Fintan O'Toole Heroic Failure, Edinburgh book festival 2019

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 he was doing his talk in the small Spark tent on George street – rather than the main New York Times tent. 

I am presently reading Fintan O’Toole’s book, Heroic Failure, on the Brexit carry on, and what an excellent story teller he is in his well researched tale. 

He feels Brexit is not essentially about the EU at all, but a British existential crisis. 

Things are badly off kilter and we certainly need well researched and original new voices.

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. 

The Pen is Really Mightier than the Sword

In Tom Paine’s pamphlets made the American Revolution. Without his words there would have been no victory – His ideas reflected Enlightenment ideals of transnational human rights.Common Sense was so influential that John Adams said: "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain". (Rights of Man 1791/ Common Sense 1776) 

WB Yeats – 

Yeats gave the Irish ‘who they were’ before the endless fighting. He elevated the old heroes and gave the political expression of the people.

Nations are not about lines. Every people need their myths. There is “no fine nation without literature and no fine literature without nationality.” 

Robert Burns

No one wrote poetry like Burns. After reading Tom Paine’s 'Rights of Man', he wrote the best loved poem that speaks of equality for all - "A  Mans A Man For A That." Burns was a radical who wrote about equal rights for all men regardless of rank.  He also wrote , the Liberty Tree, The Slaves Lament, Parcel of Rogues to the Nation. 

Poet Hugh MacDiarmid wanted to write of a Scottish voice – his best known poem is ‘The Drunk man talked to the Scottish Thistle.

George Buchannan, tutor to James VI, wrote thatall political power resides in the people, and it must reside in the people: and that it is lawful and necessary to resist kings (or queens, or we might say all rulers) if (or when) they become tyrants.

A short distance from my home there is a monument in the small town of KiIlearn to one of the most important writers on democracy, reformer George Buchanan. He was one of the most significant literary and political figures of the 16^th century -  poet, playwright, historian, humanist scholar, and teacher to the great French essayist Michel de Montagne, Mary Queen of Scots and later to her son James VI of Scotland and I of England (United Kingdom.)Buchanan was a native Gaelic speaker from lower loch Lomond. He was deeply impressed that the Gael had held on to their language and culture for more than two thousand years. He was a Catholic, who was committed himself to the Reformation and he joined the Reformed Protestant church in 1560s and published several books.

Are we in danger of loosing cultural confidence. In todays world of turmoil we are  loosing sight of what really matters. We have false and shallow leaders who blow with whatever wind is blowing – they have no backbone, morals or compassion.

Pen Not Guns,  We need new stories. 

Scottish Music 2019

Scottish Music 2019 

Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Love

C Duncan - Like you Do (Garden)

Young Fathers

Pronto Mama

Arabesque         

CD Duncan – blissful digital dive into soft, anxious romance. 

Young Fathers – “shroud their soulfulness in a murk of machine chunks, wall of noise and serial loops. Their social tension.”

Rip it Up Vic Galloway – Exhibition and book on the story of Scottish Pop music.

Pat Kane writes in the National June 2018

“Here’s a history – a tradition even - of creative dissatisfaction, of endlessly fizzing fireworks in the suburbs, small towns and city centres of Scottish life.

A good flourishing society needs security but it also needs risk. When Scottish pop is exploding loudly its an indication that we’re holding that balance in a sweet spot. “

I am very encouraged to hear it is still about great melodies and anthems, those packed crowds can sing along to.

*Trnsmt – Showcase too for new artists - Catherine McGrath, Tom Grannan - https://trnsmtfest.com/

**Festivals

Doune the Rabbithole/ - https://dounetherabbithole.co.uk
Rewind,
Solas,

Belladrum -https://tartanheartfestival.co.uk

Comment to new Scottish channel

More music, culture and art please.

Not only aimed at twenty year olds. 

“We’re all looking for a lyric, or a melody or a groove ot bind the crowd together. 

And audiences want to embed in themselves a collective memory.” Pat Kane