tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/dublin-14212/articlesdublin – The Conversation2021-07-28T14:23:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1641322021-07-28T14:23:04Z2021-07-28T14:23:04ZBrexit: UK services are losing out to EU rivals – but Asia could be big winner<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413532/original/file-20210728-13-u8gtvi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Singapore looks like one of the big winners from Brexit. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/singapore-downtown-beautiful-dawn-160541894">joyfull</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Seven months after Britain’s exit from the EU, the chilly effects on UK trade are being felt. Total exports of UK goods and services were down by 13% (£36 billion) and imports down 22% (£66 billion) for January to May 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/articles/theimpactsofeuexitandcoronaviruscovid19onuktradeinservices/july2021">according to</a> the Office for National Statistics (ONS). </p>
<p>In a separate new <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade">ONS report</a> into UK services, exports and imports fell 12% and 24% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. To some extent this is due to the pandemic, but the decline with EU countries was more severe (exports down 15% and imports by 39%), which suggests Brexit was relevant too. The difference between services exports to EU and non-EU countries was particularly marked in sectors like construction (-43% vs +24%), maintenance and repair (-62% vs +11%), and manufacturing services (-40% vs -12%). </p>
<p>It seems to confirm that the UK’s services offering has been made less competitive by the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en">EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement</a> hardly covering such business. This has left EU members free to decide whether to allow different UK providers into their markets. But as we shall see, other services exporting countries outside the EU may also benefit as a result.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://research.aston.ac.uk/en/publications/uk-trade-in-the-time-of-covid-19-a-review">recent paper</a>, Ireland looked like the big winner. It has probably benefited from firms relocating and business being re-routed from the UK, not to mention low corporation tax and a young well-educated workforce. Between 2016 and 2019, Ireland’s services exports rose 24% (that’s €144 billion or £123 billion), driven by financial services, IT and transport. </p>
<p>Speculation still abounds about which other EU cities will benefit in the medium term. <a href="https://theconversation.com/amsterdam-ousts-london-as-europes-top-share-hub-taking-trading-back-to-where-it-all-began-155236">Amsterdam surpassed London</a> as Europe’s largest share-trading centre in January by absorbing much trade in euro-denominated assets, though <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/london-reclaims-top-share-trading-spot-from-amsterdam-1.4609855#:%7E:text=London%20reclaims%20the%20top%20spot,city's%20volumes%20to%20the%20continent.">London has been</a> back on top recently. Other potential winners include Frankfurt (banking), Luxembourg (banking and asset management) and Paris (financial, professional and business services). Even a less serious contender like Berlin can attract tech talents thanks to its culture clusters and affordability. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/brexit-impact-on-london-financial-center-by-howard-davies-2021-05">On the other hand</a>, most financial traders have so far remained in London. The city is <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/audit-services/ipo-centre/assets/pwc-global-ipo-watch-q1-2021.pdf">still strong</a> in hosting stock market flotations and other forms of capital raising. And the flow of financial jobs out of London <a href="https://newfinancial.org/brexit-the-city-the-impact-so-far/">has been</a> a fraction of what remainers predicted. A four-year regulatory transition period for <a href="https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2021/02/insights-special-edition-brexit/a-temporary-solution-for-data-protection">areas like</a> data protection and electronic trade will undoubtedly be helping. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="View over Millennium Bridge in London at dusk" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413549/original/file-20210728-15-8hvqyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">London vs EU rivals is only half the story.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/tvPvROBv0F4">James Padolsey/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Yet all this misses a bigger picture, namely that Europe’s ability to provide services may have been weakened overall. Imagine a group of US investors wants to invest £1 billion in European shares and other financial assets. In the past it might have set up a fund in London, making use of the city’s network of lawyers, accountants, bankers and other finance professionals, while filtering some of the work to specialists in, say, Paris and Frankfurt for issues related to France and Germany. </p>
<p>But now Brexit means the fund can’t invest in certain EU securities from London. The investors would have to set up a second fund in, say, Dublin to get exposure to all the EU assets they want. The additional expense and time involved makes them decide it will be more lucrative to set up an Asia-focused fund in Singapore instead. </p>
<p>When you multiply this effect across every sector, it is potentially huge. Certainly some investors will decide to either switch attention from the UK to EU countries, or to live with the extra cost of doing business across both the UK and EU. But others are deciding that an opportunity somewhere else in the world now looks more attractive. The danger is that this adds up to a global shift in economic weight over time. In fact, we could be seeing signs of this already. </p>
<h2>Winners and losers</h2>
<p>In follow-on research that we have yet to publish, we have been analysing the services exports of the major service providers in Europe and globally, using <a href="https://www.lbpresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Feeding-the-Celtic-Tiger-%E2%80%93-Brexit-Ireland-and-Services-Trade.pdf">trade data</a> jointly collected by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). </p>
<p>The data shows the UK was and is the biggest services exporter in Europe and second only to the US worldwide, but appears to have been losing ground since Brexit. Ireland and the Netherlands are the major growth stories in Europe, while China, India and Singapore are leading the way elsewhere. </p>
<p><strong>Services exports by country, 2019 vs 2015</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graph showing services exports by country 2019 vs 2015, outlined above and below." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410635/original/file-20210709-21-1k45d5n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trends in services exports. Left: 2015 data in solid coloured bars; 2019 change in yellow markers. Right: Green bars represent accelerating service growth; red bars represent decelerating growth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">BaTIS</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The UK’s services growth trend fell 11% in the 2016-2019 period compared to 2010-15. This backs up our recent <a href="https://www.lbpresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Feeding-the-Celtic-Tiger-%E2%80%93-Brexit-Ireland-and-Services-Trade.pdf">published research</a> finding that the UK’s global share of exported services fell from 8.9% in 2005 to 7% in 2019. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium’s growth has also been declining, while Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and also the US were static. Ireland was the fastest growing services exporter among all, but Singapore and India gained momentum too. </p>
<p>Strikingly, we see increasing growth in Asia between 2016 and 2019 in sectors like travel, financial, IT and creative services. This includes extraordinary growth in Singapore in finance, business, insurance and pension provision, and also in China in numerous segments. It looks like nothing short of a boom. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413550/original/file-20210728-15-1o3ve8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shanghai has been on the up and up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/lS02c1ZEgJI">Krzystsztof Kotkowicz</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This may partly reflect the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/are-traditional-multinationals-ready-for-emerging-markets/">industrial transformation</a> taking place in the <a href="https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/how-services-drive-growth-emerging-economies-evidence-india">Asian developing world</a> from manufacturing to services. It may also capture a <a href="https://www.edhecstudentfinanceclub.com/how-to-build-a-financial-center-lessons-from-history/">long-term shift</a> of services centres from the west to the east – a reshuffle on a truly global scale. </p>
<p>But at the same time, it’s evidence that Brexit has weakened the UK as the European centre for services. Yes, business shifted to Ireland (and Luxembourg) to some extent, but that could be hiding a wider collective setback. </p>
<p>The question for the years ahead, for the UK and its European services peers, is whether they can come up with arrangements that help maintain their collective strengths – and to what extent they can exploit opportunities elsewhere, particularly on developing countries, where US services providers <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/are-traditional-multinationals-ready-for-emerging-markets/">have traditionally</a> been far ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164132/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New data shows the recent damage to UK’s prized services sector – and potentially to Europe as a whole.Jun Du, Professor of Economics, Centre Director of Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Business Prosperity (LBGCBP), Aston UniversityOleksandr Shepotylo, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1480632020-10-15T13:27:51Z2020-10-15T13:27:51ZUK is not doing enough to get Irish-facing ports ready for Brexit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363688/original/file-20201015-23-jdnkgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sunset at Holyhead, Wales. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sbould/30696518446/in/photolist-NLxFu3-2gJMPRb-Hgaoaw-2gJNBVX-n8MJjy-n8KMEM-n8KHeH-SpTZq6-256Q9r7-5mYENE-2gJNfP3-2hpivsm-2jbuM9Q-K67BTX-Q5hm8c-Eij3Z5-FU5Fh3-2crMfHa-24hsosT-tpcdp-tp8zu-tp86s-uwy8C-tp92Z-uwyhf-tp8pt-tpdud-2cJxg8J-2fVVMmx-uwyan-2ePj1Pb-2iJW5Eo-uwy7E-7DQq2-2dv7zyx-R8x4vP-tp9Nj-SKMHGN-tpdDQ-2dv7y3B-2dMXQ2W-SKMGKs-2dv7Eue-R8wXdt-2dMXTU5-R8wZBM-R8wWBt-2eTUuMc-2eTUsSF-2dv7BVX">Stuart Bould</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Much of the UK debate surrounding Brexit has revolved around two kinds of border. The first is the <a href="https://www.ft.com/video/33264c1e-c744-4b24-bdb7-b89b09716517">land border</a> between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We have seen a combination of economic concerns about the free flow of people and goods and security concerns about the border becoming re-militarised.</p>
<p>Much ink has also been spilled on the maritime border between England and continental Europe. Ongoing challenges with so-called “illegal” migration from the continent, and Kent’s potential role as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/16/brexit-kent-customs-facility-will-be-also-be-used-as-lorry-park-minister-confirms">“lorry park”</a> in waiting – particularly in the case of a no-deal Brexit – illustrate the significance of the English Channel both as an actual and a symbolic border.</p>
<p>Yet the Irish Sea, and by extension the maritime borders between Britain and Ireland, needs to receive more focus. The UK’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/scotland-and-wales-are-being-treated-as-bystanders-in-a-brexit-that-doesnt-work-for-them-146771">Internal Market Bill</a>, which aims to counter any potential economic and political divergence between Northern Ireland and the British mainland, could significantly affect UK ports like Liverpool, Holyhead, Fishguard, Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven, and the Irish ports of Dublin and Rosslare.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363698/original/file-20201015-13-1yxynr9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Maps</span></span>
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<p>We are exploring the historic and contemporary connections between Holyhead, Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, Dublin and Rosslare as part of the <a href="https://portspastpresent.eu/">Ports, Past and Present</a> project, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme. These port communities and the routes that connect them have long been of critical political, economic and cultural importance to both countries. </p>
<p>They are facing a number of profound and even unprecedented challenges as the transition period draws to an end. Our work to date has shown that efforts to get to grips with these challenges have been more far-reaching and sustained in the Republic of Ireland than in Wales.</p>
<h2>The land bridge</h2>
<p>The first concern is with the amount of infrastructure put in place to deal with the additional border bureaucracy required following Brexit. Ireland has made a considerable investment into new customs infrastructure. For instance, <a href="https://portspastpresent.eu/items/show/466">Dublin Port</a> has invested some €30 million (£27 million) and re-purposed 10 hectares of land, including building new customs posts and associated facilities. Similar developments have been conspicuous by their absence in the Welsh ports facing the Irish Sea.</p>
<p>This may partly reflect a lack of political will, but there are also fundamental practical issues making it harder for Welsh ports to become Brexit-proof. For instance, the approach to the port and ferry terminal at Pembroke dock passes through the centre of Pembroke town along single-carriage roads, which makes it a challenge to build new border infrastructure. </p>
<p>With space at a premium, no firm decisions have yet been made about what land might be redesignated for facilitating the new customs procedures which will be required after Brexit. Similarly, Holyhead, the second busiest port in the UK, has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54333797">little space</a> to invest in infrastructure either. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="M&S sandwich" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363690/original/file-20201015-15-1ly7w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Sandwich off?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/swindon-uk-march-12-2014-reduced-181261976">urbanbuzz</a></span>
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<p>Another issue is that key supply chains facilitated by Welsh and Irish ports are liable to be undermined by Brexit. To take just one example, ready-made sandwiches sold in Marks and Spencer on Dublin’s Grafton Street are produced in the UK before being exported every morning via Holyhead to Dublin, in time to service lunchtime demand. To what extent such vital trade links will remain viable is an open question, and relies on what sort of deal (if any) is eventually concluded between the UK and EU. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Traffic lining up at Holyhead terminal in Wales." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363697/original/file-20201015-21-4ga5il.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Traffic lining up at Holyhead terminal in Wales.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/danish-lorry-going-entering-holyhead-ferry-1519671278">meandering images</a></span>
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<p>A port like Holyhead is also an important link in the so-called British “<a href="https://www.europeanmovement.ie/the-landbridge-ireland-and-brexit/">land-bridge</a>” that connects Ireland with mainland Europe. In 2018, <a href="https://www.europeanmovement.ie/the-landbridge-ireland-and-brexit/">around 40%</a> of total Irish trade was facilitated through this link, which equates to around 150,000 lorries crossing to the European mainland via UK ports. </p>
<p>At present, hauliers can transport Irish goods to mainland Europe along this route in less than 20 hours, but this is likely to be slowed down by the UK’s exit from the EU customs union. Not surprisingly, Dublin and Rosslare are developing <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/rosslare-port-in-talks-for-new-daily-direct-ferry-service-to-continental-europe-1.4372750">new direct ferry routes</a> to continental Europe that would remove the need for this land bridge. </p>
<h2>Shared heritage</h2>
<p>Our project has also identified the pressing need to consider the far-reaching cultural consequences of Brexit on these ports and their surrounding communities. Throughout history, Holyhead, Dublin, Rosslare, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock have been staging posts in the journeys of merchants, administrators, soldiers and revolutionaries, as well as poets, authors, scientists and tourists. </p>
<p>The UK ports welcomed generations of Irish immigrants coming to work in different industries, not least construction and railways. The history of these ports is the history of the <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/turbulent-water-a-cultural-history-of-the-irish-sea-1.3864668">shared and conflicted connections</a> between Ireland and the UK.</p>
<p>The port communities reflect this rich heritage. Street, place and family names testify to the longstanding connections between Ireland and Great Britain. Many people living and working in these towns are a product of this shared ancestry. </p>
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<span class="caption">What happens after Brexit?</span>
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<p>The community groups that Ports, Past and Present is working with on both sides of the maritime border are keen to maintain cultural links, but Brexit could make this more difficult. There are questions, for example, about what type of financial support might be available to cross-border initiatives after Brexit, once current EU-funded programmes have run their course. New divisions - both material and symbolic - between Wales and Ireland after Brexit will be to the detriment both of the port communities and the countries overall. </p>
<p>Taken together, it shows why this “forgotten” border needs to be taken seriously. The UK must grapple with a series of practical challenges along its Irish-facing ports if we are to make Brexit work economically and politically. But there is also an urgent need to reflect on the cultural significance of this separation and find ways to manage its fallout.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148063/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Evershed receives funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme as part of the Ports, Past and Present project team. He has also received funding from the ESRC and AHRC.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rhys Jones receives funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme as part of the Ports, Past and Present project team. He has also received funding from the ESRC, AHRC, Horizon2020, Leverhulme Trust and the Welsh government.</span></em></p>While the English Channel and Irish land border have received most of the Brexit attention, the Irish Sea ports are a major concern.Jonathan Evershed, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of English, University College CorkRhys Jones, Professor of Cultural Geography, Aberystwyth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1463722020-09-17T10:40:30Z2020-09-17T10:40:30ZNew Dublin on screen – a place of freedom and choice<p>Dublin’s screen history reflects its real-life contradictions – at once the debased urban counterpart to the <a href="https://lovin.ie/news/feature/27-photos-that-prove-the-west-of-ireland-is-the-most-beautiful-place-planet-earth">“real” Ireland of romantic rolling green hills and dramatic seascapes</a>, and the wellspring of literary modernism, rock music and all-night party culture. </p>
<p>If one film best captured how Ireland’s capital imagined itself, it was Lenny Abrahamson’s debut feature, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLXeRNDCaWs">Adam & Paul</a>. The story of two heroin addicts crossing the city in search of a fix. They were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKYm4-mKNXI">Godot</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7FobPxu27M">Ulysses</a> propelled into the 21st century.</p>
<p>Dublin in Adam & Paul is a warren of threatening, enclosed spaces. In this, Abrahamson’s vision is little different to that of the many gangster films that have dominated depictions of the city, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srSNhZ8XKnE">The General (1998)</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paJYAk6Lkmc">Cardboard Gangsters (2017)</a>. However, a recent cluster of productions – including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tICeNBGp7Fw">Dating Amber</a> (2020), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8DbQTjzMKs">Handsome Devil</a> (2016) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p5yY0qdsWg">Normal People</a> (2020) – suggest that the capital’s image may be changing. These films provide an interesting commentary on the new relationship between the individual and the city.</p>
<h2>A city mentality</h2>
<p>In Dating Amber, the city is an escape, a place to be free from the stifling nature of the lead characters’ hometown and a place they can be themselves. </p>
<p>Set in 1995, David Freyne’s film follows Amber (Lola Pettigrew) and Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) in their last year at school in Kildare. Brought together by the taunting of their peers, the two admit to each other that they are gay and, in a bid to survive the rest of the year, enter into a concocted relationship that soon develops into a genuine friendship. </p>
<p>Bunking off school one day, they share an illicit booze-fuelled night in Dublin. Stumbling across a subterranean gay bar, the two have very separate but formative experiences. Amber meets Trinity student, Sarah (Lauryn Canny), with whom she develops a relationship. While in the distance, as if in a trance, Eddie dances a slow number clasped to the bosom of the club’s drag queen (Jonny Woo). </p>
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<p>So out of sync is this scene with the film’s otherwise realist aesthetic that it could easily be a projection of Eddie’s imagination. It also uncannily echoes a similar sequence in Handsome Devil, also starring Fionn O’Shea and also set in Kildare in the past. </p>
<p>Here, O’Shea’s Ned finds himself attracted to his rugby player school roommate, Conor (Nicholas Galitzine). On a trip to Dublin city, Ned spots Conor entering a pub. The bouncer prevents him from following his friend, and Ned is forced to leave. As Ned travels back to school on the train, the film suddenly shifts back to the pub, now following Conor through the bar where he glimpses his English teacher, Dan Sherry (Andrew Scott), with another man. On their return to Kildare, student and teacher meet in what is presumably a later train. Awkward small talk ensues, with each apparently reluctant to admit why they were in a gay bar. </p>
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<p>The point of both scenes, it seems to me, is to construct a space outside of the conservative reality (in both instances rural Ireland of the past) where gay desire can find free expression. That this is a kind of imaginary, utopian space is further signalled by the womb-like, cavernous interiors and hazy red lighting. To enter these places freely, the character must abandon their inhibitions from “old” Ireland, and as Amber advises Eddie, don a “city mentality”.</p>
<h2>An open place</h2>
<p>Having a city mentality is also what distinguishes Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) from Connell (Paul Mescal) in Normal People. In this highly regarded adaption of Sally Rooney’s zeitgeist novel of the same name, it is Marianne’s discomfort with the mores of Sligo school life that makes her feel alienated at school. But when she and Connell arrive in Dublin to study at Trinity College, the roles are reversed, and she is easily accepted by the metropolitan set, leaving Connell feeling awkward and excluded. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq9SEb5PhMY">When I spoke to the series’ co-creators</a>, Ed Guiney and Lenny Abrahamson, they explained that one of their aims in making Normal People was to project a new image of Dublin. What they achieved, I would suggest, was to refuse the older associations of the capital as a criminal city, insisting instead on its openness to new experiences. </p>
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<p>That they did so through depictions of <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8305579/TVs-Normal-People-features-eye-watering-41-MINUTES-sex-12-episodes.html">sexual encounters</a> unlike anything ever witnessed on Irish screens (or any screen for that matter) may have distracted from Normal People’s intense engagement with the intellectual life of its central characters. In a way, this harks back to Dublin’s history as a <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/dublin-named-city-of-literature-1.861615">literary city</a>, but one that is now as likely to find its voice in a college room or the tossed sheets of a bed as much as in a smoky pub. </p>
<p>What is new, then, about these productions is their affirmation of personal freedoms: to live a gay lifestyle, to experiment with drugs, to be a writer. In this, these screen productions speak as intimately to a local audience as to the wider world with whom they share their Dublin, imagined or real.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146372/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ruth Barton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From run by gangster and drug-ridden to a place of sexual freedom and opportunity, a spate of new screen productions are rehabilitating Dublin’s image.Ruth Barton, Head of School of Creative Arts, Trinity College DublinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135122019-03-19T14:20:02Z2019-03-19T14:20:02ZBrexit: Ireland determined to avoid no-deal scenario as UK plays politics with the Irish border<p>Despite the UK parliament’s decision to <a href="https://theconversation.com/mps-vote-against-no-deal-brexit-but-what-does-that-actually-mean-113492">reject a no-deal Brexit</a>, unless MPs at Westminster finally agree Theresa May’s Brexit deal, or the EU agrees to give the prime minister an extension of the negotiating period, the UK could still leave the EU without a deal. </p>
<p>The day after May’s deal was defeated for the second time at Westminster, the UK government published its plans for tariffs – and the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-exit-avoiding-a-hard-border-in-northern-ireland-in-a-no-deal-scenario">Northern Irish border</a> – in the event of a no-deal Brexit. At a time when the British-Irish relationship is already strained by the Brexit process, the tariff plan was criticised by both <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-no-deal-tariff-wto-trade-eu-theresa-may-northern-ireland-a8825076.html">the EU</a> and the Irish government. </p>
<p>The Irish government’s main focus remains on securing UK acceptance of the withdrawal agreement and most of the tensions derive from Westminster’s failure to approve it. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, was in Ireland on March 19 to discuss the EU’s response to any requests from the UK to extend the Brexit negotiating period with Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier (Taoiseach). </p>
<h2>Tariff proposals</h2>
<p>The UK government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-rates-of-customs-duty-on-imports-after-eu-exit">proposed</a> that for one year after a no-deal Brexit, goods from the Republic of Ireland that remained in Northern Ireland would not be subject to tariffs, but that EU goods including Irish goods exported to Britain would be. The British government insisted this wouldn’t create a hard border down the Irish sea, as there would be no checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Britain. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/qanda-why-is-the-uk-planning-to-cut-tariffs-on-most-imports-in-the-event-of-a-no-deal-brexit-113086">Q&A: Why is the UK planning to cut tariffs on most imports in the event of a no-deal Brexit?</a>
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<p>Although the publication was overshadowed by events in Westminster, it was clear that the Irish government and the EU opposed it. There was <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/uk-trying-to-frighten-ireland-with-draconian-tariffs-hogan-1.3824862">speculation</a> in Dublin that the UK had published the proposals to put extra pressure on the Irish government to drop the so-called Irish backstop from the Brexit withdrawal agreement. </p>
<p>Imposing tariffs on goods exported from Ireland to Britain would have significant negative implications for Irish exports, particularly in the beef and dairy sectors. Irish exports to Britain comprise <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42223732">just under 14%</a> of Ireland’s total exports and beef and agrifood is a central part of that. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ireland-a-century-of-trade-relations-shows-why-a-soft-border-is-so-important-88498">Ireland: a century of trade relations shows why a soft border is so important</a>
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<p>The proposal raises the possibility that UK exporters could enter the EU market through the backdoor without facing tariffs. Such a plan could only be agreed with EU consent, not unilaterally. The potential for Ireland to become a <a href="https://theconversation.com/smuggling-in-the-irish-borderlands-and-why-it-could-get-worse-after-brexit-111153">smugglers paradise</a> is obvious. If the UK changed its regulations over time so that it was no longer aligned to those of the EU, prices of UK exports to Ireland and to the EU more generally could be cheaper than goods produced within the EU. The integrity of the single market would be undermined. </p>
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<span class="caption">Dublin port: no-deal Brexit raises questions over mechanics of trade.</span>
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<h2>A ‘supreme irony’</h2>
<p>Varadkar called the tariff proposals a <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/0313/1036142-government-uk-tariffs/">“supreme irony”</a> as they would treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK. This is the very reason Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) opposes the Irish backstop – <a href="https://theconversation.com/brexit-why-was-the-irish-border-backstop-so-crucial-to-brexit-deal-defeat-113398">one of the central issues</a> blocking May’s deal at Westminster.</p>
<p>Varadkar argued that before very long there would have to be checks at Northern Irish ports – essentially creating a border in the Irish sea which is so opposed by the DUP. Clearly the tariff proposals are <a href="https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/blog/dup-and-no-deal-tariffs-double-standards">highly awkward for the DUP</a>. It’s quite possible they were a deliberate British strategy to persuade some of those who had voted against May’s deal for a second time on March 12, not least the ten DUP MPs, to change their minds in any upcoming third vote. </p>
<p>Parliament’s subsequent <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-to-seek-brexit-delay-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-latest-parliamentary-vote-113607">decision to allow</a> the government to ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit negotiating period adds further pressure on the Brexiteers – as a long extension could increase the chance of Brexit not happening at all. </p>
<h2>Future of the border</h2>
<p>While still seeking a deal, Varadkar <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/varadkar-says-government-to-escalate-no-deal-brexit-measures-1.3824720">indicated that further measures</a> would be announced soon about the Irish government’s response to a no–deal scenario. In 2018, the Irish government announced it would <a href="https://www.irishnews.com/news/republicofirelandnews/2018/07/17/news/dublin-to-recruit-500-customs-officers-in-preparation-for-no-deal-brexit-1383511/">recruit 500 extra staff</a> to deal with customs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. There is an assumption that in that scenario, customs checks would have to occur, perhaps not at the border, but in areas near it. </p>
<p>Customs checks violate the spirit of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement">Good Friday Agreement</a>. The 1998 agreement was negotiated in the context of Irish and UK membership of the single market and EU. The second <a href="http://education.niassembly.gov.uk/post_16/snapshots_of_devolution/gfa/the_three_strands">strand of the agreement</a>, devoted to cross-border co-operation, assumed a relatively open border that allowed freedom of movement. It also explicitly provided for an EU cross-border body, the special EU programmes body, to manage EU funding. A hard border would seriously threaten the ability to implement this. </p>
<p>Despite Ireland’s preparations, most efforts are still focused on securing a deal. The Irish government has <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2019/0314/1036339-brexit-reaction/">repeatedly mentioned</a> that a 21-month extension to the article 50 deadline could be granted if the UK provides clear plans, such as staying in the customs union and single market. The predominant mood in Dublin is a determined, albeit weary one: to protect the backstop and the Good Friday Agreement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113512/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Etain Tannam does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The UK’s no-deal tariff plan was viewed in Dublin as a way to scare Brexiteers into supporting Theresa May’s deal.Etain Tannam, Lecturer, International Peace Studies, Trinity College DublinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/963152018-05-09T10:38:42Z2018-05-09T10:38:42ZHorror film festivals: why their best screenings never make it to multiplexes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218251/original/file-20180509-34027-m9rnck.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cut. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/filming-horror-movie-female-zombie-holding-242381503?src=AepMNA-yhm06XdTW4tWU6g-1-3">Kiselev Andrey Valerevich</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the east coast of Scotland, calendars are circled in blood: it’s time once again for Dundead, the horror film festival that descends on Dundee each May. </p>
<p>Launched eight years ago for campaigning locals who wanted a dedicated festival to rival Glasgow’s <a href="http://www.frightfest.co.uk/glasgow-2018.html">FrightFest</a>, Dundead screens various previews and even premieres. There is always a gem among these mostly shoestring productions – like last year’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289956/">The Autopsy of Jane Doe</a>, starring Dundee’s own Brian Cox, aka the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474/">original Hannibal Lecter</a>. </p>
<p>The buzz this year has centred on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7026370/">Vampire Clay</a>, a Japanese film about possessed sculptures running amok in an art college. But my money is on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4399952/">The Lodgers</a>, a slice of Irish Gothic from Brian O'Malley, a young filmmaker whose <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3148348/">Let Us Prey (2014)</a> was a surprise hit at the festival several years back. </p>
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<p>These new releases are always built around a carefully curated themed retrospective. Last year’s focus was Stephen King; this year it’s the late Tobe Hopper – starting with his first and finest film, <a href="http://www.dca.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-texas-chain-saw-massacre">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)</a>.</p>
<p>It’s not only Scots that want to scream at the likes of Leatherface, of course. Horror movie festivals have become big business in recent years. There is <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/back-from-the-dead-how-horror-is-this-year-s-rising-film-trend-1.3268256">Horrorthon</a> in Dublin; <a href="http://www.abertoir.co.uk">Abertoir</a> in Aberystywth; <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/horror-on-sea-film-festival-19-28-january-2018-tickets-38033279563">Horror on Sea</a> in Southend; while London has both the <a href="https://filmfreeway.com/BritishHorrorFilmFestival">British Horror Film Festival</a> and another <a href="http://www.frightfest.co.uk/frightfest-dates-for-2018.html">FrightFest</a>. </p>
<p>Yet now that the genre finally seems to have gained mainstream acceptance, you might wonder if afficionados will need so many festivals in future. Look no further than Jordan Peele winning Best Original Screenplay for <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/">Get Out</a> at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-oscars-inclusivity-riders-are-a-start-but-change-needs-to-come-from-the-ground-up-92946">Academy Awards</a> this year. Everyone rightly celebrated Peele being the first African American ever to win this category, but most people failed to realise it is also very rare for a horror film to be recognised in this way. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218248/original/file-20180509-34018-fvwc9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jordan Peele takes Best Screenplay.</span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/awards">The Silence of the Lambs</a> did take the five biggest Oscars in 1992, but it is the exception to the rule: horror movies rarely even get nominated, let alone win these categories. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/">The Exorcist (1973)</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/">Jaws (1975)</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/">The Sixth Sense (1999)</a> are the only others to have even been nominated for Best Picture in the past. </p>
<p>Not only has Get Out now been added to that list, it was beaten by Guillermo del Torro’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">The Shape of Water</a> – a fantasy film with horror elements. Meanwhile, three Stephen King adaptations were also released in the past year, and were all quite good. The <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/">remake of It</a> performed well at the box office, while <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748172/">Gerald’s Game</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6214928/">1922</a> must rank as two of the best films to be premiered on Netflix. </p>
<h2>Anatomy of horror</h2>
<p>But while there is bound to be some overlap between horror festivals and these mainstream box office movies, Dundead helps to illustrate some differences. Many films showing at the festival have no advertising budget and therefore fall under the radar of most mainstream cinema exhibition chains. Yet in many cases, they would not be considered serious enough for many arthouse cinema programmers either. This lack of distribution can be a big problem for people working in the genre. </p>
<p>Festivals like Dundead, with its specialist programmer Chris O’Neill, help filmmakers working on the margins of the industry, including local talent, to get their work seen on the big screen.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=621&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=621&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218252/original/file-20180509-34006-1yjm46t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=621&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aaaaargh!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/filming-horror-movie-female-zombie-holding-242381503?src=AepMNA-yhm06XdTW4tWU6g-1-3">Joe Prachatree</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Horror films can, of course, be works of art. As a British cinema specialist, I think that Michael Powell’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054167/">Peeping Tom (1960)</a>, Jack Clayton’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055018/">The Innocents (1961)</a>, Roman Polanski’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059646/">Repulsion (1965)</a> and Nicolas Roeg’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069995/">Don’t Look Now (1973)</a> rival any film the UK has produced. </p>
<p>The best horror films reject the aesthetics, narrative codes and mores of conventional Hollywood cinema and replace them with something more innovative and subversive. Films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068833/">The Last House on the Left (1972)</a> addressed the Vietnam war long before any major studio dared to, just as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093286/">It’s Alive III (1987)</a> was years ahead of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818/">Philadelphia (1993)</a> in confronting HIV/Aids. Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/">The Blair Witch Project (1999)</a> proved that professional sheen was not a prerequisite for success. </p>
<p>Above all, a good horror movie provides a vicarious thrill. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/">Psycho (1960)</a> lets you be both Marion Crane and Norman Bates – the predator and the prey. We can confront both our darkest fears and even live out murderous fantasies, always in the knowledge it is only a movie. Put this together and you would have to conclude that horror is further from the mainstream than any other genre. </p>
<h2>Knives out?</h2>
<p>All this considered, this year’s recognition for Get Out was a double-edged sword. It is great to see a genre you love getting limelight, but being welcomed into the Academy can only lead to the genre becoming more bland and safe. </p>
<p>There are echoes of this in Dundee right now around plans for a nine-screen multiplex in the city centre. The site is right next to <a href="http://www.dca.org.uk">Dundee Contemporary Arts</a>, where Dundead takes place, and people are <a href="https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/dundee/646042/dundee-city-centre-multiplex-will-imperil-future-of-dundee-contemporary-arts/">rightly concerned</a> about the future of the centre. </p>
<p>It is hard to imagine a proper horror festival in a multiplex – even if Dundead was created in response to popular demand. Horror festivals are the antidote to Hollywood populism. Dundead attracts a crowd that includes DCA regulars and people who might not otherwise visit an independent cinema or watch a subtitled film. We all happily sit through an Italian giallo, a Korean zombie movie, or an Argentine ghost story. </p>
<p>So while it’s nice to see horror films going through a phase of mainstream critical recognition, brace yourself for some expensive turkeys in the coming months. If it’s the genre’s beating heart you are looking for, get along to horror festivals like Dundead instead. </p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.dca.org.uk/whats-on/films/dundead">Dundead</a> runs from May 10 to 13 at Dundee Contemporary Arts.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96315/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Hoyle writes programme notes for Dundee Contemporary Arts, but is not paid for this and is not an employee of the centre. </span></em></p>From Dundee to Dublin, horror spectaculars are springing up like zombies from the dead.Brian Hoyle, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/778762017-05-31T08:07:54Z2017-05-31T08:07:54ZIreland is in prime position to profit from Brexit relocations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171467/original/file-20170530-16280-1i3jz4w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=85%2C19%2C1464%2C987&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimnix/20203403224/in/photolist-wMiHUm-s7Va5p-rLf23D-r8dKwa-SmPrfW-5mnu2F-fvTti2-2zg2qK-5qUgNM-jSPQT-4vM8nU-qWpgqQ-eXU3uZ-6e9sjP-5bLZAt-9So4ii-a9U6uC-4Tpr6A-7b7s2D-4GAeLi-4WAnaE-5F4n5y-4ofVrc-MVyb1x-NKUP2r-2RiSip-aa6dv1-34SVF6-PPXHF-qDUfXA-b5evYD-5vfiss-5vaXa2-4VBvfJ-dc5jqp-4Sfqz-fojYrT-a9Rj9e-a9U6Zs-693cpM-b16Msk-697na9-5TtMv-693bKP-ay1buU-crqvwd-2WXfLZ-vGdwSm-vfgNM6-bNQTDe">Jim Nix/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The race is on to sweep the crumbs from Britain’s table as global corporations position themselves for Brexit-related risks. The flow of money from investors around the world – so-called foreign direct investment (FDI) – will change, even before the nature of the UK’s exit from the EU becomes clear. Some of the biggest businesses have already begun relocating some UK operations to other potentially <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-12/hsbc-says-companies-already-re-routing-business-due-to-brexit">attractive European hubs</a>.</p>
<p>Ireland should be in the hot seat. It has been a key regional location for corporate relocations. Since its accession to the EU, and the deliberate structuring of an economy open for foreign investment, Ireland has been a significant player in the global FDI arena. Its location on the periphery of Europe, a talented workforce, tax incentives and a dedicated agency to attract FDI have all contributed.</p>
<p>And it may be a deeply important moment for Dublin. Potential changes to US corporation tax laws could dramatically impact the flow of FDI into the country. The US president, Donald Trump, wants to cut the tax paid by US business to 10% from 35%, which could clearly <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/008532fa-ef7a-11e6-ba01-119a44939bb6">affect the pace</a> of investment into Ireland. Some large US corporations such as Apple, Amazon and Intel are already <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/05/03/apple-tim-cook-invest-us-manufacturing-fund-trump/101266056/">beginning to reinvest</a> in advanced manufacturing in the US in a bid to get ahead of Trump interfering in their affairs.</p>
<p>These tax reforms are <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/323163-mcconnell-tax-reform-unlikely-by-august">unlikely to take effect this year</a>, but Ireland still needs to respond effectively to this potential obstacle. Both Brexit and US tax reform inject opportunity and risk into the Irish FDI landscape. But if we look at the historical flow of this investment into Ireland, then we can see how a successful response might be plotted.</p>
<h2>Waves of fortune</h2>
<p>Investment into Ireland since joining the EU has pretty much come in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261605000306">three major waves</a>. First, in the 1970s, growth in basic manufacturing was driven by tax incentives. The second wave began in the 1990s when Irish subsidiaries of large corporations began to gain and develop more specialised responsibilities such as product development.</p>
<p>However, it is now time for Ireland to take advantage of an emerging third wave of FDI in the form of regional and global headquarters relocations. This process will be intensified by Brexit.</p>
<p>Much of the investment from these three waves originates from US corporations largely due to a bundle of <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/us-investment-in-ireland-totals-310bn-report-finds-1.2558447">political and historical ties</a>. However, the third wave is also predisposed to FDI <a href="http://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/newsroom/2017/02/chinese-investment-in-ireland/">from the east</a>, particularly from large Chinese corporations. Further attracting investment and headquarters relocation <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahsu/2017/02/09/brexit-presents-both-opportunity-and-risk-for-chinese-companies/#296f7a9f296f">from Chinese</a> firms may be an important step in liberating Ireland from its reliance on corporate America.</p>
<p>The “<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/chinese-investment-into-ireland-reached-2-9bn-in-2016-1.2964367">China-Dublin</a>” affair may benefit from <a href="http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/first-direct-air-route-between-dublin-and-china-on-cards-with-hainan-airlines-move-34820090.html">recent negotiations</a> for a direct air route between the Irish capital and Beijing. All efforts down this road will serve to make Ireland a more attractive proposition for global companies pushed to look away from the UK by the approach of Brexit, even if there will remain significant competition from other major European cities such as Frankfurt and Paris.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171464/original/file-20170530-16265-rfifw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New partnerships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/waving-flag-ireland-china-242978938?src=qmbOhR4A1bJcyOcKviHz-Q-1-1">Aleksandar Mijatovic via Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dublin’s got talent</h2>
<p>There are many recent examples of firms moving their regional or <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/report-barclays-chooses-dublin-ireland-as-brexit-relocationexpansion-eu-hq-2017-1">global headquarters to Ireland</a> from other countries. Some argue that the pursuit of aggressive tax avoidance is the sole incentive for this strategy but the availability of talent also appears crucial.</p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8551.12232/abstract;jsessionid=5975B62630D1CB32E3BC05BE6FF6D3B6.f02t04#.WQsCH5A3_IY.twitter">Recent research</a> I have carried out at Queen’s University Belfast sheds light on the complexity of managing these EU regional headquarters and on how well equipped Irish managers are to do so. These are not mere placeholders. They are expected to meet challenging requirements from demanding US parents while simultaneously managing complicated operations across Europe.</p>
<p>The tax breaks helped create an environment where skills could be acquired and deployed, and so as well as being a regional hub, Ireland is quickly <a href="http://www.fdiintelligence.com/Rankings/fDi-s-Global-Cities-of-the-Future-2016-17-the-winners">becoming a global hub</a> for coordinating the activity of large corporations. Google, Facebook and LinkedIn have all installed major headquarters in Ireland in recent years and established talent, available to hire, is a key factor. Research has shown that Irish managers have become a benchmark for <a href="http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/how-irish-subsidiaries-can-be-global-solution-providers-29733530.html">troubleshooting global problems</a> at innovative firms.</p>
<p>Ireland’s pro-business institutions, particularly that dedicated body for attracting FDI, IDA Ireland, are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/jibs.2013.47">masters of “courting”</a> these multinationals. They will have a central role to play in this relocation process. Dublin was <a href="http://siteselection.com/cc/wmcc/2017/">recently announced</a> by Oxford Economics as the world’s most competitive city for financial services, and this is an important sector to focus on for Brexit relocations. </p>
<p>The Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, has openly <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/lane-says-governments-must-be-wary-of-ecb-policies-1.3080882">planned to lure</a> global financial services firms away from the UK, with a plan to grow the sector in Ireland by 30% over the next five years. And there is evidence this is working. Just last week, on the back of threatening large relocations post-Brexit, US investment bank JP Morgan <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/jp-morgan-to-buy-dublin-office-block-with-up-to-500-jobs-on-way-in-expansion-1.3082595">doubled its workforce in Dublin</a>. The quality of the infrastructure and flexible immigration policies were cited as <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e63a6412-36fd-11e7-bce4-9023f8c0fd2e">two major reasons</a>.</p>
<p>Just as Trump threatens to close one door with his promised low tax environment for companies who relocate operations back to the US, so Brexit has opened another. And Ireland’s sometimes criticised role as a tax efficient haven for the world’s biggest firms could well put it in prime position to benefit, as long as it can identify and cajole those businesses most eager to shift operations from it’s Brexiting neighbour across the Irish Sea.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77876/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kieran Michael Conroy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Dublin’s role in global business is threatened by Trump’s tax plans, so the opportunity presented by Britain’s EU exit will have to be snatched with both hands.Kieran Michael Conroy, Lecturer in Management, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/634602016-08-05T08:54:25Z2016-08-05T08:54:25ZEdinburgh festivals: how they became the world’s biggest arts event<p>The Edinburgh Festival is upon us again, a three-week spectacular that turns the Scottish capital into the biggest arts destination on the planet. It is in fact a number of different festivals, with the leading Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe returning for a 70th year since their inception in 1947. </p>
<p>From thousands of options this year you could take in Hollywood actor <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk/2016/cumming">Alan Cumming</a> singing cabaret; the latest Broadway version of Tennessee Williams’ <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk/2016/glassmenagerie">The Glass Menagerie</a>; or Icelandic rockers <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk/2016/sigurros#.V6IU5rzSegQ">Sigur Rós</a>. Top comedians <a href="https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alistair-mcgowan-12th-impressions">Alistair McGowan</a> and <a href="http://www.bridgetchristie.co.uk/gigs/">Bridget Christie</a> will be treading the boards, while those who like their Scottish experience clad in tartan will want to catch the <a href="http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/tickets/">Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo</a>. Also not to be missed are the <a href="https://www.edbookfest.co.uk">Book Festival</a> and <a href="http://www.edinburghjazzfestival.com">Jazz & Blues Festival</a>. </p>
<p>Far from being confined to August, Edinburgh now holds 12 independently organised festivals throughout the year covering everything from <a href="http://www.tracscotland.org/festivals/scottish-international-storytelling-festival">storytelling</a> to <a href="http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk">science</a> to <a href="http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk">films</a> to the city’s world renowned <a href="https://www.edinburghshogmanay.com">Hogmanay</a> celebrations for New Year’s Eve. The city’s success as a leading cultural tourism destination is closely tied to the festivals’ ongoing strength and their enduring appeal to global audiences. This is why Edinburgh likes to <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/the-city">call itself</a> “the world’s leading festival city”. </p>
<p>Most of Edinburgh’s festivals are still very much on an <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517715000679">upward curve</a>. Where the Fringe, which is considered the world’s largest multi-arts festival, <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/000/340/SQW_Economic_Impact_Summer_-_01.12.04_original.pdf?1411036230">sold</a> 790,000 tickets in 1996 and 1.5 million in 2004, <a>it sold</a> 2.3 million in 2015. The Edinburgh International Festival <a href="http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/.../item_74_-_summer_festivals_2015">has risen</a> from 418,000 to 441,000 in the same period; while Book Festival audiences <a href="http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/.../item_74_-_summer_festivals_2015">have rocketed</a> from 63,000 in 1997, the first year it became an annual event, to 350,000 last year. </p>
<p>With further audience growth <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/edinburgh-international-festival-set-to-smash-box-office-records-1-4192615">expected</a> this August, the city’s combined festival offering attracts a total of 4.5 million people a year. This is similar to the FIFA World Cup and only behind the Olympic Games – both of which take place every four years. </p>
<p>The Scottish economic impact of all these festivals has also gone <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/001/964/Edinburgh_Festivals_-_2015_Impact_Study_Final_Report_original.pdf?1469537463">up and up</a>. Between 2010 and 2015, it rose from £253m to £313m as festival-goers spent money on everything from Edinburgh accommodation to visits to the <a href="http://www.nationalwallacemonument.com">Wallace Monument</a> in Stirling. Then there are the harder to measure social and cultural impacts, with 89% of local festival attendees <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/edinburgh-festivals-2015-impact-study">agreeing recently</a> that the festivals increased their pride in the city and positively influenced their attendance at other cultural events the year round. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133165/original/image-20160804-484-1tu8911.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Smile people!</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Edinburgh Napier University</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Future proofing</h2>
<p>So what’s the secret? Apart from the benefits of being a beautiful historic city that is small enough to navigate easily, much can be put down to these separate festivals working together – with support from the <a href="http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk">city council</a> and the Scottish <a href="http://www.scottish-enterprise.com">development</a>, <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com">tourism</a> and <a href="http://www.creativescotland.com/">arts</a> agencies. They carried out the festivals’ <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/000/340/SQW_Economic_Impact_Summer_-_01.12.04_original.pdf?1411036230">first economic impact study</a> in 2004 in recognition of the rise of competitors such as <a href="https://www.sxsw.com">South by South West</a> in Texas; and all the festivals at <a href="http://www.montreal.com/tourism/festivals/">Quartier des Spectacles</a> in Montreal. </p>
<p>Next came a £75m investment in the city’s arts infrastructure: refurbishing the Usher Hall, Assembly Rooms and Kings Theatre; an extension for the Festival Theatre and new stands and seating for the Tattoo on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. Following a <a href="http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/resources/publications/research/pdf/RES21%20Thundering%20Hooves%20Executive%20Summary.pdf">strategic review</a> in 2006, the festivals then formed an umbrella organisation, <a href="http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about">Festivals Edinburgh</a>, which has helped them collaborate in things like marketing and lobbying. This is one reason for the <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14539834.Edinburgh_Airport_reveals_plans_for_new_flight_paths/">rise in air routes</a> to and from the city. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-27159614">More traumatic</a> has been the birth of the tram network, though one line has finally opened. </p>
<p>The August offering has also benefited from the Fringe’s ad-hoc approach to growth. The Fringe is not managed in a traditional sense but through an open-access ethos that allows anyone to register as a performer in its programme provided they can secure a suitable venue. It is a story of <a href="http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/8479/">organic growth</a> helping to create an iconic and trusted brand that has <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:327327/UQ327327_OA.pdf">arguably</a> become synonymous with the city itself. The name has even been adopted by other arts festivals like <a href="https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au">Adelaide</a>, <a href="http://www.vancouverfringe.com">Vancouver</a> and <a href="http://www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on">Dublin</a> as a marker for alternative cutting-edge arts and open-access programming. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133166/original/image-20160804-505-x8f74l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fringe benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Edinburgh Napier University</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Edinburgh is also seen as a vital destination for countries looking to improve their own arts festivals. The <a href="http://www.fringeworldcongress.com">Fringe World Congress</a> held its inaugural meeting in the city in 2012 to bring together Fringe directors and organisers, while the <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/cultural-skills-unit/projects/international-festivals-academy">British Council Edinburgh International Festivals Academy</a> launched in the city this year to share best practice for festivals. </p>
<h2>Glitch management</h2>
<p>None of this is to say that everything has proceeded perfectly in Edinburgh, of course. The Film Festival encountered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/20/edinburgh-film-festival-what-went-wrong">severe difficulties</a> in 2011, for instance, while the Fringe had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/aug/23/edinburgh-fringe-festival-box-office">major issues</a> with its box office system in 2008. </p>
<p>Numerous competitors are <a href="http://mediacentre.visitscotland.org/pressreleases/thundering-hooves-2-0-launched-1164950">also growing strongly</a>. For example the biennial <a href="http://www.mif.co.uk">Manchester International Festival</a> in England, which has focused exclusively on new artists since it launched in 2007, <a href="http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200109/council_news/7080/manchester_people_-_october_issue/6">saw a 5% rise</a> in attendance figures in 2015. Manchester is also investing heavily in venues such as The Factory for the future. Venice’s Biennale festival is another event that <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/biennale/history/">is seeing</a> strong growth. </p>
<p>Though these are much smaller and narrower than Edinburgh’s offering, the Scottish capital will undoubtedly continue to track them in its efforts to stay ahead. If it does this and the festivals keep working well as a group, Edinburgh will remain a world leader in staging international arts events.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63460/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Now in its 70th year, the Scottish capital’s arts spectacular is almost as big as the Olympics.Kenneth Wardrop, Visiting Research Fellow, Edinburgh Napier UniversityAnna Leask, Professor of Tourism Management, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/619292016-07-04T16:06:29Z2016-07-04T16:06:29ZLondon banking will struggle to escape Brexit trap<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129214/original/image-20160704-19103-1j1vtw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-231494776/stock-photo-city-of-london-skyline-at-sunset-long-exposure-shot.html?src=csl_recent_image-3">Aliaksei Yarmolin</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The free movement principle of the EU means that all individuals of member states receive an EU passport. They can settle in any other EU country and enjoy the same rights and benefits as any other citizen of the host country. </p>
<p>It is perhaps less obvious that the EU passport also applies to businesses, including banks. If, say, an American bank has been authorised to be in Britain, it is automatically entitled to operate in any EU country. It is this quintessential element of EU membership that has enabled London to become the banking capital of Europe. </p>
<p>Now that the UK <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887">has voted</a> for a Brexit from the EU, we don’t yet know what kind of arrangements the two sides will agree. They may end up being more favourable than the total separation envisaged by <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-article-50-the-law-that-governs-exiting-the-eu-and-how-does-it-work-60262">Article 50</a> of the Treaty of the European Union. But unless the UK is still inside the single market, at least as part of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea">European Economic Area (EEA)</a>, this passporting right will be gone. </p>
<p>This is why there are <a href="https://next.ft.com/content/e8b14d60-3a36-11e6-9a05-82a9b15a8ee7">widespread fears</a> about how the banks are going to keep their main European headquarters in London, particularly those that are non-EU. There is likely to be a surge in requests for banking licences on the continent, even from British banks. Hence numerous international banks <a href="https://next.ft.com/content/e8b14d60-3a36-11e6-9a05-82a9b15a8ee7">are reportedly</a> considering their options. Substantial numbers of the City’s <a href="http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/economic-research-and-information/statistics/Documents/an-indispensable-idustry.pdf">circa 700,000</a> jobs might shift.</p>
<h2>Capital gains</h2>
<p>The most likely beneficiaries will be the other main European financial centres – Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Madrid – though smaller players will seek gains, too, including Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Dublin. </p>
<p>The European Banking Authority (EBA), currently located by the River Thames, will almost certainly be among the departures. It is one of the EU’s three overseers in the financial services sector. With the insurance regulator (<a href="https://eiopa.europa.eu">EIOPA</a>) already based in Frankfurt and the financial markets regulator (<a href="https://www.esma.europa.eu">ESMA</a>) in Paris, Milan <a href="http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/finanza-e-mercati/2016-07-03/borsa-e-sede-dell-eba-brexit-doppia-opportunita-milano-105710_PRV.shtml?uuid=ADfBzEn">has emerged</a> as the early frontrunner to provide the EBA’s new home. </p>
<p>The global investment banks will probably incline to Paris, both because of ESMA and because there is already Europe’s second-largest market for trading securities in the form of <a href="https://www.euronext.com">Euronext Paris</a>. HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-banks-move-brexit-eu-referendum-paris-amsterdam-passporting-single-market-eea-sapin-hollande-a7110651.html">has indicated</a> that 20% of his 5,000 investment banking staff could be bound for Paris, for instance. In a similar way, mutual funds and pension funds would find a natural location in Frankfurt, since they come under the EIOPA. </p>
<p>There is unlikely to be one big winner from any reorganisation. The 2008 financial crisis revealed major cracks in the eurozone, broadly dividing the north and south of the continent. Where in the past the major investment banks have tended to have just one major European headquarters, they might now decide to operate out of several smaller centres on the mainland and to take different strategic approaches for different parts of the bloc. This might be a suitable move for cautious new times, given the uncertainty that Brexit has created. </p>
<p>These players will probably retain a reduced British operation for similar reasons. We might also see European banks setting up in London that were previously able to service the UK market from the mainland. This at least means we are unlikely to witness a catastrophic mass migration from the Square Mile. </p>
<p>It is also worth emphasising that we are certainly not talking about all jobs. Within investment banks, for instance, there is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-29/hollande-says-brexit-to-hurt-city-of-london-in-clearing-warning">a threat</a> to the clearing services that London houses provide for trading euro-denominated financial instruments. French president Francois Hollande has <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-29/hollande-says-brexit-to-hurt-city-of-london-in-clearing-warning">already said</a> that they can’t stay in the UK. This won’t affect the clearing of financial instruments denominated in other currencies, however. </p>
<p>Equally, it may no longer be possible to directly buy and sell the shares or bonds of EU-listed companies in London post-Brexit, but it won’t affect the trading in other companies or other markets such as commodities. In some areas, such as derivatives trading, no longer having to live with EU regulations might even be an advantage – albeit potentially making the markets more volatile, too. Also potentially less affected will be other merchant banking services, such as mergers and acquisitions. </p>
<p>On the other hand, UK insurance companies will no longer be able to offer insurance within the EU without a licence within one of the member states. I should also stress that the different sub-sectors of financial services may not all be protected if the UK ends up in the EEA – instead of an automatic right to a full passport, the different areas it covers would need to be agreed. </p>
<h2>Scotland’s opportunity</h2>
<p>If Scotland does vote for independence in the next couple of years, it could be a unique opportunity for luring banks to Edinburgh or Glasgow – as has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/27/brexit-may-be-scotlands-chance-to-steal-london-finance-crown/">already been</a> suggested. In particular, <a href="http://www.talentscotland.com/news/2016/05/edinburghs-financial-services">Edinburgh’s “City”</a> is presently small but not negligible, hosting the headquarters of Tesco Bank and Sainsbury’s Bank, insurance firm Standard Life and a substantial amount of fund management.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129255/original/image-20160704-19107-12toskq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Edinburgh’s financial district.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ross_strachan/6691794223/in/photolist-arhibw-dAi7pp-6eSdZx-bckcht">Ross G. Strachan</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The central bank of a new independent Scotland would be entitled to authorise banks to trade across the EU <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-spain-plays-a-crucial-role-in-whether-united-kingdom-stays-together-61823">as soon as</a> the new country was granted membership. This could engender a new Scottish enlightenment, attracting banks and investment firms from all over the world. </p>
<p>It certainly sounds better than the alternative in which Scotland leaves the EU with the rest of the UK. If the likes of Tesco Bank and Sainsbury’s Bank were interested in expanding to the single market, they too would have to establish operations elsewhere in this scenario. Scotland’s financial waters could end up stagnant for decades as a result. </p>
<p>With this much at stake, the UK’s formidable banking lobby will doubtless be gearing up over the next couple of years to make the best out of a very difficult situation. At this stage, however, it looks as though the EU passport will be lost unless the UK accepts free movement of citizens.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61929/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pierre Sinclair de Gioia Carabellese does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The fears about the City don’t look overcooked – here’s why.Pierre Sinclair de Gioia Carabellese, Associate Professor of Business Law, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/358042014-12-30T10:30:45Z2014-12-30T10:30:45ZScotland and Ireland tackle homelessness in very different ways – here are the results<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68075/original/image-20141229-8219-tkary0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Giving homeless people a legal right to accommodation makes a big impact</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/strevs/352200489/in/photolist-x87We-dJAS8a-4X1Yiz-qm4s-kFFD-agQafy-dA7UZ1-cj4Ets-7KonNj-8BymVK-dGhoyk-6mdpWT-dJGb51-dJGbiW-e5bDZi-dJGft5-9Bv4ea-6kVDgK-82PaXs-a93AuF-4PxnwY-Uaos8-dUh1cP-7Cdz8Z-7ChopS-7CdyY4-7Cdzen-7Chosb-7Chojj-7CdzbX-e5uqQj-dJALDF-6wrLV5-cKvJ9o-7CwJaZ-oFoAvZ-dJARBK-5fFYY4-e3mTsn-dXTz4T-dY24a8-dJGdWj-dQoxCM-dJGdoC-drKGmg-dXTdgC-e3CQyM-e2DoAP-dYCcdo-dY29Mx">Strevo</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Housing tends to be seen as a human right, but here’s something to make you pause this winter: <a href="http://www.fairobserver.com/region/europe/tackling-homelessness-difference-rights-make-24876/">very few countries</a> give homeless people any entitlement to emergency shelter. Scotland goes further and gives virtually every homeless person a <a href="http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/HomelessnessMonitor_Scotland_2012_complete.pdf">legal right</a> to settled accommodation via their local authority.</p>
<p>What difference do these legal rights make in practice, though, and are homeless people’s experiences in Scotland actually better than elsewhere? In particular, do rights really empower those who are homeless in the way their advocates claim? These are some of the questions I’ve been exploring in <a href="https://pureapps2.hw.ac.uk/portal/files/7433394/Homelessness_empowerment_and_selfreliance_Post_Peer_Review_Amends_06012013.pdf">my research</a> by trying to unpack exactly what empowerment means in relation to homeless people and by comparing two very different policy approaches in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.</p>
<p>In both countries, homelessness has been a major priority over the past 15 years. The two governments have reformed policies and directed substantial resources at improving homeless people’s access to settled accommodation. <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/homeless">Scotland focused</a> on expanding the group legally entitled to settled housing (in comparison to England, <a href="http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/policy_research/TheHomelessnessMonitor_GB_ExecutiveSummary.pdf">which gives</a> a much weaker entitlement to a more restricted group of homeless people such as pregnant women and people with children.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.feantsaresearch.org/IMG/pdf/bw_paper.pdf">Ireland saw</a> creating a legal entitlement to any form of accommodation as legalistic and adversarial. Instead it prioritised building strong partnerships between statutory and voluntary agencies, agreeing common goals, monitoring progress and improving service delivery. </p>
<h2>What we mean by empowerment</h2>
<p>Before looking at the results of these approaches, it is worth considering what empowering homeless people is about. Traditionally, a person’s power has been understood as their capacity to make decisions in their own interests, particularly when these conflict with those of others. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68076/original/image-20141229-8217-aw6a1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Furthering whose interests?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jellymc/15199836491/in/photolist-paa8Qp-9y5Zt-o9ecU5-6pboE-9EYT1c-jkovzH-6CQozq-6CQvvQ-uEQFm-G3bBe-krXgGU-8BbxEK-Ewd6C-d3XwnN-yr3Yf-deAUe8-9nirG8-ds3tTH-bFxKP-7gwxVb-aCia7H-ku8iYg-4ZFppv-n3uuPc-67XwxF-4TW92K-cSDEFS-583dLb-5vqQvf-7tBooc--8j3kRq-98Q76m-fLdsNC-8fV9Cm-mBSwFT-u4TLR-aSVgvR-92sB2J-5YLWy9-cKHwm-ew4564-8YaQ2f-74Svxr-krXfZm-o5D9zV-4FDPeP-ew7fjC-ex6uaJ-oHbAdA">jellymc - urbansnaps</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A homeless person and their service provider don’t necessarily have the same interests. The service provider might be more interested in abiding by the rules; minimising stress and workload; or prioritising individuals they deem particularly deserving. Viewed in this way, you empower homeless people by reducing the service provider’s capacity to decide whether to meet their housing needs.</p>
<p>Some <a href="http://understandingsociety.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/lukes-on-power.html">argue that</a> people are not always conscious of their own interests, however. Their subjective preferences and “real interests” can diverge because their attitudes have been influenced by society and those in power. Depending on what someone has been encouraged to think or what those around them believe, for example, they might feel they deserve less than is reasonable. </p>
<p>On this “radical” view, which admittedly has controversial paternalistic repercussions, empowering homeless people involves bringing these subjective and real interests into line. This suggests it might sometimes be insufficient to purely expand the voice and choice of service users. </p>
<h2>Dublin discretion</h2>
<p>Scotland’s blunt framework of legal rights appears to empower those experiencing homelessness in both the “traditional” and “radical” senses. Local authority staff in Edinburgh and elsewhere have a clear and legally enforceable obligation to respond to those experiencing homelessness in a specific way. They have to secure settled accommodation for them, and temporary accommodation in the meantime. Any other objectives or priorities they might wish to pursue are crowded out. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68052/original/image-20141224-32189-1rkjsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dublin’s homeless are grateful for what they are given.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/3167502113/in/photolist-6wgxza-5PUh2p-8dw2nk-noeAD1-nof1zM-dSK6nK-8dF2H9-nErjti-nEw9uG-noeCGQ-7SFBeD-6w5E7D-8qkTEh-8dEuPh-8dCSKW-nErjPi-cWPdcG-7SJTcC-nDiqdX-8dEYXU-aB4FtK-nEHci7-noeBK9-nEJeRn-nEJdNk-noeNrG-nEw6HQ-nEw8sS-8dA5TT-nEw6om-noezx4-nCFzu9-nCFxBG-noeyGg-nEw7hW-nEHc5G-noeZjv-nEw6ud-8dFoKq-agLK8Z-8qhJT8-8qkU6w-fgkqpo-4EGr5Z-8dRFrV-GWB8k-GWBTD-GWBPK-GWBJD-GWzx5">William Murphy</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Dublin, a much wider set of considerations can play a role in service providers’ decisions. They are able to balance the formal policy aim of helping the homeless person access accommodation against whether they are deemed “ready” or deserve it yet, whether the area in which they would be rehoused already has too many ex-homeless people, and how local residents would react. </p>
<p>Dublin service providers therefore have much more discretion than their Edinburgh counterparts. The consequence is that those experiencing homelessness are in a far weaker position in pursuing their need for settled accommodation.</p>
<h2>Edinburgh entitlement</h2>
<p>I also saw signs of a more subtle difference in the experiences of homeless men in Edinburgh and Dublin when I interviewed some of them. Homeless men in Edinburgh tended to feel a sense of entitlement to accommodation, to feel, as one hostel resident commented, that “everyone has a right to be housed.” </p>
<p>They felt impatient at being “stuck” in temporary accommodation: hostel residents were “champing at the bit, ready to go.” And not only did residents internalise their legal entitlements in this way, professionals working in the sector generally saw their assertiveness as a legitimate and positive force that was driving service standards higher.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68051/original/image-20141224-32194-1x1yb2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Edinburgh homeless people don’t take no for an answer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jupearly/4486506906/in/photolist-9TR7wj-nZEGYV-drKGmg-kqaJQt-drKQwu-dGhoyk-5fFYY4-a93AuF-4SiV7s-depxkg-8HAcjM-x87We-4PxnwY-7KonNj-eR9iZJ-7Qswcm-2fHbo-azstF3-qjpCu-4yHZgp-oFoAvZ-drKRU5-cKvJ9o-nhynML-7Cdz8Z-7Cdzen-7Chosb-7ChopS-7Chojj-7CdzbX-7CdyY4-7CwJaZ-4X1Yiz-qjpCJ-qjpB3-NgzBq-qjpDQ-krgWS-4zxWCm-77BTc8-f7aanB-hyNThn-8BymVK-3HzDA-9qZaJL-4SiUS5-8mkeWd-6wrLV5-98gkFt-68LNs">Julien Pearly</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Dublin, the homeless men had starkly different outlooks. Far from seeing themselves as entitled rights-holders, they were grateful for receiving any assistance at all. They were often positive about temporary accommodation that was of an observably lower standard than in Edinburgh. This tended to be accompanied by a strong sense of culpability for being homeless and moving on from homelessness. After a long stay in one hostel, one Dublin man explained that he felt he’d “not been pushing it as hard as [he] should have.”</p>
<p>This sense of responsibility translated into substantial scepticism that people should have a legal right to housing, that instead “you should work towards it”. One hostel resident in Dublin described being in temporary accommodation as “sort of a trial … to see who’s worthy … who’s pulling their socks up and putting the effort in”. Far from prompting these men to fight to move on, these dynamics appeared to weigh them down, encouraging them to accept their lot.</p>
<p>In conclusion, clear and blunt legal rights to housing appear to empower homeless people. They minimise provider discretion and appear to make service users more assertive. Some might see such a sense of entitlement among those dependent on state support in wholly negative terms of course. But here’s a closing thought for those who think welfare is overstretched: by encouraging homeless people to aspire to settled housing and providing the means for them to access it, Scotland’s legal rights appear to <a href="https://pureapps2.hw.ac.uk/portal/files/7433394/Homelessness_empowerment_and_selfreliance_Post_Peer_Review_Amends_06012013.pdf">make them more self-reliant</a> than the highly discretionary Irish model.</p>
<p><em>A version of this article also appears <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/legal-rights-empower-homeless-people-in-scotland/">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35804/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beth receives funding from the ESRC, Joseph Rowntree and Crisis; the funding on which the research for this article was based came from the ESRC</span></em></p>Housing tends to be seen as a human right, but here’s something to make you pause this winter: very few countries give homeless people any entitlement to emergency shelter. Scotland goes further and gives…Beth Watts, Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.