London's great allure is the promise it gives - the sense of possibility.

Make London part of Britain again | Dt Opinion | Opinion | Telegraph

With the exception of Rome, no city has been so prominent in the history of the world for so long, but in the past 20 years something new has happened. The capital has become more important than the country. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, London is the greatest city on the planet, with a fairly unimportant country attached.