AGENDA
fl; VISITING Soot HERE NOTCONTEN T'I'o PU“ A DEFENSWQ GAME-WITH A
amount, VELL THGY CNARGED . . .
Why Scots
for Croatia
celebrated In Zagreb as part of a years of the British Council’s Involvement in the region. Members (SCCAM) was recently reflecting life in Scotland through medium of the comic strip.
Top comics artists including Cam (Judge Dredd) and Will Eisner, superhero The Spirit have all
llewspaper cartoonists are also
Records llod, Willie Gall oi the
Sunday Mail. life Is like In Scotland,’ explained
want. We probably don’t use that freedom the way we should. In lag
at risk.’ ‘Political cartoonists’ work in
Ian Stewart, the British Council’s director In Croatia. The ‘Days Di Scotland’ festival,
Zagreb at the end of this month, is
Other aspects of Scottish culture version of Trainspotting, Tartan Sh lliiary Strong, director of the
those scheduled to appear.
will tour festivals in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. (Scott Montgomery)
Framed: strip show for Scottish talent
are stripping
Scottish comic strip talent Is to be
festival oi Scottish art and culture. Starting this week, the events mark 50
Scottish Cartoonists and Comic Art
approached to produce an exhibition
the
Kennedy (Star Wars), Colin Maclleil legendary creator oi 1930s American contributed work for the exhibition. Involved. Among them are the Daily
Evening Times, The lleralrfs Cinders Macteod and Malky McCormick oi the
Croatia’s own cartoon society were keen to build international links: ‘They wanted to know what a cartoonist’s
SCCAM co-founder, Tom Sommerville. ‘In this country we have the freedom to draw cartoons about whatever we
they are actually putting themselves
newspapers is about the only freedom oi speech that there is In Croatia. it is pretty dItflcult for anyone to express any antI-govemment feelings,’ added
which begins Its three-week run in
recognition oi close links between the two countries, according to Stewart. ‘There are many similarities between Scotland and Croatia, including the size of population, declining heavy industries, island communities and the Importance of tourism,’ he said.
receiving a showing will be the movie
orts
films and Scottish jazz and folk music.
Edinburgh Fringe, artist Calum Colvin and Director Bill Macleod are among
After Zagreb the comic art exhibition
Edinburgh a witness to social fund failure
A report slamming the inadequacies oi the Department oi Social Security’s Social Fund has been published by three major charitable organisations, with many oi the findings based on cases in the Greater PIlton area oi Edinburgh.
The report, published jointly by the Children’s Society, The Family Welfare Assocation and the Family Services llnit, is entitled nut of Pocket - The Failure of the Social Fund. It claims the social fund system oi emergency loans to benefits claimants has forced some oi the most vulnerable members of society into debt and hardship.
A monitoring exercise in Greater Pilton In the north oi Edinburgh corroborated govemment- commissioned research into the social fund by York University. It highlighted the arbitrary nature oi the system - both studies concluded there was often no difference between the circumstances oi successful iund
applicants and those who were turned down.
Social security statistics from lothian showed that the vast majority of applications for loans from the social iund In Greater Pilton were for basic essentials such as beds and bedding, washing machines, cookers and power and fuel reconnection fees.
The report refers to one Greater Pilton man living on his own on invalidity benefit oi £69.75 per week, who was refused financial aid towards a cooker, a bed and bedding. lle claimed he was told by a D88 officer to save from his invalidity benefit for his essential Items, but already had barely enough to live on.
The report paints a picture oi a bureaucratic machine doling out loans to some needy cases, but not to other equally Impoverished applicants. The onus falls on charities to make up the shortfall, It claims.
llowever, successful applicants can
be forced into further poverty by the system oi repayment. Dne highlighted family faced benefit deductions oi £26 per week to cope with repayments.
Damien Killeen oi Scottish pressure group The Poverty Alliance welcomed the report, commenting that social support should be based on need. ‘There is a desperately inadequate relation between the cost of living and income support levels. What is needed is a review oi the benefits system which would hopefully lead to the end of the need for schemes like the social fund,’ he said.
A DSS spokesman responded to the report, stating, ‘The recommendations in this report would be unrealistically expensive to introduce and maintain. They would also be poorly targeted, demand-led and prone to abuse.
‘We believe the current discretionary fund to be both realistic and effective in targeting help to people who need it most.’ (lindsay McGarvey)
Campaign targets ‘apathetic’ young voters
Promoters and DJs from a top London nightclub have chosen Scotland to launch a hard-hitting campaign aimed at encouraging young people to vote.
Ministry Of Sound have produced a series of controversial cinema adverts designed to provoke Britain's apathetic youth into joining the electoral roll. The adverts, to be shown in cinemas from next week, were launched with a special screening to students and press at Stirling University.
The twelve films, banned from television by the Advertising Standards Authority for being ‘too extreme’. show non-actors expressing extreme views on issues including racism, single mothers and the Welfare State.
One shows a huntsman explaining that the chase is thrilling for the fox. Each film concludes with the message ‘Use your vote. You know he/she will’.
Ministry Of Sound director Mark Rodol hopes the campaign will make young people realise that their votes can make a significant difference. He believes the adverts will be especially well received in Scotland.
‘Because of the massive clubbing
\* ‘ v... v. . .3 Q J f" v
scene. Ministry Of Sound is well known in Scotland. We know how to speak to clubbers because we are clubbers. I'm sure they will respect the way we put our message across.’ Rodol said.
Ministry Of Sound intend to tour universities in marginal constituencies and distribute information. Rodol said. They are also backing the Rock The Vote campaign, spearheaded by the National Union Of Students. The
we“... ;:;-v?'~‘~. ‘ 'z'
.5- 5. r. Stag hunt: ads were banned from TV
union, who are distributing electoral registration forms, hope to reach one in five young Scots by the next general election.
The current campaigns are prompted by growing youth apathy regarding party politics, which culminated in 2.5 million British l8—25-year-olds failing to vote in the 1992 general election. Members of this age group are four times less likely to be registered than the rest of the population. (Peter Ross)
Asian movies fit the bill in Glasgow
Asian films are being shown on a regular basis in an experimental scheme at the "CI cinema In Clydebank, Glasgow.
The screenings are accompanied by a survey oi customers as the cinema attempts to discover how it can Improve Its service to the city’s large Asian population.
It Isn’t purely a case of responding to demand, as Murray Wilson, IlCI manager at Clydebank admits: ‘with a lot oi new cinemas opening up, we have been looking to diversify,’ he said. ‘Dut we were getting a lot of Asian folk coming In on a Friday and Saturday night who were just having
to watch whatever was on.’
Initial weekend late-night showings were a failure, but Sunday afternoon and Monday evening programmes have done better. The llCl is carrying out a survey through shops and community centres to find out preferred times and movie titles. The initiative has been welcomed by the Asian community, although some feel it has been a long time coming.
Mohammed Zaman, owner of the Asian Book And Music Centre, said people were keen to see their own culture represented. ‘It is certainly a welcome move. The Ddeon in llenfleld Street has shown these films before,
but It was overpriced. I think the films were seen as a specialised Interest.’
Clydebank’s prices are more reasonable, he added, and Asian films have been a success In English cities such as london and Manchester. ‘They attract great numbers, full houses.’ lle criticised the DCI for not promoting the current season better. ‘li they get the timings and the publicity sorted out It will be a success.’
llowever, there are rival attractions to consider. Dne late show failed according to Wilson, because of the lure of Mel Gibson. ‘A lot of people who came In for It ended up opting for Braveheartl’. (Stephen llaysmith)
4The List 18-31 Oct 1996