I did not support the Capital of Culture bid, although I had thought Brighton and Hove would be shortlisted.

Things looked so different last year, when the campaign for a directly elected mayor was in full swing. Its defeat was the first strike against the city cabal after they had won city status in 2000.

Their dream of a coastal culture capital, ruled by an elected mayor, was compromised. However, the Capital of Culture was still a prize worth having, in their eyes.

Things went terminally wrong with Normstock II, despite a strong start with Groupe F's fireworks. However, that such a star attraction was imported displayed a degree of cynicism about the process.

The saddest aspect was the city cabal's desperate whitewashing of Normstock II, which even Fatboy Slim admitted had become "a monster". The beach may have been cleared but covering a beach with rubbish was not culture in the first place.

What for Brighton and Hove now? I suggest a cooling-down time for new developments so the best decisions are made in terms of architectural quality and social and environmental sustainability.

Brighton and Hove City Council will certainly have to face the music in May and I suggest the decibels will challenge even Norman Cook's eardrums.

And there is not even a directly elected mayor to bail out the council - in fact, not even a directly elected monkey.

-Peter Poole, PO Box 521, Hove