Edinburgh Festivals 2023!

 

Warm and muggy today. There’s a long queue at the Jazz Bar, for a Joni Mitchell tribute. I’m at Biblos restaurant at the corner of Chambers st – another year, I’m not sure I am any wiser though. Biblos has its own music playlist and is off the main beaten tourist track. 

 

Climate emergency. A letter suggests it should be the scientists who need to be in charge and not hedge fund managemers. Can we keep our planet safe, for our children and grandchildren? Can we have hope? We are running out of time now…. The most urgent issue of our times. And some, even with all the wild fires and floods, still don’t take it seriously. 

 

Where Do We Go From here?

 

It’s good to be back on the high street to savour the excited buzz, the expectant crowds…. There are the handsome young men in kilts, bemused Koreans, retired Edinburgh residents, excited tourists and young families, lively students and the outlandish performers. 

 

First day I enjoyed a walk around the Scottish Portrait galleries - in the central atrium Robert Burns statue enjoys pride of place. There’s also a bust of Elsie Inglis. Here there are contemporary portraits, as well as the historical portraits on the top floor (Jacobites, Stuarts, Hanoverians) all tell of the varied and rich histories of Scotland. Later I recharged my phone at the central Library & enjoyed the High st.

Edinburgh festivals suffered during Covid and ticket sales have inevitably fallen. But this year things are more back to normal. 

Public funding for the festivals is 11m.

For the cycling world championships, 36m. 

 

There are small gems to be found – classical music concerts at St Andrews church George st or at the Scottish Portrait galleries. Alongside the renowned cultural events sits the gaudy, tacky side – overdone, raucously wild. And the unexpected comedy. 

At Edinburgh International book festival, #edbookfest23

now at the Edinburgh Art College location for its third year there. Since the lockdown years things are now more back to normal. I went to talks with the poet Don Paterson, autobiography Toy Fights; novelist Denise Mina, book Three Fires on Florence culture wars and the bonfire of the vanities;  

 

And a lively political talk on Scotland’s future - Moving Forward:  with Kezia Dugdale  Lesley Riddoch and Ruth Wishart. If we agree on the destination, how can we then agree on the road to reach it?  We must find a middle ground – otherwise we in Scotland are stuck. Riddoch’s new book Thrive – asks what is the road, now its ONLY about the road (currency, borders etc) and not the destination or our common bonds; while Wishart provided excellent sound bites and humour on these critical issues. 

EIBF is a good place to recharge batteries, consider reflections. 

 

“I can’t think of anywhere in the world that is more full of belief and joy than Edinburgh at this time.”  Andrew O’Hagan

 

Jokha Alharthi1

Kamila Shamsie

Alexander Moffat & Alan Riach 

Main Venues – Pleasance, Assembly Rooms, Gilded Balloon, Traverse, 

 

The fringe festival programme held more than 3,000 shows, in 288 venues hosting a diverse selection of work from Scotland, the UK and worldwide. Artists, arts industry representatives, media and audiences from 170 countries and with 2,445,609 tickets issued. The themes and issues tackled by artists in the 2023 programme included mental health and wellbeing, disability, queer lives, working-class representation and the climate crisis. Affordability was a big issue, with sky-high hotel prices, 

 

 

 

Culture Wars Florence in Three Fires, Denise Mina Edinburgh book festival 2023

Denise Mina held a lively chat with fellow crime writer Christopher Brookmyre

In her new book Three Fires, award-winning author Mina re-imagines the 'Bonfire of the Vanities', a series of fires lit throughout Florence.

 

Set in 15^th century Florence, Three Fires tells of the story of Florentine fanatical monk Girolamo Savonarola and the first populist uprising. – 'whip people up about a common enemy'. 

-        create bogeymen, alternative society, indefinable and attack details, give people Banner, your tribe is winning. 

 

There is the French King Charles the Affable, and theological discussions – the Proud Boys bullies; the Tepids – the centrists who hold the power. Still plagues and wars.

 

The Printing Press had just been invented and BOOKS. 

Savonarola asked, why does no one listen to the poor, our government is corrupt. Florence changed at that moment. And the struggle between low and high art. 

 

As long as we’re divided, we’re containable – no commonality. People have lives to get on with, to keep society going. We need to listen to people. 

If in power too long, there is a physical change to brain chemistry and become more callous. Time limits on power. 

Dundee Poet Don Paterson Edinburgh book festival 2023

 

Paterson is an award-winning poet

Music is his first passion – he went from musician to poet in the 90s. Paterson used music to access his memories. memories of memories

His new autobiography Toy Fights is from 1963 – 1983, which received top reviews. 

 

The Tay Bridge was built, shopping centre and industries shutting down – the rage against poverty.

His father was a musician and ran the Dundee folk club. His grandfather was a minister in the United Free church.

DC Thompson high school – invisible cities, on top of each other. 

 

He had a breakdown and was in hospital – ‘destruction of yourself in your core, thousands of fragments/ loss of self.'

Obsessive, addictive personalities. First inspired poetry by Tony Harrison on BBC.

 

Scotland’s cultural identity – there’s been an increase in confidence and more international. Plus the Kailyard school. 

 

 

We don’t have full devolution and we don’t know who we are.’

 

“Poetry is more of a diagnostic way of thinking about language.”

 

 

Moving Forward Dugdale & Riddoch, Edinburgh book festival 2023

If we agree on the destination, how can we then agree on the road to reach it? 

“We must find a middle ground – otherwise we in Scotland are stuck.”

Three high profile women - Kezia Dugdale, former Scottish labour leader, now lecturer at the John Smith Trust; Lesley Riddoch, campaigner, podcaster, new book Thrive – asked what is the road, now its ONLY about the road (currency, borders etc) and not the destination or our common bonds; while Wishart provided excellent sound bites and humour on these critical issues  

 

How do we find the middle ground and build bridges. 

This talk was a lively discussion – they looked at how we’re governed, and how we must be honest about risks. Scots are risk adverse. They agree on the destination of social policies to improve lives BUT see different routes to get there. The UK is micro-managed by a right wing government, that is cruel, elitists and can’t or won’t modernise. 

 

Kezia as former leader of the Scottish branch of the Labour party, provided the counter arguments of why left leaning voters have much in common with our counterparts in England. She agreed on the destination – on the social polices of how we might work to eradicate poverty and inequality and was an advocate for improved housing – she disagreed with Lesley on how we might reach these goals. (she is no longer a Labour party member)

 

Dugdale has softened her position on independence since Better Together 2014, and said shed prefer indy over an extreme right wing government Boris led UK government (but who wont concede a referendum). She felt there were big questions on social policy to resolve – not the yes/no constitutional lens. Trust is low, many see politics as corrupt. Is politics broken here in the UK?

Riddoch showed her metal and years of experience as a journalist, traveller, author, broadcaster and political commentator. She said that commentators took their eye off the ball. She spoke of Scotland’s overly large council areas, the largest in Europe – average Scotland 175K/ average Europe 10K. The 32 councils in Scotland are really large regions. In Norway there are 400 councils. 

 

She claimed we’ve lost our self confidence in Scotland to govern and run places ourselves. Community councils only receive £400, are Development Trusts an answer? We must get power out of Edinburgh into the rest of country – to the local village. She spoke of Shetland’s large wind farms, which are of no benefit to Shetland and they rely on diesel generation. Scotland has the best wind and waves in Europe. 30 yeas ago Norway was developing renewables.

 

While Kezia spoke of employment legislation, immigration powers, wealth redistribution and the importance of new housing. Federalism UK - is this possible? She spoke of the benefits of the EU, but hoped Keir Starmer wins the next election. Dugdale said she was proud of the Scottish government. On the question of Yes/ No, she said she would decide at the time! 

 

Riddoch said Feudalism in Scotland was only abolished by the Scottish Parliament in 1998! That we Scots are wacked back of the head, by large landowners. The country has never been ours and is treated as a playground for the rich. After Brexit, half of the highlands are shut. The Indy vote 2014 in Scotland inclusive of all who’ve lived here for 3 months. Wheras the Brexit vote was exclusive, had to be British. 

 Scotland does not compare well to other small nations. She spoke of Denmark, as the highest taxed but happiest country – with best kindergarten, security system and OPEC wind turbines of 50 years! Sweden, best elderly care and highest trust. Most sustainable country in the world. Estonia (1991) moved away from Russia and invested in education (as did Ireland) 

Lesley Riddoch

Federalism was discussed and Wishart asked, could such an Asymmetrical federalism work? And where does it work? In Wales Labour are more outspoken on small nationalism, Welsh language and culture. Proper devolution for England, where the large cities (London etc.) don’t vote Tory. Devolution for all parts of England. 

Riddoch was hopeful that things can change and progress here in Scotland. If the SNP can be bold enough. England needs to face its own problems. Do we have capacity – with the risk adverse Scots? Perhaps Scots simply want our lands and voice back. The questions remain – how do we come unstuck from Westminster – they claim Scotland is a negative to Britain’s economy yet want to hold on to Scotland. This all doesn’t add up.

Ruth Wishart

Social democracy is the settled will in Scotland. Wishart asked – what is the settled will in England? The UK is the single unitary state in Europe of 65 million, and where London runs everything. Its those in the middle who really hold the power. Vote for confidence OR a straitjacket. We need levers and capacity. 

Major issues - 

Electoral Reform – the ERG group 

FPTP voting system

Unelected House of Lords, second chamber

Well being economy

Declaration of Arbroath on display

 

The Declaration of Arbroath was on display at the national museums of Scotland in June 2023, 

the first time in 18 years. It is a foundational document in European and American thought.

 

The declaration was a letter from the barons and wider community to the Pope in support of Robert the Bruce’s claim to the Scottish crown, and argues for Scottish sovereignty and question of national identity.

 

Bruce had been excommunicated by the Pope in Rome because he had murdered John Conwyn. The English crown was more influential at the time and had more power, but the scots were persistent. 

The document was drawn up in times of great turmoil. After the death of the Scots king Alexander in   1296. 

 

The wording came from the scholar Duns Scotus and his political theory of freedoms of all people – and was not limited to the barons. The words were also borrowed from the Roman historian Salas. 

During the Second World War, this document was used to recognise the rights of the countries in Europe that the Nazis were trampling over. 

 

Tartan Day set up in 1998, in honour of the declaration and takes place on the date it was signed.  Both James Wilson and John Witerspoon, American founding fathers, quoted the declaration. It also had a influence on Presbyterian and Covenanters. 

 

The document has an effect on the present day constitutional arguments over Scotland’s right to self- determination – while it is also a document with wider political significance.