David Campbell thinks London can win the Olympic bid

Even though I was born in Glasgow, I moved to London when I was a teenager and consider myself a Londoner. I've no desire to move anywhere else.

There is a real vibrancy in London at the moment. Cities tend to go through cycles and London is very much on the up.

The great thing about the city is that it is so diverse with different areas having their own characteristics.

London also has great theatre, sports, restaurants, bands, films - which makes it so exciting.

It is a very cosmopolitan city and so it is very welcoming for people of all backgrounds.

The one thing that not only Londoners, and Brits on the whole, have to stop doing, is being so down on ourselves David Campbell

I don't think that you can define a typical Londoner. You still get the 'East End Cockney' but it is just one of the many mixes.

But the perceptions of London abroad are still very much behind the reality.

I think the real London is much more diversified, much more culturally rich than they realise.

I still think, especially in America, that there is still a jolly old British thing with perceptions of Bobbies on the street corner or bowler hat gentlemen in the City of London.

The one thing that not only Londoners, and Brits on the whole, have to stop doing, is being so down on ourselves.

Sometimes we can't help but talk about how bad things are.

'Tough competition'

You hear about the Olympics - a fantastic, once in a generation opportunity - and yet people say 'look what happened with the Dome'.

The Dome was built by politicians, it happened across two different governments and most importantly nobody really knew what was going to go into it.

With the Olympics it is pretty simple. We know what's going to be in the stadium so it's not going to be difficult.

We've still got to win the bid but there's no comparison between the two.

As for the bid itself, the next few years are going to be really hard work with the decision being made in July 2005.

'Civic pride'

It's going to be a really tough competition. Personally I think it will be a battle between London and Paris.

I think we can win. They (Paris) are phenomenally well organised and will put on a good show.

But London can also shine and be a star, and we have got to convince people of that because there will be great benefits to London.

These include massive improvement to civic pride.

I remember back to Euro 96 and there was a real buzz in London when that was going on and we can create that, and that will seem like a tiny little thing if we do get the Olympics.

The other thing is the whole Thames Gateway Lea Valley area is in need of regeneration and so the facilities that are built for the Olympics will then be available for the area.

My London is a series of features about life in the city which will be on News Online every Monday. If you have a story suggestion please send an e-mail to: [email protected].