Is this the face we wish to show to the world?

Story from Insider Business News for Liverpool shown below

Private sector urged to get behind Expo
The man heading Liverpool's presence at next year's World Expo in China says the city risks failing to exploit the full potential of the event unless more private sector sponsors come forward. Unveiling the designs of Liverpool's pavilion at the Expo in Shanghai, director of operations Phil Southward said although Liverpool's presence at the six-month event, which starts in May 2010, was assured through £1.5m of public sector funding, he urged more companies, especially SMEs, to come on board. He predicted Liverpool's final budget would be between £2.25m and £3m. "If we get to £3m that would be the icing on the cake, but if it's nearer £2.25m we will have to curtail what we do," he said. Peel Holdings has signed up as a lead sponsor while other unnamed sponsors from the sporting, food, drink and technology sectors have come forward in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a consortium headed by Liverpool design and creative agency Uniform has won the contract to design and build the pavilion. It features a central auditorium playing a ten-minute 3D film, as well as an exhibition area featuring pods dedicated to The Beatles and football. The team will begin building the pavilion in November.

I don't want to get into the whole debate about whether I think a council potentially 100,000,000 in the red should be engaging with the Shanghai Expo in the hope of encouraing Chinese businesses to come to Liverpool, that is for another day. What I want to ask is this, do we really want the exhibition area that promotes our wonderful city to be focussed on the Beatles and football?

Forgive me, but isn't this 2009? And didn't we just put in the most superhuman effort to encourage the world to think we are a place of culture and joie de vivre with much to offer in terms of art, music, drama, sculpture, poetry...

Not surely just the Beatles and football

I am frankly horrified, where is the focus on our National Museums of Liverpool, the International Slavery Museum, the Tate, the Walker, the Lady Lever, Sudley Hall, our three Universities, Stanley Street, Lark Lane, the three Graces, the Mersey tunnels, the Superlambanana, Reynolds Park, Croxteth Hall, Albert Dock, Turning the Place Over, FACT, the Mersey Ferry, Hope Street, The Unity, The Everyman, The Playhouse, Cedar Court, St George's Hall usw?

Which backward facing pen-pusher came up with this idea?