madam president i come with two questions for the commissioner
one what is culture
and two what on earth has it got to do with the european union
in my region lies the historic county of northamptonshire
part of its cultural identity its history its fabric comes from its historic ties with the shoemaking industry
shoemaking in the county was first recognised in the year twelve oh-two when peter the cordwainer was almost famous within the county
in fourteen fifty-two the court regulated prices and weights for various traders including the cordwainers and northampton itself has served as a home to the shoe industry for all that time
in eighteen forty-one according to the census list there were one eight hundred and twenty-one shoemakers within the county
the county's football team northampton football club is still referred to as the cobblers and in northamptonshire now we have thirty-four shoe factories still open all over one hundred years old
i am wearing a pair of barker shoes today from a village called earls barton in the wonderful westminster constituency of daventry
we have a museum we have cultural events around the shoemaking industry and it all came before the european union
so whilst i completely understand the role of culture in countries regions i wonder if or how the european union can help us in these things
and what are europe's regions
i think we should leave it to culture in europe's regions to develop as it always has done locally organically and not centrally government-led
