No Rock And Roll Fun

LIFE IN THE CITY OF CULTURE: Despite bleeding the Beatles bucket dry as a stone, it seems Liverpool City Council still haven't got a clue about how to treat their heritage - they're planning to bulldoze Ringo Starr's birthplace. Maybe the city should decide if it really is Beatlesville, land of yellow submarines and magical mystery tours, or if it's not really that arsed about the Beatles at all. At the moment, Ringo House, 9, Madryn Street, is something of a tourist attraction, bringing thousands of visitors into an area without much to tempt visitors. Rather than deciding to try and make this the focus of regeneration for the area, the council seems set on pulling the whole street down. What makes it worse is the residents of Madryn Street would much rather have their homes tarted up than torn down. But, of course, actually keeping the original building would sit poorly with the council's current policies of turning everything into a one-step removed 'experience' - doubtless plans are already underway to build a Ringoesque House Visitor Attraction in the city centre. Just as soon as the European Union decide to pay for it.