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| Talisk Celtic Connections |
And Politics!! Its become impossible to keep up or understand the chaos at the heart of the UK system! With the cost of living crisis, public sector strikes, the Kwertang budget – we have to wonder the UK government is prepared to spend billions on strange projects, wars etc but not on the workers. We are hit with strikes after our 10 years of Tory austerity – workers have had enough! – of paying the price for financial services failures and the UK as masters of war.
It has been great to see concerts return after the long months of the pandemic – the Edinburgh festivals were back in August with, while reduced programs, at least the return of the buzz of in person events.
CELTIC CONNECTIONS music festival Glasgow 2023 will return this January with a full and in person program, celebrating its 30th year! Celtic Connections 2022: A highlight was a top concert with the Skye band Niteworks backed by the RSNO, who performed original material with their fusion of Gaelic and Scottish traditions. Another highlight as always was the Transatlantic Sessions led by Jerry Douglas and Aly Bain and featuring American singer
REVIEW - http://www.musicfootnotes.com/2022/02/celtic-connections-highlights-2022.html
Edinburgh International book fetsival 2022 returned with in person events. Outlander author Diana Gabaldon gave an inspiring talk – as did Irish Times journalist Fintan O’Toole; Yi Lea from Albania spoke of freedoms; along with Oliver Bullough on his book Butler to the World - http://www.musicfootnotes.com/2022/09/edinburgh-international-book-festival.html
PLUS in October I enjoyed seeing another artistic stalwart, Bob Dylan in Glasgow, who has written one of his best albums at 80 and still going strong - http://www.musicfootnotes.com/2022/09/edinburgh-international-book-festival.html
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| Bob Dylan Clyde Auditorium Glasgow |
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| Rab Noakes |
PLUS the songbird Christine McVie – Rumours is one of my top ten albums of all time.
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Balfour Report: It appears that British dominions are considered “equal” – what exactly does that mean?! The Balfour Reports of 1926 was an important development in Canada’s evolution become a fully self governing nation .the report declared tat Britain and its Dominions were constitutionally equal. The findings of the report were made law by the British Parliament in the 1931 statue of Westminster.
**ARTS funding
Many of the arts continue to struggle due to reduced audiences and increased energy costs. The Edinburgh film house has closed along with a major Edinburgh art gallery. I can understand focus on sports, but for the aspirations and long term to me the ARTS are very much not a side issues but the essence of who we are.
In Switzerland they speak High German in lectures at university and the local German dialect is spoken in the common rooms – but one is not considered of higher value than the other.
The skill of being able to see the Big Picture amongst the chaos.
No time for standing still. Some have no time for taking notice and they miss so much.
Arts and culture I believe, are crucial in our lives – they express who we are, our stories, aspirations…Perhaps new crossroads lie ahead.
When the UKs Brexit happened it was such a profound and distressing wrench for Scotland, it was extremely hard to write about. Many of us thought the EU project had brought us peace, stability, security, and prosperity. Most Scots feel European of heart and mind and culturally. http://www.musicfootnotes.com/2022/11/scotlands-ties-to-europe.html
