Another year, Another Edinburgh Festivals....

Another Year: Another Year of Edinburgh Festivals…..

And it’s been a good one, so far.  The usual:  too much to see, to do, to listen to and so little time! It’s been a few years since I could start in the morning, grab a sanni, and go through till late at night.

Ah, those heady days! Taking time off work, and no weans to worry about. No play-schemes, no pick up times, no back-to-school-&-run-round- the- shops- and- buy -the –shoes-shirts-trainers. Stock the fridge and then make your own tea boys when you get home! 

Now? I worry about the last bus home since I’m too knackered to walk, and that’s just with one late night show! 

Now? I spend more and more time at the Book Festival. I’m not knocking The Book Fest  in the least. Don’t just take my word for it: http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/aug/10/edinburgh-literary-city-books-festival

After all, the value for money there is fantastic. If it doesn’t rain and the sun shines, you’ve cracked it. You can wander in: there’s no entry fee. Pick up a book and read it, pretending you’re having a try before you buy. There’s even free events under the many tent tops. You might end up in one of their photo montages sitting on a Guardian sponsored deck chair. Or if does rain, you might still end in a montage, albeit, lookin’drookit  

But I seem to be the two ends of the audience spectrum, with never a free deck chair. I stand in queues with other doting gran’mas (and yes, the odd grand-dad) for the likes of The Royal Nappies or Hide & Seek, and the odd free chocolate, whilst listening to exultations such as: ‘Arabella, don’t do that…it’s so un-lady like’. Hey gran’ma, even Arabellas need to pick their nose or scratch their bum every now at then, But the pushing to get to the front in the kids’ tents? Wow! Have you ever seen a determined granny when she’s very determined to get Fraser or Campbell (surely a future BBC d. g. in the making!) a front row cushion?  Stay back! Be warned!

So if I’m not in that queue, I soak up the Alasdair Grays,www.alasdairgray.blogspot.co.uk/‎ and the  Alistair Moffat's   et al. And in the main, it’s still the same age range, but hands free in the bigger tents, no weans to grab or be grabbed by. I used to get battered by the occasional walking stick as the tents opened, with that dignified, mad dash for prime seats. Only Edinburgh can do that : walking stick-hobble-mad dash-with –dignity-&-purpose. But woe - betide you if you try to get in before them!

So this year, with a partner with mobility issues, we booked those ‘special tickets’. First day, he took one look at the separate, seated queue, decided he wasn’t nearly as infirm as ‘they are’, and insisted on queuing. After the event, Roy Hattersely in top form as ever, my partner gave a good impression of enjoyment through gritted teeth and pain! So, 2^nd day, we turned up just before starting time, as instructed, got shown to our reserved seats, (complete with big, named stickers) as part of the process……and found them occupied. The occupants moved reluctantly, we sat down, and she still managed to get her dig in, literally….with her stick that is, as she moved it about. My ankles took hours to recover. So cost and value seem to equate, but what’s with the age range thing? Is there still some gap in the market there that’s just not attracting that middle range, age range? But as the Festivals skip on through to the next glorious week, if that age range gap were the only problem, we’d be laughing. 

But no.

We have had the spectacle of division that came via Jonathon Mills's decision to omit the independence referendum in shape, form and content in next year's Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).http://www.eif.co.uk/ 

'Liz Lochhead, playwright, poet and Scots Makar: It doesn't surprise me that the Edinburgh International Festival under Jonathan Mills is not interested in commissioning or showing work around the theme of independence. He has never been very interested in work that is Scottish, let alone about independence. It is disappointing but predictable to me.'

Depending on your thinking, or made- my-mind -up –already- stance, you probably fall into one of two camps: ‘Well, for one, I’m glad’, or ‘What is this, censorship? Bias?’

Arguments have been put forward in the political context (sorry JM) that for Scotland, it’s a once in a life time opportunity, that will impact on future generations, and one that needs an airing on a stage as prominent as the EIF. 

The notion of the impact of a possible yes vote in 2014 was not lost on  Andrew Marr at his Book Fest event, but broadened by him into the context of the future of the (depleted) UK as a whole, should Scotland vote ‘yes’.

Another other point being pursued in relation to Mill’s decision is the remit of the EIF:  its role to promote, to commission (new) work reflecting Scottish culture. But have no fear, the Book Fest and National Theatre of Scotland have welcomed the ‘r’ topic with open arms, and I have heard, with commissions, too!

So if there is scope for the political and the artistic to combine (both the Book Fest and NTS can’t be wrong surely, before we even think of the Fringe!), what did influence the EIF’s decision to be politically neutral next year. But remembering that for the year in question, 2014, EIF will pursue a programme that focusses on the 2014 Commonwealth games…a left over from Empire & colonies, and World War One, centenary.


Perchance then it was a political decision, i.e the EIF’s view of its role & responsibility in juxtaposition to Scotland & Edinburgh…namely, we are but a venue. And if we are but a venue then we are back to the continuing conundrum of  funding of the  ‘arts’. 
Which plays to commission? 
Which ‘artist’ is of sufficient merit? 
Who judges ‘art’?   
Who decides on ‘excellence?’.

I was in the audience this week when Alasdair Gray was questioned  https://edbookfest.co.uk/  about his essay last year and his protestations about the number of non Scots in top Scottish arts slots. This lead to Gary’s specific responses before broadening out  into diverse areas including his refusing a knighthood from the last (Brown) administration, because he came to the conclusion that there wasn’t any money in it. In fact, just the opposite, since he’d be expected to give big tips!

Yes, I found his article worrying last year: words like settler and colonists are provocative and reminders of the past. But isn’t it inevitable that as a nation, with ever a flux of peoples, coming and going, then our  quality & world renowned events will attract ‘other people ‘ who  want to work here, get top jobs, and have that Scottish context noted on their cv? 

Should Scottish arts, and Scottish culture be exclusively left to the Scots?


O-Oh…now that is a bit political, since not least: what’s art, what’s culture and what’s Scottish?

Give Gray his due, when asked what was ‘Scottish’ and with a view to the sub texts swirling around, he did say ‘anyone is Scotland with the right to vote’. It was on the tip of my tongue to try and get the question in then if he believed that expats should ‘come home’, live, register, experience Scotland now, get the right to vote, and actually vote, but alas no time.

Today’s Scotsman http://www.scotsman.com does have a rebuttal from Sir JM, including the assertion that notions of nationalism &  independence will  be seen in the programming  of the Commonwealth Games and WW.

But I still ask…if nationhood, the dying, the sacrificing associated with WW1 and the joys of winning for one’s nation can  earn a place  by being included  in EIF programming, why not Scotland and our referendum?

Perhaps we are just a venue after all, and it is just ‘our’ referendum. But if Edinburgh is just a venue, perhaps we should remind ourselves ...to see our selves as others see us.

“A CITY THAT POSSESSES A BOLDNESS

AND GRANDEUR OF SITUATION BEYOND

ANY THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN.”

THOMAS PENNANT:  A TOUR IN SCOTLAND MDCCLXIX, 1769

Would the EIF decision have been the same if there had been a UK wide referendum on the future of the UK?   
Perhaps that topic is being held in reserve for year (if ever)  that there is a vote on EU membership.

But when you take out the spats of the good, the great, and the arts fraternity, I think Andrew Marr was wrong this week in his assertion that nobody was talking about  …what kind of Scotland we want after independence. 

We are…the common folk are…it’s just not hitting the headlines. The media don’t talk to the likes of us, or listen to what we’re talking about, the pros, the cons, the doubts, the unanswered questions.

We don’t have a world renowned stage of our own: some of us just happen to live here.
The majority of us don’t see our future on some other world stage, or winning a gold medal….but an awful lot of us will have a vote next year on our future.

I do hope we use it

Roy Hattersley:
http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/blog/2013/08/13/interview-roy-hattersley-on-his-writing-career/