"Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the arts and media mogul, the broadcaster Sue MacGregor and other members of the assessment panel have begun their long haul around the 12 cities in Britain and Northern Ireland that have submitted bids to become European capital of culture in 2008. Apart from a brief hour or so in Whitehall in May, when a few general guidelines were spelt out, the site visits are the first time that the teams in each city get to meet the decision-makers." (Quoted from article)