PREVIEW
JULY AUGUST I DIE HARD 4 I T IN THE PARK I WICKERMAN I EDINBURGH I CONNECT MUSIC I TARTAN HEART Fourth outing for Bruce How will Britain's FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL
With bands for the grown ups. and yoga f0r the kids. Belladrum prOVIdes the blueprint for modern festivals. 70—11 Aug
In with the new. with fresh bosses at the International Festival and the Film Festival. over nine stages. The Fringe just keeps Dundrennan, 20-21 July on growing. of c0urse.
This three-day affair promises a relaxed. more cultural vibe by the banks of Loch Fyne. Inveraray Castle. 31 Aug—2 Sep
A relaxed and eclectic festival that spreads everything from world music to post-punk.
favourite mUSIC festival coeXist With its new Sister. Connect? Whatever the line up.
Willis' John McClane. this time to fight against an internet-based terrorist grOup who's trying to shut down the it'll sell out in a few
US of A. Geez. 6 Jul hours. Balado. 7—8 July
1 l POLITICS
PART OF THE UNION
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Three hundred years ago Scotland and England got it together with the Act of Union and Britain was created. There are some who regret that bonding ever took place and are eager now to tear us apart. But Robin
Hodge sees much to celebrate.
t heart. it‘s a question of‘ emotional
choices. Do you prefer to share life
with others or tttrn your back on your neighbour'.’ Do you opt for co-operation or confrontation‘.’ l)o yoti belieye in society or f‘i'agmentation‘.’
We live together on this island and over the past three centuries. we have worked otit ways of‘ supporting one another through good times and had. We've btiilt a sense of‘ community that embraces diversity and together we’ve flourished culturally. intellectually. economically and internationally. There is no good reason to break it all tip.
lirom a cultural and intellectual perspectiye. it is well known that the remarkable flowering of‘ the Scottish linlightenment came to life in the lSth century following on from the Act of l'nion. Philosophers. authors. artists. publishers. scientists and itty‘etltot‘s all benefited from the removal of old barriers and the wider reach of their ideas and creations. The legacy of lltime. Burns. Scott. Adam. Murray. Black and Watt (to name btit a few) payed the way for others to follow through the l‘lth and 20th centuries with medical breakthroughs. technical discoveries. engineering triumphs and literary successes. These acltieyements were accompanied by expansion of our ttniyersities and the creation of many institutions which we now take for granted - from the BB(‘ founded by .lohn Reith in the 1920s to the initiative of' the British Council in I947 whiclt led to lidinburgh becoming the home of the biggest arts festival in the world.
'l‘oday it is clear that far from being stifled by 300 years of union. Scottish art and culture continue to thriye drawing on and
contributing to the life of‘ Britain
and the wider world. Writers such as [nine Welsh. Ian Rankin. l)on Paterson and JK Rowling owe their success to London based publishers: many of otir leading contemporary artists are represented by London galleries. and being part of [K wide networks. helps make it possible for musicians. filmmakers. comedians. architects. broadcasters and many others to deyelop their careers in Scotland.
In terms of politics. it is worth reflecting just what practical arrangements would need to be ptit in place if. Britain was broken tip. Some new form of bilateral cross border co-operation
FAR FROM BEING STIFLED BY 300 YEARS OF UNION, SCOTTISH ART AND CULTURE CONTINUE TO THRIVE
would have to be quickly established between independent administrations in llolyrood and Westminster. lior matters ranging from transport to trade. it would be impractical to insist on conducting all inter-goy‘ernmental business through Brussels. Btit creating new institutions which are mutually beneficial and sustainable is no easy task. as we can see from
the current struggles at the lil'. The Act of'
l'nion has been remarkably successful for 3()() years and attempts to construct a new framework from scratch are unlikely to come tip with anything better.
011 environmental issues. it is clear that we are all becoming more and more interdependent. The dangers of' climate change and pollution pose global challenges that do not stop at man-made political borders. The urgent task of finding solutions to these
problems needs to bring countries closer
together and it is strange the Scottish (ireen
Party has been advocating independence rather
than seizing the chance to campaign locally. nationally across the [K and globally.
The economic arguments over the financial pros and cons of independence seem to come down to disptttes over the level of North Sea oil reserves. liven those who are convinced there is sufficient wealth there to balance the books. agree the money would not last long. Btit any party that bases its appeal on grabbing a bigger share of‘ short term mineral exploitation rights. is more of‘ a reversion to base instincts of selfish greed than the basis for an inspiring political ideology.
Let us hope that this year's elections in May will not plunge tts into long and tortuous constitutional squabbles when there are so many more important issues to address and so mttch about being together to celebrate.
The Scottish Parliament election (the third since devolution in 1999) takes place on Thu 3 May.
How do the alternatives shape up when it comes to culture? Nick Mitchell asks each of the major parties to state their case
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Labour's Draft Culture Bill. Last year. culture minister Patricia Ferguson pledged a $120 million annual increase to spending and now sl ie's followed it up with a Bill whose mainstay is the formation of Creative Scotland. a
So its merger of the Scottish finally Arts CounCil and Scottish here. Screen.
But what are the alternative views? lScottish Lib Dems ‘We believe artists must have the freedom to create. not just teach others. and that the arts must be free from excessive Government
interference.' Whether the Lib Dems perceive Labour's Bill as ‘excessive Government interference isn't clear.
ISNP Although they too would continue with the Creative Scotland merger, the SNP is ‘instinctively opposed to goveri'iment interference in the arts. The SNP wants to see a
'much more dynamic' organisation. lScottish Conservatives Annabel Goldie's party is staying loyal to Toiy values. As well as an emphasis on our cultural 'heritage. traditions and history‘. there is support for Creative Scotland (which
'shows much promise')
along with a desire to 'eliminate bureaucracy" and to secure greater private sector funding. IScottish Socialist Party Promises a doubling of the arts budget. the abandonment of Creative Scotland and the scrapping of the Scottish Arts Council. The SSP wetild increase
money for Scottish Opera: 'The division between so called High Culture and Low Culture is a false one — even/one should have access to all art forms.” Whoever wins the 2007 election. the Creative Scotland proposals look pretty seetire. with qualified suppon promised by all mainstream parties.
..:—18 Jan 2007 THE LIST 21