Edinburgh festivals Review 2021

Times of Change: “A year of Transition”

Its as if this year the festival is taking baby steps after our year of traumas and the set backs of the pandemic, and at its new location at the Edinburgh Art college at the heart of Edinburgh historic old town. 

I don’t know what to say about the new location, its very different, and also with the festival only running at a third of its normal scale because of Covid. This book festival is iconic and has taken place at Charlotte Square since 1983, for nearly 40  years now, so it’s a big change. There are many things I loved about the Charlotte Sq location, at the heart of Edinburgh’s famous Georgian new town. A concern might be that this new location is more out of the way, then again its close to Edina’s historic auld town – the Grassmarket, castle, university, Meadows and the High street.

 

**The festival is now hybrid with many events only online and authors on zoom. Some events have author and interviewers in person – Tom Devine and Alan Little; Douglas Stewart and Nicola Sturgeon; Jackie Kay and Susan Bonar; David Keenan, Tracy Thorn. 

 

TALKS – this year I attended talks by Satham Sangheri, Empireland; Jackie Kay, Bessie Smith, Gavin Esler, How Britain Ends; Samir Puri, The Great Imperial Hangover, Legacies of Empire; Ali Smith, Art in a time of Lies; 

AND ONLINE Tom Devine, Douglas Stuart, (Booker prize winner for Shuggie Bain).

David Keenan

Tracy Thorn

 

After Jackie Kay’s talk I have a great chat at the bar with two lady patrons of the festival. One lady had attended the book festival for decades and had met many famous authors from Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’s Muriel Spark, to William MciLvanney. I speak of the famous faces I’ve met – Seamus Heaney, John Byrne, Brian Cox, Alan Cummings, Iain Banks, Ian Rankin, Edna O’Brien. 

**On entering the courtyard there’s a big screen showing the talks, with places to sit among several small tented marquees and fairy lights hung on the mature trees. Its not immediately obvious where the Press tents or cafes are, but I do pick up a plan. There’s no ticket offices or rows of pamphlets or EIBF books this festivals year, all on a smaller scale and after all everything is online. Covid has affected everything, from music concert bubbles, to sporting events with no audience at all. 

There are no crowds of school children either, although there is a play area. There are only a handful of photo shoots. So the usual buzz is a much more subdued one. 

 

The  Book festival is close to the Edinburgh’s auld town and the next day I have an interesting walk around Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, which is pretty busy with many outdoor cafes. The High street has performers and some crowds. George IV bridge has been closed to all buses and pedestrians all week, there has been a major fire at the Elephant house restaurant, where JK Rowling wrote her Harry Potter books, which has caused major disruption and no access for pedestrians or buses.  

 

**Edinburgh is a perfect city to walk around the back alleys and closes with their incredible views. I spent my student days around the Meadows and University union and Forest Road, and it’s busy with a buzz of life returning. On the Saturday I walk around historic George Sq and find young, eager and expectant graduates at their delayed graduations (so many memories) thronging around in front of Edinburgh university.

This is where I graduated too and had a photo taken for the papers! I visit the Pear Tree, which is where the blind poet Blacklock entertained the great and good of Edinburgh in 1780s, including one Robert Burns. Now its the hip and happening place for young people with large outdoor gardens and a large screen showing football, to my surprise. 

 

I go the Biblos restaurant for a meal as usual to find the menu changed! I order a chicken burger and wine and remember how much I enjoy Indy cafes and restaurants that play their own music playlists. Long live indy shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, to me that’s the future of the High Street. Local and greener and individually creative. (Good example is Castle Douglas high street which has no chains and not even a Greggs). Global homogenization is so BORINGly dull!

 

On the Tuesday I attend an excellent live concert with rock singing legend Chrissie Hynde.

at the Queens hall Edinburgh, the ideal venue with high ceilings and space. She sang Bob Dylan, Ray Davies and other songs, backed by an excellent top class band. 

 

After I think of all the young artists, writers and musicians trying to establish their careers. I hope all those grassroots artists get supported, because without them there is no creative future. They’ve been doubly hurt by both Covid and Brexi   the arts are crucial.  **Festivals offer something out of the everyday, a place to discover, interact, refresh, be inspired, take time out, break down barriers.  Every year I often have at least one great chat with people I meet there! Thanks to all those who organise the festival.  EDINBURGH FESTIVAL - https://www.eif.co.uk

Bye Alasdair Gray

RIP Scottish legend Alasdair Gray. 1934 - 2019

Great artist and innovator. Much missed. Best known for his book Lanark and his artwork at the Oran Mor and the Glasgow underground.  

I took photos of him at Edinburgh years back. What a great character!

New Voices Edinburgh book festival 2019

Rory Stewart

The people I meet.

The festival is about bringing people together to celebrate the spoken word. 

The challenges and the cycles of life: renewal and recharge.

After only a few days, I meet many interesting people. 

The people who attended are from so many different backgrounds, viewpoints and voices. We need more room and platforms for free debate.

Kenny MacAskill

There is supposed to be intermittent showers but its been mostly warm and sunny so far. Typical changeable August – perhaps more so than usual even. 

We need to new voices, but more than ever we need as many diverse voices as possible. So many of us feel betrayed, confused, let down, and not sure where the answers are anymore. We are in a great state of flux, things are shifting and great change is inevitable. At Biblos  restaurant- I wonder is the festival too big these days, with too much average and too little great? Another year gone. But I'm always inspired and often exhausted!

Rachel Long

Isabella Hammad

Heida Ásgeirsdóttir

 Inua Ellams

The theme this year was – We need new stories. 

One of the most original voices I’ve read in recent years over the present political madness of Brexit, is Irish Times writer Fintan OToole. His event at eibf sold out instantly when tickets went on sale- so I was surprised when I joined the long queue to see him that is was doing his talk in the small Spark tent on George street, rather than the main New York Times tent. 

Clare Balding

Nicola Sturgeon and Arundhati Roy

Fintan O’Toole

I am presently reading O’Toole’s recent book, Heroic Failure, on the Brexit carry on, and what an excellent story teller he is in his well researched tale. Things are badly off kilter and we certainly need well researched and original new voices. 

Question?  Is EIBF, or rather why does eibf not cater for the young adults, if not why not? 

Photography -  Some people have a presence or inner light that shines through in their photos. Perhaps its experience, character or simply knowing who you are. At eibf there is such a great variety of characters to shoot – from explorers, composers, journalists, illustrators, scientists, poets, comedians, politicians,.

Tania Nwachukwu

Amna Saleem 

Denis mina

Miriam Khan

**TALKS

Gender Debate: What is Gender in the 21^stcentury.

Her Scotland, author Rosemary Gorling

Lowland Clearances, Tom Devine

**BOOKS

Fintan O’Toole – Heroic Failure

Tom Devine – The Scottish Clearances

David McCraw - Truth in Our Times 

Robert Crawford – The Book of Iona

Marina Warner – Forms of Enchantment : Writing on Arts and Artists

Tom Devine’s Revelations on the Lowland Clearances

Silence of the dispossessed: Give them back their voice.

No peasant happily gives up his land…

Was there protest, what happened?

Lack of lasting folk tradition of removal, no trace of what went before….

An Elegy for those who’ve gone, reconstruct world no longer there…

The aching beauty, the autumn when the bracken is down,

Devine spoke of the dispossession and social changes of the early 19^thcentury. The connections to the land was severed and the cottar, the tenant farmer vanished. He claims these Clearances were more thorough in the Scottish Lowlands. Devine has been pursuing research on the devastation of the Lowlands for many years with his team of researchers. They searched in the kirk sessions records for notice of removals. 

From the mid 18^thcentury onwards, land improvement meant there was the transition to the - one industrialisation and, two urbanization revolution and three a corrosive transformation of the countryside. The old farm toons were swept aside for centres of farm settlements. Instead now there were landless farm servants, and wage labourers. The will of the landowners ruled and no newspapers reported these Lowland clearances.  In 1720 Galloway lairds set up large ranches parks for cattle and sheep. There was severe dislodgement. Scotland became a grossly unequal society.

He spoke of the resistance of the Levellers revolt who knocked down stone dykes. In 1724, huge numbers of armed gangs, of men, women & children roamed the Galloway countryside levelling dykes built around the expanding number of cattle fields. These cattle fields were introduced by landlords as far back as a century earlier in a bid to make the land more profitable to them, but it was only in the 1720s that the revolt, later named the ‘Leveller’s Revolt’, became widespread and worrisome enough that armed guards were called in to protect the fields and quell dissent. The revolt gained national attention from the church, state and even the King. In this extract, taken from The Scottish Clearances, author Tom Devine looks at the factors that contributed to this very specific armed resistance. 

The clan chiefs lived in fine houses in Edinburgh. Later the sheep ranchers moved into the Highlands. The lawyer Thomas Muir attempted constitution reform, when only 0.12% had the vote (1832 Reform Act) and he was tried and deported for these views.

*The Scottish Tourist board markets Scotland for its solitude and tranquillity. He spoke of the false “victimhood in a kilt” put forward by the Prebble books: of the decline of Scotland over the past centuries and the scale of emigration. All the film, drama, literature is on the highlands as the soul of Scottish identity. Many Scots moved out to try to run the world. There were those many Scots on the make!

There were several interesting questions – one about how the Scots immigrants to Australia badly treated the aborigines there. Devine’s answer was that the Scots immigrants were middle rank Highland society. At that time there were several centres of excellence which supported racism and Darwin’s theory of the fittest. 

Devine spoke passionately about how important it is to understand the truths about our past stories. “A mature, democratic nation recognises its real history with critical and uncomfortable questions.” 

“We must face the past, and not politicise or mythologize it. Social memory makes us who we are and to understand modern nations if we know where it came from. There are real scholars out there, with clear thinking and good research.” Devine is clearly one of them!

Devine was interviewed by journalist Alan Little. 

Sir Tom Devine is Scotland’s leading historian and he came out in support of Scottish Independence in 2014. Devine lectures and publishes books to address the widespread ignorance of most Scots of their recent histories, heritage and past stories. 

BOOKS - 

The Scottish Nation: A Modern History 1707 - present

The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, 1600-1900

The Lowland Clearances were one of the results of the Scottish Agricultural Revolution which changed the traditional system of agriculture which had existed in Lowland Scotland, in the seventeenth century. Thousands of cottars and tenant farmers from the southern counties (Lowlands) of Scotland migrated from farms and small holdings they had occupied to the new industrial centres of Glasgow, Edinburgh and northern England or abroad, or remaining upon land though adapting to the Scottish Agricultural Revolution.

Extract taken from The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, 1600-1900By Tom Devine
Published by Allen Lane

Part of the answer might be found in the economic sphere. By the early eighteenth century the big cattle farms were beginning to encroach on, and enclose, open or common grazing grounds, the ‘commonties’ referred to earlier in the chapter. That process would have proven a serious threat to peasant communities which were not subject to direct eviction. They would have experienced profound problems from strategies which menaced the tight margins of their household economies.

The slender balance between subsistence and shortage might have been squeezed by the annexation of common lands. Again, there is evidence that not only landowners but tenant farmers had tried to exploit the new post-Union market opportunities in the cattle trade. Some had invested in more stock because of those possibilities. Now, however, as ‘parking’ intensified, they stood to lose the vitally important access to the common grazings for the livestock they had purchased at great risk. For them and their families, descent into penury and beggary might follow.

There was also the economic context of the Galloway clearances to be considered. As argued in Chapter 4, in parts of the central and eastern Borders, the dispossession of small tenants and cottars to make way for larger sheep runs was paralleled by the growth of cottage industry and employment opportunities for the displaced in the towns of Kelso, Hawick, Selkirk and Jedburgh. 

But these alternatives were not available to anything like the same extent in Galloway, where woollen working and other manufactures were much less developed. It is likely, therefore, that the poorer rural communities in the western Borders were faced with a much narrower set of options: acceptance of ‘parking’ and eventual likely eviction, or violent resistance in an attempt to reverse the transformation of the old agrarian society. . .

In addition, however, we also need to probe the complex world of west Border political and religious history in order to provide a comprehensive explanation for the Levellers’ Revolt. Arguably it is there that the distinctive origins of the disturbances can be found. Several aspects of the recent Galloway past are relevant to the analysis. 

The long Covenanting tradition of south-west Scotland was important. The restoration of King Charles II in 1660 led once again to the rule of bishops in the Presbyterian church. This action was thought heretical and oppressive by many pious communities and their ministers, and in open conflict with the sacred Covenants between Christ and his church established during the civil wars of the 1640s. As a result, many clergymen left their parishes and held alternative open-air services or conventicles. These were soon outlawed by the state as treason and the army then enforced the will of the King, often in a particularly brutal fashion. This period, known as the ‘Killing Times’, is still marked in the countryside around Wigtown, Kirkcudbright and Dumfries by the many memorials to the martyrs who defied the civil authorities and faithfully clung to their ideals despite savage state oppression. Galloway remained a hotbed of Covenanting activity despite the draconian policies of the monarchy.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the population were therefore enthusiastic about the removal of the Stuart king, James VII and II, in the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688–9. But then the Jacobite Rising of 1715 rekindled the old fears of a Stuart counter-revolution. Bitter memories were revived, not simply of the Killing Times, but also of the many years of Presbyterian struggle between the signing of the National Covenant in 1638 and the Revolution of 1688.

Naomi Wolfes Beauty Myth 2019, Edinburgh book festival 2019

The Beauty Myth/ Gender Debate: what is gender in the 21^stcentury. 

Panel; Amelia Abraham, Palko Karasz, Elizabeth Pata, Naomi Wolfe (New York Times debate series) 

Naomi Wolfe, wrote her defining feminist book in Edinburgh in 1990. She said that Scotland is a place that dreams of a better world, re-inventing itself into a better future. 

The feminist Mystic. That images of beauty are used against women in a second wave. Unattainable beauty.  What did she have to say for todays women?  She saw the positives of social media – we are more critical and knowledgeable .  Recently the Times Up and #Metoo movements. 

They also discussed the Digital age: change and positives.

The Arab Spring, when young women at keyboards  liberated women to have a voice and without the internet harder to organise. Find your community.

The Negatives were – the online harassment of female journalist and politicians. Threats to free speech and the means of controlling the population to whip up divisiveness.

Wolfe spoke of her latest book, OutRages. She said there used to be a wider version of masculinity, now men are all in black suits. 

Unfortunately, although the debate had a 90 minute time slot – Elizabeth was confused over what 90 minutes meant, and the one and a half hour should have easily left 30 minutes for a fine debate and interesting feedback from the audience. I felt much of the panels chat was highly idealistic and theoretical. Elizabeth spoke of the language of gender

**My Views

-Fashion and gender neutrality, so both boys and girls have broader choices.

Gender neutral toys – art, sport, play-do, Lego etc. rather than sparkly pink fluff and aggressive war toys. Sadly I was shocked to discover that it is much worse today than it was when my children were young in the 80s. I now shop for my grandson and I am horrified to find the toys and clothes are even more extreme!

-Encourage team sport for young girls much more.

-Paternity leave? My son took paternity leave last year and was surprised to find he was one of the very few men on paternity leave. Many women feel odd about it still, very strangely.  

Why did the journalist Shona Craven raise a complex legal issue over gender, when she might have made a more important point over how she was personally affected by Wolfe’s Beauty Myth as a teenager, but now felt disillusioned over how things have progressed since then. 

Michael Marra: Arrest This Moment talk Edinburgh book festival 2018

Liz Lochhead – “he turned everything upside down.”

We became better people for knowing him. 

This was a delightful talk at Edinburgh International book festival 2018, on one of Scotland’s greatest singer songwriters Michael Marra, who sadly died in 2012. Author James Robertson was joined by Calum Colvin, Sheena Wellington and Gordon Maclean.

They spoke of the influence Marra’s music has had on the city of Dundee, and that partly because of Marra’s powerful songs there is more self confidence in the city of Dundee. Sheena said that Dundee marked on your character and community. She knew Michael growing up in Dundee. Michael used the city's culture, language and people and he helped to give Dundonians a sense of pride and raised their confidence.

He was a proud but humble man – not parochial or cosmopolitan, with a wide heart of the whole world. He was extremely intelligent and creative and the system couldn’t cope with him. 

His experience in London was not good and he was rejected by the industry. They wanted to change him, which would remove him from exactly what made him an artist. His lyrics are so clever and beautifully written. 

  

Why will his songs last? They are totally original and unique. They are not about his own feelings – instead they speak for everyone, are often a story about a character and are quite theatrical. Marra is a touch of genius and a seminal voice in Scotland. 

When Marra performed he lifted the audience and they would be in the palm of his hand. 

In 2007 Marra was given a honorary degree at the University of Dundee and it was a day of great pride and emotion for him. 

A Canadian in the audience asked why we didn’t a of Marra in the media. 

“If you don’t know how strong your voice is, you’ll not vote yes.’ he said.

Perhaps its because Scotland doesn’t have control of its own media and until recently had no press (the National started in 2015).

To close for a treat,Sheila sang Marra’s classic Hermless.

BOOK – Arrest his Moment by James Robertson 

BOOK – Arrest This Moment by James Robertson 

Gina Miller Edinburgh book festival 2018

Miller received a standing ovation! Clearly there was huge support and powerful emotions for her standing up for Parliament having a say in the shambolic Brexit process. 

This is ‘no time for silence, time to rise’ Miller claimed.  

If you fail to make your voice heard, it will be drowned out by those who shout the loudest. Miller is a very articulate, forthright and determined lady! 

There was a petition online against her book, Rise, and a threat of mass burning, even before she had written it! She warned she felt there were throw backs in history that we cannot ignore today. She hoped change is happening – against the fringes not getting their way and that determined ideological voices of reason are rising up.  

She spoke of her case being fourth on the day and that it purely focused on the letter of the Law of the UK, and not on the politics. She was shocked by the language and vitriol that followed - when she was subjected to violence and not only by individuals online. The abusive mail was even worse and the premeditated nature of posting a letter. She didn’t know that we lived in a country like this. 

“Its important to understand the other point of view – to reach out and engage. But there was no reasoning behind it all, only pure hatred. Their hope was to destroy me, to destroy the case.” But she said, “I cannot sit back and watch people hurting. I’d never stop. I’m supposed to be doing this. It is easier to be resilient and a campaigner – to be honest to who you are. I can’t be anyone else. She was also shocked at the level of smears, and casual stereotyping in the mainstream right wing media. I need to absorb that energy. They can’t find fault in my argument.”

Gina spoke of how much she learned from her father. He started out at the petrol pump, got a law degree and became attorney general, in Guyana. Her father was eloquent. Words can bring people together or words can create barriers. She quoted John Mortimer, ‘Words into the courtroom are soldiers into battle.’  We must know our place in the world. – the role of law, and civil justice. We must fight to being back democracy to our country.” 

She said, “These are dangerous times and we are not walking on stable ground, on values and principles, respect for each other. Today the ground is rocking with weak foundations. Some are exploiting divisions in a systematic and cultish way. People are defined by how they voted in a destructive way. There are politicians with a hidden agenda, which can lead to an authoritarian society with less choices. A deliberate re-alignment.” 

She says our politicians are arrogant and lazy with a zombie parliament and with no written constitution. We have two leaders, who are not states people and have no plan. 

A People’s Vote? The politicians don’t want to get their hands dirty – so give it back to the people. Miller advocates three choices for a People’s Vote – Mrs Mays deal/ a Canada style deal / no deal. Around 73% now are in favour of a vote. 

For the younger generation, she feels they don’t teach what the EU is really about in schools. 

It is cheaper to join a club, with the EU we share – medical agency, open skies, legal, environmental agency, infrastructure, research, just in time manufacturing, and much more. Miller wondered, how do we get out of this mess and all the divisiveness.

She spoke of moving past divisions – and I agree – but moving past wealth divisions will not be so easy. The system needs changed through independence.

PS  I don’t want an indy Scotland building walls with its neighbours or with Europe. Indy is not about borders for me. We must speak with both national and international voices. Change can only happen in small places: that's where the creative, innovative, individual voices happen.

I feel the world has tilted off its axis for a while – I can hope it will correct itself! I remember the Berlin wall coming down and we seem to be building too many walls today.  

Alex Salmond and Iain Banks

I was proud to shake Alex Salmnd's hand when I met him in Edinburgh 2012! Thanks for always putting Scotland first and back on the map. He was there with brilliant Scottish author Iain Banks who sadly died recently. 

Is social mobility dead?

'Is social mobility dead in the UK? We are now ruled by unexceptional people with exceptional education.'  British author Tony Parsons

There is now no social mobility says Parsons.

From 1960 to 1975 we had five Prime Ministers who were from ordinary beginnings and who were educated at state schools - from Harold Wilson to John Major. Parson argues that there is now no way for that to happen now and the gap between the rich and the poor has got wider. 

The argument against the Grammar schools is that they only lift up 20%  - well the Comprehensives lift up zero per cent!  Some argue that Grammar school selection is unfair - well life is tough and life is unfair.That selected group at least had a chance for university education - now it is zero %.

What happens now in schools is that mediocrity is encouraged in preference to excellence.

I know because my three children went through the present day school system recently. No matter how much work for excellence my daughter put in her efforts were consistently ignored while the less able were favoured. The attitude is that the bright children will do well no matter. What message does this send out to the children when high standards are ignored. My daughter is now training as a paediatric doctor, thanks to her own efforts - and yes my chidlren all went to the local state school.  

One thing that does make a big difference is offering good nursery education, and a good grounding in pre-skills BEFORE schooling even starts.  We lived in America for ten years where my older son was educated until he was six and he benefited greatly there from the training given in Kindergarten school.

It is wrong to say that the Grammar school system was inflexible. There was a young boy who lived near me - he was immature at 11 and never made the Grammar school cut off, but he started to perform well at secondary school and after two years he was moved to the Grammar school and he went on to study for a science degree at university.  In Scotland the Grammar schools were known as secondary moderns.

Parson states that the major parties are against social mobility and that we need to put family back at the centre. British author Tony Parsons on This Week BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/This_Week_06_12_2012/

Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author.

Edinburgh International Book festival 2012

Russell Kane

NooSara-Wiwa

Elaine Proctor

Karl Miller

Tom Benn

Will Brooker

Elif Şafak

The Big names at the festival this year were – Michael Palin (new novel The Truth), Seamus Heaney, Roy Hattersley, Alex Salmon, Ian McEwan, Ruth Rendall, Irvine Welsh, Ian Banks, Nile Rodgers (writer/producer), Russell Kane (comedian) and many more.

Debate, Poetry, Novels, Autobiography, Stage, theatre, sport, film, more..

What is so refreshing in our shallow world of celebrity at this thought provoking event, is the fact that the EBF is a melting pot of ideas, creativity and energy and is all about substance, character and stories. In a culture dominated by tweeting sound bites and facebook ‘likes’ – an opportunity for writers and readers to participate in the passionate and serious discussion that good writing still generates.

One of the main events this year was the Writers Conference organised by the British Council. John Calder and Jim Haynes discussed their memories of the first Writers Conference held in 1962 in the McEwan Hall Edinburgh and writers worldwide attended.

The festivals popular Debates were on Europe, democracy, Scottish Independence and growth. Should writing be political? – perhaps unavoidable?  Is change always a good thing?  Change is neither for better or worse it is simply about the inevitability of change itself.

I walked past great minds such as - Seamus Heaney, Irvine Welsh, Tony Benn, Ian McEwan, Lazlo Krasznahorkai and more, Fireworks end each night over the castle ramparts to mark the finale of the Edinburgh Tattoo.