Back in 2006, the current editor of the JC wrote the following at his blog (the emphasis is mine):
'The Spectator has a piece this week about Ken Dodd. He's appearing in Blackpool, and the author suggests that "one thing every person sound of mind and body can and should do before they die is catch Ken Dodd, the once-and-forever king of comedy, working his magic on stage."
That, of course, involves a journey to the s**t-hole that is Blackpool. Might I suggest that there is a much easier way to amuse oneself, by watching a buffoon in action. Simply click here. Within a matter of seconds you will, as the acronym has it, be ROFL.'
And also:
'I consider Blackpool to be one of the most hideous, tacky, unpleasant dumps in Britain. The place itself has no redeeming features.'
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Yesterday, Reuters published the following piece:
Blackpool aims for world heritage status
'The seaside resort of Blackpool is competing to win World Heritage status and join the likes of the USA's Statue of Liberty, India's Taj Mahal and Egypt's pyramids.
A list of 38 sites, including the historic city of York and the Lake District, will be whittled down and submitted to the United Nations cultural organisation Unesco next year.
Overseas territories and crown dependencies such as the Caribbean Turks and Caicos islands, Gibraltar's Gorham's Cave and St Helena in the Atlantic, where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled after the Battle of Waterloo, are also included.
"Any list that includes Jodrell Bank, the Forth Bridge, Blackpool and the Turks and Caicos Islands certainly doesn't lack variety," said heritage minister John Penrose as he published the applications.
"What all 38 sites have in common is a wow factor and a cultural resonance that makes them real contenders to sit alongside The Pyramids and Red Square in this most distinguished of gatherings," he added.
The applicants aim to join UK areas that already boast the World Heritage status of having "outstanding universal value," including the Tower of London, Kew's Royal Botanical Gardens, the city of Bath and Stonehenge.'