating the concept of cultural identity at the moment, as part of my involvement with next year’s European Capital of Culture programme. In case you missed it in all the London-centric hullabaloo around the 2012 Olympics, Liverpool has been designated Europe’s Capital of Culture 2008 – though you could be forgiven for not noticing as the host city, sitting in the People’s Republic of Merseyside, has still yet to fully recognise the UK, never mind the European Union. Still, having only been in the creative chair for a matter of weeks, one of my key tasks is to remind the nation that this rotational award – rather like the Olympics – cannot be back in Britain for at least 40 years, such is the predicted growth of the EU.

Like most things European, the concept is relatively simple but the devil is in the delivery. Each member state is asked to spend a year promoting both its indigenous and EU-wide culture. At the same time, a non-member state is invited to do likewise: in 2008 that will be Norway, with Stavanger its designated host city. The idea is that if we share our culture we become multicultural. And the more multicultural we become, the more collegiate, co-operative and communal.