tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/edinburgh-9576/articlesEdinburgh – The Conversation2023-09-11T15:42:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2123072023-09-11T15:42:19Z2023-09-11T15:42:19ZChoose Irvine Welsh: new documentary explores the life of Scotland’s ‘urban Shakespeare’<p>On August 23, Scottish novelist <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/167724/irvine-welsh">Irvine Welsh</a>’s beloved Edinburgh football team, Hibs, went head-to-head with Aston Villa in the Europa League. But they were also competing for attention with the world premiere of Choose Irvine Welsh, a documentary by filmmaker <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11822898/">Ian Jefferies</a> about the life, writing and cultural impact of the man it dubs Scotland’s “urban Shakespeare”. </p>
<p>The latter was debuting at the <a href="https://www.eif.co.uk/archive/eiff-choose-irvine-welsh">Edinburgh International Film Festival</a>, the former at Easter Road in Leith. As a fellow “Hibby”, on the buildup to the night I found myself wondering: “Which of the tickets would Welsh choose?” I suspect there was little competition. (<a href="https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/matches/aston-villa-vs-hibs">Hibs were defeated five-nil</a>).</p>
<p>Ian Jefferies’ last documentary – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sJgidQLuN4">Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM</a> (2022) – was a 90-minute dive into 1990s culture via a rebellious pirate radio station. Choose Irvine Welsh is a 90-minute documentary that dives into 1990s culture via a rebellious novelist, exploring and celebrating the cult(ure) surrounding the various films his work inspired.</p>
<p>The two musically augmented, talking-head films are arguably cut from the same cloth. With this in mind, here are some quick strikes against the documentary before getting to what I loved about it.</p>
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<h2>Choose Irvine’s weaknesses</h2>
<p>First, there is an over tendency to use found archival footage to illustrate any proper noun or place name mentioned throughout the 90 minutes. A grating exception being that the film incongruously illustrates discussions of Welsh’s life in dockside Leith with stock images of tartan-clad bagpipers, Edinburgh castle and the Georgian New Town.</p>
<p>Then, there is a predictable, but overwhelming, preference for enthusing testimonials from celebrities such as Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Iggy Pop and Gail Porter, rather than academics or “the real cunts” Welsh knew before he was famous.</p>
<p>The documentary often feels like a formulaic paint-by-numbers job that ubiquitously deploys era music to underscore recorded and archival testimonies. All this gives it the anachronistic feel of a bonus feature for a Trainspotting DVD box-set.</p>
<h2>Choose Irvine’s strengths</h2>
<p>But not all is lost. Choose Irvine’s strengths make it very worth seeing and appreciating. The film opens with a shot of Princes Street (which is definitely not in Leith, as the documentary suggests) in 1958. This serves double duty. It not only evokes the year of its subject’s birth, but aesthetically anticipates the dynamic opening scene Boyle filmed on this same street in his adaptation of <a href="http://www.imdb.co.uk/title/tt0117951">Trainspotting</a> (1996), Welsh’s most famous book.</p>
<p>Unlike that sequence though, this archive footage holds close an image of the iconic <a href="https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/scott-monument">Scott monument</a>, a memorial to another great Scottish writer, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/what-did-sir-walter-scott-write">Sir Walter Scott</a>. Thereafter, Jefferies secures a relaxed and insightful interview with Welsh, which serves as the film’s vertebrae and elevates the whole production.</p>
<p>Welsh’s salty reflections on his near-death experiences, being in various failed “bedroom bands” and his troubled path to becoming a breakthrough author are riveting and illuminating. The story of how his first novel became popular with Scottish prisoners, football types, the “clued-up working class” and then university students also offers a lesson in <a href="https://hbr.org/podcast/2019/12/the-tipping-point-between-failure-and-success">tipping-point success</a>.</p>
<p>Welsh’s reflections on becoming a breakthrough national novelist in 1993 before catapulting to global success after the release of the Trainspotting film also offer a fresh rat run through the scrapheap of clichés about the “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/commentisfree/2017/jul/05/cool-britannia-inequality-tony-blair-arts-industry">cool Britannia</a>” era, which Welsh describes as a “requiem Mass for British culture”.</p>
<p>Because of Welsh’s well-documented lust for life, the documentary is also laced with funny stories and anecdotes that make the hedonistic 1990s seem incredibly long ago. The story of why Welsh failed to turn up to meet his hero David Bowie is a gas, as is the story of signing a young Martin Compston’s Trainspotting poster with “fuck the Tories and fuck the Jambos” (the nickname for Hibs’ rival football team, Hearts), scrawled across Ewan McGregor’s forehead.</p>
<h2>Choose Irvine’s philosphy</h2>
<p>Although wild and rough around the edges, the documentary paints the author of extremely dark and disturbing tales as an optimistic soul with a solid moral compass. His friends perceive his novels to be “not just about drugs, shagging, getting pissed and fighting” but about “love between groups of people, or couples”. </p>
<p>In reflexive discussion, Welsh talks perceptively about his observations on group dynamics and manages to get across a grounded practical philosophy for getting on in life. This we might call, with echoes again of his being a lifelong Hibs fan, “choose failure”.</p>
<p>As Welsh puts it himself in response to a question about possible future success: “You want to think to yourself, ‘Nothing is a complete success or failure’. I think if you can do that, in the knowledge that you’ve given your best, then that’s a success really.”</p>
<p>And Choose Irvine Welsh is a success. For anyone interested in the life and times of this much-read Scottish author, the 1990s more generally and the fandom surrounding the adaptations of his work, it’s a must see.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David H. Fleming 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>A riveting and insightful portrait of the much-read Trainspotting author, replete with funny stories and memorable anecdotes.David H. Fleming, Senior Lecturer in Film & Media, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1409692020-06-18T11:30:26Z2020-06-18T11:30:26ZHow tourist destinations can rebuild after coronavirus<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342477/original/file-20200617-94040-qii9u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C2995%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The end of the road?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wFWQmOyfkkM">Joshua Earle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tourism has virtually stopped thanks to the COVID-19 lockdowns. This is hitting many cities hard – see <a href="https://www.pix11.com/news/coronavirus/nyc-museums-and-galleries-losing-millions-trying-to-survive-covid-19">this report</a> about New York galleries and museums losing millions of dollars, for example. Many tourist businesses are now contemplating a future without lucrative international visitors, having to rely instead on those closer to home. </p>
<p>In Scotland, where I am based, the chief executive of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/eighty-cent-scotlands-visitor-attractions-are-risk-going-out-business-2845263">believes that</a> 80% of the country’s attractions may not survive the next 12 months. He thinks many will not be viable if you combine a massive drop in international numbers with the current rules about two-metre social distancing and other health and safety requirements. </p>
<p>Obviously, such damage would spread far beyond the tourist attractions. It threatens thousands of jobs and business closures in everything from hotels to ice cream vans, particularly since the pandemic has reduced the summer season, which generates a large portion of annual income for many companies. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342472/original/file-20200617-94101-niai4q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=456&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">Central Edinburgh during lockdown.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23351536@N07/49761110912/in/photolist-2iPdGC9-2iPdG6H-2ikkqTb-2iezazd-2iLVEbC-2iRMwzA-2iTbES6-2ikmAJn-2iGVF7j-2j61XX5-2j4Aaqm-2imnfEG-2j33Amc-2j5cmkP-2ic898S-2iXcb6q-2imEpX1-2j4VUaX-2iwABZq-2j3jZCa-2j6cH3u-2j3Hj9v-2iUheEN-2idsAk1-2ifsPH7-2inT8VT-2j2hrU2-2j35a3y-2j7xdQp-2j7Vt6E-2icAtBh-2jbU9BK-2inuHH8-2iWLV58-2iZJLR4-2iQEfLs-2iJZvKw-2ih7d9s-2iu3L5y-2ivx5qe-2iQ12Zu-2iqLJbK-2j26vMt-2ja3JBi-2id3EBM-2irLFJD-2j7Vt1K-2j4UmSh-2ie6Jom-2iR35cq">kaysgeog</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Tourism businesses in Scotland <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52998176">now have</a> a timeframe for reopening from the government – July 15, subject to infection rates. But <a href="https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/scotlands-tourism-industry-makes-formal-ask-to-scottish-government-on-reducing-social-distancing-parameters-to-avoid-collapse-of-sector/">industry leaders</a> tell me that as things stand on social distancing, and given the lack of guidance on safe business practices for staff and visitors, many attractions may not open until much later in the year. Even when attractions do open, they are likely to be running at a loss. </p>
<h2>Mission: domestic</h2>
<p>To the extent that businesses can open, there is clearly an opportunity to attract more domestic visitors. <a href="https://www.56degreeinsight.com/scottish-tourism-index">As many as</a> 63% of Scots intend to avoid travelling to Europe this summer and 75% will avoid long-haul, while growing numbers are talking about visiting Scottish attractions in the next three months. As for younger people with no children to entertain, the industry reckons they could flock to Scottish beaches and rural getaways. </p>
<p>Local residents, particularly in rural areas, will inevitably worry that visitors will import the virus and overwhelm the infrastructure. We have seen this reaction in England, where the lockdown has been eased more quickly. With <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-52889903">news stories</a> about crowds of people ignoring social-distancing guidelines, councils in places <a href="https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2020/05/12/our-message-to-visitors-thinking-of-visiting-dorset-now-please-think-twice/">like Dorset</a> in the south <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/13/coastal-towns-visitors-stay-away-lockdown-eases-england-blackpool-covid-19-seaside-resorts">and Blackpool</a> in the north-west have been keeping public facilities closed and telling visitors to stay away. </p>
<p>This is a new version of the overtourism problem that was bedevilling many popular tourist destinations long before COVID-19. The price of <a href="https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/abs/10.18111/9789284420629">surging</a> visitor <a href="https://theconversation.com/scotlands-dazzling-visitor-attraction-numbers-are-not-quite-what-they-seem-75352">numbers</a> in cities from Edinburgh to Venice has been residents being priced out of their own cities; too much development; and large crowds compromising the visitor experience and <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JCHMSD-06-2016-0036/full/html">putting intolerable strain</a> on old buildings and streets. </p>
<p>Yet when it comes to addressing the risks of 2020-style overtourism, simply closing car parks and toilets is not a long-term solution. Councils and tourism associations should instead help to make facilities and attractions comply with the restrictions. This would maximise the economic benefits from tourism and enable people to re-engage with destinations while keeping local residents safe.</p>
<p>The challenge is to achieve this without completely sanitising the experience. Tourists should be sufficiently confident of their safety that they can still enjoy the visitor experience and service. </p>
<p>To this end, tourism associations in Scotland <a href="https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/coronavirus">have</a> produced <a href="https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/sta-update/">webinars</a> with reopening advice for local attractions. Topics include developing hygiene practices to reassure visitors; considering the whole customer journey to identify potential issues and opportunities; and offering virtual experiences such as those at <a href="https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/digital-heritage-in-the-time-of-coronavirus">the National Trust for Scotland</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, staff from recently reopened European attractions <a href="https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en">have been</a> sharing ideas with Scottish operators on things like moving entrance systems to an online “<a href="https://www.lumsdendesign.com/we-need-to-sanitise-the-museum-not-the-experience/">touchless experience</a>” where visitors pre-book a time slot and pre-purchase tickets, food and merchandise online. This is more challenging for the 70% of attractions with no admission charge or online booking system, as they will need to invest in setting these up and administering them.</p>
<p>The travel guru Doug Lansky recently made some suggestions on how to make post-lockdown tourism workable as well. These included letting visitors know what they can do rather than what they can’t, encouraging them to police themselves, and incentivising good behaviour by offering lottery tickets to those who act responsibly. </p>
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<h2>Sustainability</h2>
<p>Another question is how to make local tourist attractions more attractive to domestic visitors. One priority should be getting people from the local community to manage and run attractions, since there is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261517711002391?via%3Dihub">evidence that</a> this <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/sustainabletourismtoolkit/guides/guide-4-engaging-local-communities-and-businesses">can make</a> them more culturally relevant to visitors from the same country. </p>
<p>This would potentially help recent efforts by places like <a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18503827.glaswegians-asked-act-tourists-city">Glasgow</a> and <a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/edinburgh-residents-urged-fall-back-love-city-help-economy-recover-2876638">Edinburgh</a> to encourage residents to become “tourists in their own cities” once lockdown restrictions end. The beauty of domestic visitors, particularly local ones, is that they revisit, and tend to bring visiting friends and relatives. This makes them very valuable to tourism businesses, particularly in the period ahead. </p>
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<span class="caption">The Chester constabulary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pricejaj/3243643797/in/photolist-5WCwi4-sRkCE-ofnrLA-eWRr2n-eLkP6-oQgpj-6gRLLW-6gMBYg-6gRP9j-6gRKiA-6gMybv-qxapx-qfctWs-mWuMMV-coVUoj-oQftq-coVX2o-coW6W9-qUKzZx-mWwKAY-coW5tW-coW1fY-coW2DY-coW47A-os6FtT-mWuzUB-coVYJJ-oaBaiD-mWusQD-mWwC6Y-mWuzAH-coVVE7-orPiVa-mWuEUr-orPpmR-oaAZrd-oq4MF9-os5cyy-os57Jd-oaAYr7-oaC3BZ-os6BFc-fpc8Zg-orTvwG-os6AaM-oq4LJj-oaB1hm-oq4Mc3-oaB6tJ-qZe7E">pricejaj</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Another way to attract domestic visitors is to get them to stay engaged for the long term. For instance, operators might offer new forms of membership. They might also consider commercial sponsorship, such as the retail chain <a href="https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/iceland-supermarket-adopts-chester-zoo-18382091">Iceland’s new tie-up</a> with Chester zoo’s penguins, which aims to raise the profile of the attraction and may encourage public support via donations and visits in the future. </p>
<p>At any rate, tourist destinations everywhere are still in the early stages of figuring out what the “new normal” should look like. We know that a year from now tourism could look very different to before. The challenge for the sector is to do everything it can to adapt.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Leask 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>Tourist businesses are having to shift from focusing on international visitors to domestic ones.Anna Leask, Professor of Tourism Management, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1020642018-08-23T15:42:55Z2018-08-23T15:42:55ZHow Michaela Coel called out racism and sexism – and stunned the British TV industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233293/original/file-20180823-149469-i8f59g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Johnson/Channel 4</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="http://www.thetvfestival.com/about-us/">Edinburgh TV Festival</a> delegates took their seats for the 43rd MacTaggart Lecture, you could hear the murmurs of anticipation. For the first time since these lectures began in 1976, the keynote speaker was young, black and female.</p>
<p>At last the British broadcasting industry was acknowledging the need to address issues of diversity and inclusion from this prestigious platform by inviting a young British comedian from east London to take the floor. As he introduced her, Philip Edgar-Jones from Sky Arts acknowledged that the choice of <a href="http://www.thetvfestival.com/whats-on/news/michaela-coel-deliver-43rd-mactaggart-lecture/">Michaela Coel</a> “truly breaks new ground, making you wonder what we’ve been doing all these years”.</p>
<p>Over the next 45 minutes Coel gave a brave and challenging talk, presenting a revealing account of her own journey as a young creative talent from an immigrant Ghanaian family in Tower Hamlets. Famous as the award-winning screenwriter, producer and star of the E4 sitcom <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/09/chewing-gum-this-is-the-future-of-comedy-infectiously-outrageous">Chewing Gum</a>, her skin colour, gender, age (just 30), and the relatively short time she has worked in television, all indicate very different credentials that set her apart from her predecessors.</p>
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<p>Previous MacTaggart speakers have been drawn from established producers and executives who used the occasion to set out new approaches for media policy and regulation. They have included 37 men, two of whom (BBC director-generals, John Birt and Mark Thomson) did it twice. The fall-back position that made this a platform for the powerful was evident as only four women have taken the podium, yet three members of the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rupert-murdoch/#688e1cdb1af6">Murdoch family</a> (Rupert, James and Elizabeth) have had the honour.</p>
<p>As a creative talent with only a handful of credits, Coel stands out both as a new voice and a change of direction – there is also the fact that she is talented, provocative, shocking and funny. </p>
<p>Set up to commemorate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/aug/22/broadcasting.mondaymediasection">James MacTaggart</a>, an innovative Scottish TV drama director who died in 1974 aged just 46, early speakers included programme makers who had known him, and their topics explored themes relevant to his work, such as redefining naturalism, taboos and censorship in television drama.</p>
<p>In many ways Coel’s lecture marked a return to using this platform to challenge the media establishment rather than affirm it. Coel’s speech told a different story, from the perspective of a self-confessed “misfit outsider”, describing her own journey into the industry and challenging the production community to re-examine their attitudes to race and class, and to put people before profits.</p>
<h2>Chewing gum dreams</h2>
<p>Her personal account revealed the barriers that anyone from a working-class immigrant background faces before they gain the confidence and experience to take up a career in the creative industries. She explained how the ideas for her scabrously funny sitcom Chewing Gum were drawn from her own experience growing up in a social housing block in Tower Hamlets.</p>
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<p>She painted a picture of cruel and casual racism at school and in her neighbourhood, like finding excrement on the doorstep, then through the letter box. When faced with bullying and insults at an all-girls secondary school, she learned to laugh at adversity. When she was teased for her “big lips” she threw it back at her tormentors, insulting herself and making it funny. She was a girl who “didn’t give a fuck”:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A coconut: an insult used to describe one who is black on the outside but white on the inside, as you would imagine a coconut. Or you could just imagine looking at the first black girl in the school’s history to join the Irish dance team; that’s what I was. I performed, middle of the row, fackin’ smashed it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>She fell in love with Jesus and later placed the conflicting emotions of a teenage evangelical Christian desperate to discover her sexuality at the centre of her comic character, Tracey Gordon. But mainly the lecture charted a personal journey that lays bare the discrimination and inequality across contemporary British society.</p>
<p>Coel spoke of her time at drama school where during improvisation, a member of staff asked her, “Oi, nigger, what you got for me?”. She did not want to shrug this off, she wanted to address issues of colour and class, and change the narrative. With her own final project Chewing Gum Dreams, she did. She described how this performance piece would grow as her “baby” through short theatre runs, a stint at the National Theatre, and then find a development deal which led to the television commission for E4.</p>
<p>Based on her experience she made a plea that commissioners allow new writers to develop their own voices – nurtured rather than subjected to interference from people imposing their own views on experiences they know little about. And what better way to introduce new voices and develop the creativity of those who are currently excluded or whose voices are rarely heard.</p>
<h2>Sexism, racism and television</h2>
<p>But if the audience was starting to feel that Coel’s experience demonstrates that the industry has moved in the right direction, she drew the lecture to a close by revealing how racism and sexual abuse still permeates.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233297/original/file-20180823-149472-18akpca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Coel as the uncool council estate girl Tracey Gordon in Chewing Gum.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Channel 4</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>She drew attention to the “accidental” racism evident when filming on location, when the black actors were crammed into one trailer, and white actors afforded more space. After complaining to producers that “it looked like a fackin’ slave ship” Coel insisted that things change.</p>
<p>She also revealed two shocking incidents where she had faced personal insult and sexual assault. The first at an industry awards party where a London producer felt within his rights to say to her: “Do you know how much I want to fuck you right now?” She was outraged and fled.</p>
<p>On another occasion she was sexually assaulted after she went out for a break while working at a production office. The initial reaction of producers revealed a distinct lack of empathy as they focused on the imminent programme deadline rather than any concern for her welfare. As a novice she was unsure how to react; in the end she got the care and therapy she needed, supplied by the TV company.</p>
<p>Summing up, Coel demanded that the industry face up to the damaging way it often treats people. She emphasised the need to be transparent, honest and supportive: the UK industry is a faulty system that needs to change. She ended with a simple question for the audience: “What part will you play?”</p>
<p>This was a MacTaggart lecture in which a strong yet vulnerable creative artist made a brave, funny and inspiring challenge to the TV industry to hold themselves to higher standards. The standing ovation that greeted Michaela Coel must now be followed by action.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102064/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alistair Scott 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>A young black comedian just told the broadcasting community how it really is if you’re not part of the media establishment.Alistair Scott, Associate Professor of Film and Television School of Arts and Creative Industries, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/989892018-06-27T12:37:59Z2018-06-27T12:37:59ZFive true-crime podcasts for the armchair detective in you<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225154/original/file-20180627-112641-orsko6.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="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fingerprint-on-black-background-ultraviolet-lamp-615663614?src=Eo9Ke2YvY_XPsHxmtJstmw-1-97">domnitsky</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Everybody loves a good whodunnit. It’s why true-crime documentaries like <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/making-a-murderer-netflix-doc-steven-avery-1.3391691">Making a Murderer</a>, <a href="https://www.eonline.com/uk/news/853522/is-the-keepers-netflix-s-next-making-a-murderer-it-s-even-better">The Keepers</a> and now <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/netflixs-the-staircase-is-its-next-addictive-true-crime-series-2018-6?r=US&IR=T">The Staircase</a> have all been big Netflix hits. Yet away from television screens, true crime has found another very happy home – podcasting. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225121/original/file-20180627-112611-1d98krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sarah Koenig from Serial.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_Koenig,_American_journalist_2015.jpg">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://serialpodcast.org">Serial</a> is often cited as the podcast that gave birth to the genre in 2014. That’s <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/why-true-crime-and-podcasts-were-made-for-each-other-w476090">not entirely</a> true, but it was <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/serial-podcast-weve-waiting">ranked</a> number one on iTunes even before it debuted. </p>
<p>Presented by investigative journalist Sarah Koenig, season 1 focused on the murder of Baltimore student Hae Min Lee in 1999. It was <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/11513025/How-Serial-shook-up-the-podcasting-industry.html">downloaded</a> over 68m times and arguably led to Adnan Syed, Lee’s then boyfriend, having his conviction vacated. He’s now awaiting a new trial. </p>
<p>We have since seen an influx of very successful true-crime podcasts. The <a href="http://www.itunescharts.net/charts/podcasts/">iTunes top ten</a> frequently includes the likes of <a href="https://www.myfavoritemurder.com">My Favorite Murder</a>, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/trace/">Trace</a> and <a href="http://casefilepodcast.com">Casefile True Crime</a> – plus the brand new <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p067wdql/episodes/downloads">The Doorstep Murder</a>. </p>
<p>We have reached the stage where it is getting harder and harder to separate the gems from the dross. Here then is my list of five true crime podcasts that demand your attention this summer: </p>
<h2>1. Accused</h2>
<p>Having <a href="https://twitter.com/AccusedPodcast/status/1004507405856788480">recently chosen</a> a new case for their third season, the <a href="https://eu.cincinnati.com">Cincinnati Enquirer</a>’s Accused team seem unstoppable. Digging into leads old and new, interviewing witnesses, family members and other persons of interest, journalists Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossman breathe life into the cold cases they pursue. They are personable but level-headed and unflinchingly professional in their pursuit of the truth. </p>
<p>Start with <a href="https://soundcloud.com/accusedpodcast">Season 1</a>, which focuses on the <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/usa/usa-today-weekend-extra/20161002/282243780089349">unsolved murder</a> of college student Elizabeth Andes in 1978. Andes was brutally strangled and stabbed near her flat in Oxford, Ohio. Her boyfriend Robert Young confessed to the murder the next day, but recanted shortly after. </p>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/281895509&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe>
<p>Over the course of a year, Hunt and Rossman examine the possibility of a false confession. They demonstrate the difficulties in reviving cold cases – including lost evidence, uncooperative officials, unchallenged suspects and unsubstantiated reports. </p>
<h2>2. Someone Knows Something</h2>
<p>From mail bombs to missing persons to murders by the Klu Klux Klan, filmmaker/writer David Ridgen <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/sks">doesn’t shy away</a> from complex and dangerous unsolved cases. With empathy and care he establishes relationships with victims’ family members, making each season about their loss and grief as much as the case itself. </p>
<p>A prime example is <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/in%201964/%20the%20remains%20of%20charles%20moore%20and%20henry%20dee%20were%20found%20in%20the%20mississippi%20river./season2/season-2-sheryl-sheppard-1.3846237">Season 2</a>, the case of <a href="http://missedlives.org/sheryl-sheppard/">Sheryl Sheppard</a>. Missing since 1998, her boyfriend Michael Lavoie had been the police’s main suspect. On New Year’s Eve of that year, two days before she went missing, Lavoie had asked Sheppard to marry him on live TV. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225123/original/file-20180627-112611-9zykcd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=416&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">In action: David Ridgen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David-ridgen.jpg">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>Particularly striking is Ridgen’s relationship with her mother, Odette. She sometimes accompanies him as he relives the case, retracing routes Sheppard might have taken and places she might have stayed. Odette is emotionally shaken but brave, driven by the possibility that her daughter is not missing but murdered.</p>
<p>Ridgen’s calm persistence instills a faith in the listener that he will pursue every lead. He continues to post updates after unresolved seasons have ended. </p>
<h2>3. In the Dark</h2>
<p>The winner of a <a href="http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/in-the-dark">Peabody award</a> in 2016, In the Dark delves into investigations that have arguably been mishandled. The <a href="https://www.apmreports.org/in-the-dark/season-two">latest season</a> looks at Curtis Flowers, a black man tried six times for the same gunshot killings in a furniture store in Winona, Mississippi – before finally being convicted and sentenced to death. </p>
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<p>Hosted by reporter Madeleine Baran, each episode takes a different piece of the prosecution’s evidence and examines it thoroughly. Within a few episodes, witnesses and jailhouse informants <a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/05/15/in-the-dark-s2e4">have recanted</a> statements with what increasingly appears to be a case built around coercion and racial divide. I defy any listener not to be infuriated and baffled by what Baran reveals about the American justice system. </p>
<h2>4. Criminology</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/225124/original/file-20180627-112620-d3zj41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sketch of Zodiac killer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David-ridgen.jpg">San Francisco PD</a></span>
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<p>Co-hosts Mike Morford and Mike Ferguson started this podcast to keep long unsolved cases in the public eye. They began in 2017 by covering the famous 1960s/70s case of the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/zodiac-killer-golden-state-investigation-dna-tests-california-vallejo-sacramento-a8343086.html">Zodiac Killer</a>, quickly establishing a reputation for meticulous research that reaches out to law enforcers, witnesses and victims and builds an evocative picture of events. </p>
<p>Their latest season – play episode one below – covers the story of the <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/sealed-police-warrant-golden-state-killers-dark-past/news-story/893c458ea8b5f4de09d7b84d7771c6f7">Golden State Killer</a>, a serial rapist and murderer who terrorised California during the 1970s and 1980s. While the season was airing, a suspect, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/sealed-police-warrant-golden-state-killers-dark-past/news-story/893c458ea8b5f4de09d7b84d7771c6f7">Joseph James DeAngelo</a>, was arrested after his discarded DNA matched cold case DNA on file. </p>
<p>Although the podcast did not directly result in his apprehension, it certainly helped to keep the case alive by sticking to the facts, avoiding speculation and consistently appealing for information.</p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="4289" data-image="" data-title="Criminology S2E1" data-size="68634374" data-source="LibSyn" data-source-url="https://criminology.libsyn.com/#" data-license="" data-license-url="">
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Criminology S2E1.
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" rel="nofollow" href="https://criminology.libsyn.com/#">LibSyn</a><span class="download"><span>65.5 MB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/1213/s2-ep1-final.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
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<h2>5. All Killa No Filla</h2>
<p>Comedians <a href="http://www.kiripritchardmclean.co.uk/podcast/">Kiri Pritchard-McLean</a> and <a href="http://standardissuemagazine.com/misc/getting-to-know-you-rachel-fairburn/">Rachel Fairburn</a> discuss historical killers ranging from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml">Jack the Ripper</a> to <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/hh-holmes-307622">HH Holmes</a> to <a href="https://www.bizarrepedia.com/fred-and-rosemary-west/">Fred and Rose West</a> (click audio below). They puzzle over the strange phenomenon of serial killing in a way that manages to be seriously funny without ever finding humour in the crimes. </p>
<p>Also look out for some beautiful unrelated tangents about everything from 1990s TV show Gladiators to hot air balloons. Anyone in Scotland in August can catch them doing a live show at the <a href="http://www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/whats-on/all-killa-no-filla-live">Edinburgh Fringe</a>. </p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="3793" data-image="" data-title="All Killa No Filla Episode 30, Part 1" data-size="61544738" data-source="LibSyn" data-source-url="https://allkillanofilla.libsyn.com" data-license="" data-license-url="">
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All Killa No Filla Episode 30, Part 1.
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" rel="nofollow" href="https://allkillanofilla.libsyn.com">LibSyn</a><span class="download"><span>58.7 MB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/1214/allkillanofilla-2016-12-10t17-00-00-08-00.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
</div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98989/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Findlay 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>Move over Netflix, here’s whodunnit by headphones.Laura Findlay, Research Assistant, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/906052018-01-24T12:41:41Z2018-01-24T12:41:41ZRobert Burns was no peasant poet, he was a master of self-promotion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203219/original/file-20180124-107937-d6541t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Farmer Schwarmer.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/statue-robert-burns-london-isolated-on-1105220?src=ycaFyIFYaBFGa9BaKpOSGg-1-69">Jacqueline Abremeit</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the Edinburgh World Heritage website’s <a href="https://www.ewht.org.uk/learning/enlightenment-made-easy/the-ploughman-poet---robert-burns-1759-1796-poet-collector-of-songs">story</a> about Scotland’s bard, it notes that when Robert Burns “the ploughman poet” came to the city in 1787, he was “a new boy in town and a great looking heart throb”. It’s a familiar description, dating back to the writer Henry Mackenzie’s <a href="http://www.burnsmuseum.org.uk/collections/object_detail/3.2498">review</a> of the iconic Kilmarnock edition of Burns’ poetry in The Lounger for December 1786, describing him as “the heaven-taught ploughman”. </p>
<p>The comparison Mackenzie intends is one with Shakespeare as portrayed by Milton in <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44731/lallegro">L’Allegro</a>, whose “wood-notes wild” derive not from education but from inspiration: Burns is to be for Scotland what Shakespeare was for England. </p>
<p>But it was the ploughman label that stuck. Burns is often seen as a “peasant poet”, aligned with the likes of English writer <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0bnIlgh-9Y4C&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=peasant+poet+tradition&source=bl&ots=X1QBjTXPRh&sig=VaKU3YYFMFBP9D3p8H6aGEnUBBY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNyejw2u7YAhUFK8AKHd4gA-IQ6AEIODAD#v=onepage&q=peasant%20poet%20tradition&f=false">John Clare</a> – and he probably wouldn’t have had it any other way. </p>
<h2>Farmer glories</h2>
<p>During his lifetime, Burns <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=elHtMC8Od6cC&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=Burns+%22unbroke+by+rules+of+Art%22&source=bl&ots=nFp0Rf10fI&sig=QsxcyWfxEuCtkD-VjsRQRPQGrf8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE_9Hd2-7YAhXDJ8AKHbISAEQQ6AEISTAH#v=onepage&q=Burns%20%22unbroke%20by%20rules%20of%20Art%22&f=false">presented</a> himself as “nature’s bard”, ignorant and free of the “rules of Art”. He walked round Edinburgh in farmer’s boots, portraying a deliberately rustic air. </p>
<p>Yet Burns was well read and reasonably educated: he knew the work of Dryden, Fielding, Goldsmith, Milton, Pope, Sterne and many others. He appears to have been influenced both by <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/read-this-and-blush-naughty-medieval-french-tales">French bawdy poetry</a> and the <a href="http://www.midi-france.info/1904_troubadours.htm">troubadour tradition</a> of Provence. In the preface to his <a href="http://www.burnsmuseum.org.uk/collections/object_detail/3.3158">Poems</a> (1786), Burns identifies himself as “obscure” and “nameless”, yet cites Virgil and Theocritus. </p>
<p>And Burns certainly wasn’t living in deprivation. He <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RRn5BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=burns+income+jane+austen&source=bl&ots=iy6m1Hsfk0&sig=Qo84Yrp9wQY5mSk5RzdcRWyZdmg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-4vK63e7YAhVRW8AKHZRWCYcQ6AEIKTAA">earned</a> much the same from his Edinburgh edition of Poems in 1787 as Adam Smith did from The Wealth of Nations, and in the 1790s his income was as high or higher than Jane Austen’s. It was similar, in fact, to those ministers of the Kirk he liked to bait so much. </p>
<p>He was supported by many wealthy Freemasons. He was the regular correspondent of gentlemen in a strongly class-segregated era, and dined with them. Yet Burns is still often remembered as if he was living on the margins. </p>
<p>This image absolutely suited him: his greatness appeared to be a mystery – and mystery is a lasting source of power. He seemed to have sprung from the soil with no visible means of support. A “celebrity” in the modern sense of a famous person is a 19th-century word: Burns was arguably the first poet to think of himself as a brand. </p>
<h2>Brand Burns</h2>
<p>This self-creation helped to bring him both national and international recognition. In Germany, he came to be seen as both representing the progressive universalism of the radical Enlightenment and a one-stop shop for the folk tradition. </p>
<p>In America he was perceived as the good European, the man of “independent mind” who was a foe to tyrants and an adoptive son of the United States. In the British Empire, he represented the sentiment, communitarianism, egalitarianism and humanitarianism on which many Scots liked to congratulate themselves. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203211/original/file-20180124-72606-121oqlu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&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">Comrade Rabbie.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the USSR, he came to be the “good kulak” (peasant) who would have understood the benefits of collective farming, and the Soviets became the first to issue a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/4sjmmv/commemorative_stamp_issued_by_the_soviet_union_on/">commemorative stamp</a> for the poet in 1956. </p>
<p>In China during the Cultural Revolution, he represented the lack of contradiction between the agricultural and intellectual; for Kofi Annan in an <a href="http://www.un.org/press/en/2004/sgsm9112.doc.htm">United Nations address</a> in 2004, he was the supreme internationalist, the advocate of harmonious neighbourliness worldwide. </p>
<p>Much of this affection stems from the fact that Burns is in many respects the supreme poet of sentiment, certainly in the Anglophone world. We overlook that his paeans to the routine life of rural poverty are distanced by education: in <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/the-cottar%27s-saturday-night/author/burns-robert/">The Cottar’s Saturday Night</a>, he quotes Alexander Pope’s <a href="https://andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Ejlynch/Texts/windsor.html">Windsor Forest</a>; in <a href="http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poems/tam-o-shanter-tale">Tam o’ Shanter</a>, he knowingly celebrates sex, drink and dancing in the narrative voice of the Romantic collector of tradition, in a story he invents and sends to such a Romantic collector. </p>
<p>When Burns is knowingly sophisticated, he sometimes appears transparently simple: in Auld Lang Syne the praise of a vanished past, the persisting nature of relationships despite the transience of life, the sugaring of nostalgia, all deflect us from the lack of any promised future. Again we see what we want to see: from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/">It’s A Wonderful Life</a> to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/">When Harry Met Sally</a> and beyond, Hollywood has recognised the song’s extraordinary evocation of sentimental intensity. </p>
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<p>Similarly, people often project a political agenda onto Burns that is hard to justify. In <a href="http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poems/mouse">To a Mouse</a>, for example, the ploughman does nothing to help the mouse. </p>
<p>Nor is the nature of “Man’s dominion” changed really, despite the ploughman being “sorry” for it. Sorry doesn’t cut the mustard, but the sentiment buttered Burns’s bread and still does worldwide. Most of his supposed politics turns out to be more feeling. </p>
<h2>Supper man</h2>
<p>The other element that has done much for the poet’s reputation is the Burns Supper. The <a href="https://www.scotland.org/features/the-legend-of-the-burns-supper">first</a> was in Alloway in Ayrshire on July 21, 1801 – celebrations switched from his date of death to his birth later, possibly influenced by the adjacent date of dinners on January 24 for the great British Whig <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-foreign-secretaries/charles-fox">Charles James Fox</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1271&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203233/original/file-20180124-107963-1ql2imd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1271&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To a cola.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The custom of the Burns dinner or supper spread rapidly. We see it in London in 1804, India in 1812, New York in 1836, and Copenhagen, Paris and Madrid by 1859. </p>
<p>Today, some nine million people attend official Burns Suppers each year alone, and 100,000 <a href="https://www.scotland.org/features/the-immortal-memory">Immortal Memories</a> are given. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7790384.stm">Scotland’s Year of Homecoming</a> was built around Burns in 2009, and in 2018, Scottish Nationalist MSP <a href="http://www.thenational.scot/news/15857173.Robert_Burns_s_value_to_Scotland_debated_at_Holyrood/">Joan McAlpine’s parliamentary motion</a> on Burns’ importance to the Scottish economy gained cross-party support. </p>
<p>Burns has been translated several times as often as Byron; he has more statues than any secular figure except Queen Victoria and Christopher Columbus; and is the only person to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/5454821/Robert-Burns-becomes-first-person-to-feature-on-Coke-bottle.html">have appeared</a> on a Coca Cola bottle. He’s a synecdoche of the way Scotland wants to be perceived: humane, egalitarian, caring, international. </p>
<p>“O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us/ To see oursels as ithers see us!” The memory of Robert Burns is indeed immortal. And he knew what he was doing all along.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90605/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Murray Pittock receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. </span></em></p>Years before anyone conceived celebrity, the Scottish bard may have been the first to turn himself into a brand.Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/836812017-09-08T11:14:28Z2017-09-08T11:14:28ZScottish devolution at 20: some hits, some misses and that eternal maybe …<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185148/original/file-20170907-9538-1t0ouib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scottish parliament with Calton Hill in the background.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brostad/5841297115/in/photolist-9Ubb8e-nJGsdK-7SoJRT-pApJ5e-TxvwiJ-6rKw8t-kky9Lx-6GQWR-2LgmSH-abcX9K-6rKvZx-74rSQ6-nGTrub-bkKxPM-5A5cFx-nqqKbB-UkEw42-Hh6YcA-tReQ3N-6vY6Xv-a8G1A9-dLZDQn-pFsbCe-6w3iys-9N3FgL-T8ciK8-cFV1fy-PvuC4-7haxbE-S16qEf-rbEUr-57G7VA-6vY742-iLJ6V6-6vY6XT-7bpyan-4pH12F-gFUsE1-83pMh2-63oks4-qBemvh-eeM3QK-PuTsY-S93UyB-a9Wi7j-gBZRqc-qRi6zJ-ah78um-c1YV3C-57Gjt3">Bernt Rostad</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is the anniversary time of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/sep/13/scotland-devolution-referendum-victory">Scottish referendum</a>, in which the electorate voted Yes in overwhelming numbers. I don’t mean the 2014 poll, of course, but its predecessor. It took place on September 11, 1997, a full 20 years ago, and was a vote in favour of a devolved parliament with tax-raising powers. </p>
<p>Within two years, a Scottish parliament was established at Holyrood following the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/46/contents">Scotland Act of 1998</a>. It was a pivotal moment in the history of Scotland and the United Kingdom. After nearly three centuries Scotland had begun to recover what had been lost in the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/act-of-union-1707/">Union of 1707</a> with England. </p>
<p>It was the culmination of <a href="https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/171/29750.html">more than a century</a> of campaigning. National self-confidence grew over that time, as did a belief in the ability – and right – of the Scottish nation to govern itself. Post-war central planning under Labour had gone too far. Scots became increasingly dissatisfied with English insensitivity to Scottish distinctiveness, and Westminster’s inability to respond to Scotland’s particular needs. </p>
<p>Holyrood is now firmly embedded. Further Scotland acts in <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/11/contents/enacted">2012</a> and <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/11/contents/enacted">2016</a> extended the parliament’s powers significantly beyond those originally envisaged. Members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs) are more accessible and less distant, physically and metaphorically, than Westminster MPs. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Holyrood in session.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scottish Government</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Scottish parliament has achieved much since its inception. Perhaps its greatest success has been the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35901485">smoking ban</a> in 2006. In this regard Scotland can genuinely claim to have led the rest of the UK, which followed suit a year later. <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing">Minimum pricing of alcohol</a> is of the same order of importance, with Scotland again leading the way, but Holyrood cannot be held responsible for vested interests continuing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40718155">to delay</a> implementation.</p>
<p>Devolution has not solved all the nation’s ills, however. The <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/b81c3a14-179b-11e7-9c35-0dd2cb31823a">democratic deficit</a> has only partly been dealt with, as we saw with the recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results">Brexit vote</a> in which Scotland voted to stay in the EU but faces having to leave because it was outnumbered by England and Wales. </p>
<p>The Scottish parliament has also mostly failed to tackle seriously pressing social matters such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/22/when-will-snp-tackle-scotlands-shaming-poverty">poverty</a>, <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/03/2213/0">inequality</a>, and lifestyle issues such as <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/TrendDiet">diet</a> and <a href="http://www.healthscotland.scot/health-topics/diet-and-obesity/obesity">obesity</a>. Education policy – regardless of party – has <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-nicola-sturgeon-put-her-biggest-hitter-in-charge-of-scottish-education-63965">been confused</a>, to the extent that the performance of Scottish schoolchildren is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38207729">falling relative</a> to other countries. </p>
<h2>The rise of the SNP</h2>
<p>Labour – the party that delivered devolution – dominated the Scottish parliament’s early years. But Iraq, dissatisfaction with <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-labour-20-years-on-assessing-the-legacy-of-the-tony-blair-years-76884">New Labour</a> and the party’s complacent, managerial approach at Holyrood left the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/04/scotland.devolution">door open to</a> an SNP that projected itself as a left-leaning, socially conscious counterweight to Westminster.</p>
<p>The first SNP government (2007-11) gave the appearance of being dynamic and effective. Competence mattered and the leadership team impressed – led by Alex Salmond as first minister, John Swinney as finance secretary and Nicola Sturgeon as deputy first minister/health secretary. The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/election2011/overview/html/scotland.stm">SNP won</a> 69 of Holyrood’s 129 seats in 2011 -– an incredible feat given the voting system had been designed to prevent majority government. Independence was suddenly on the table.</p>
<p>In the days immediately prior to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/independence-referendum-one-year-on-nothing-is-settled-in-scotland-47712">Scottish independence referendum</a> in September 2014, it looked as if the Yes campaign might just win. And though a shattered Salmond ultimately had to admit defeat, the SNP had an <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11570769/SNP-rise-in-three-charts.html">army of new members</a>. In the weeks and months after the 45%-55% defeat, the party’s long march towards the dream that would “never die” appeared to have hastened. </p>
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<p>When Scotland voted the opposite way to England and Wales in 2016’s EU referendum, it <a href="https://theconversation.com/scottish-independence-back-in-play-after-brexit-shock-with-a-note-of-caution-61457">initially looked</a> like it would be the trigger for a second independence referendum. The incremental slither to separation, forecast and feared by the opponents of any kind of devolution, seemed well under way.</p>
<p>But then came June 2017’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results/england">UK election</a>, in which the irresistible rise of the SNP <a href="https://theconversation.com/nicola-sturgeon-is-overestimating-the-toxicity-of-tories-in-scotland-and-could-pay-for-it-77334">came to</a> a halt. More than one third of their MPs lost their seats. Not only did Labour win back some seats in Scotland, but against the odds, the Tories did even better. </p>
<p>Short-term factors were clearly at work, including much tactical voting. But looked at in historical context, it is perhaps not so surprising that support for independence may have peaked – for the present anyway. </p>
<h2>Opinion divided as ever</h2>
<p>There was no referendum in 1707. Had there been, Scotland would have resoundingly rejected the parliamentary incorporating union that ensued. </p>
<p>There was <a href="http://www.historytoday.com/shf-johnston/act-union-1707">strong support</a> in Scotland for a federal union, however. Despite longstanding rivalry and resentment of England, many Scottish parliamentarians recognised the potential benefits of a trade treaty with their larger, richer and more powerful neighbour. Out and out opponents of any kind of treaty with England were fewer in number.</p>
<p>In short, opinion about the most suitable relationship with England was divided. It has been the same ever since. Politicians who talk about the “Scottish people” or boldly declare that “the nation” has spoken, forget this or perhaps just ignore it. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mebbes aye, mebbes naw.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thepatman/11252977563/in/photolist-i9osbx-i9o9Gg-i9ozqn-i9oeuc-i9opEm-i9o7B4-i9o5NK-i9ocNh-i9owov-i9oaQ8-i9obCR-i9oA9r-i9o5cp-i9oiXE-i9okiY-i9oBtF-i9omDw-i9ojq3-i9oyNa-i9ok7f-i9oe3G-i9obcE-i9oaVt-i9o6GZ-i9oap8-i9o2we-i9owrB-i9oe8m-i9o7tP-i9okmm-i9oohG-i9ohuE-i9oatX-i9oDwZ-i9oeCQ-i9oB7i-i9orFe-i9ogto-i9oEQv-i9orSg-i9ou5c-i9ogAs-i9ofir-i9ohKE-i9oo3d-i9omYm-i9oCzi-i9oghQ-i9oeh8-i9oD2v">Rob Eaglesfield</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s obvious that commitment in Scotland to the union is much weaker now than in the 19th century. Yet Scottish national feeling was as intense then as that which fuelled independence movements elsewhere in Europe. Much of it in Scotland coalesced around celebrations to commemorate <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-nervy-elites-seized-robert-burns-before-radicals-got-there-71839">Robert Burns</a>. Yet few challenged the union. And despite its flaws, that remains an ingrained habit which large numbers of Scots have yet to break. </p>
<p>Many hoped devolution would kill nationalism stone dead, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31129382">to paraphrase</a> George Robertson, Scottish secretary during the 1997 referendum. His Labour colleagues in particular failed to grasp Scots’ powerful sense of nationhood.</p>
<p>It was another Labour man, the late <a href="https://theconversation.com/tam-dalyell-never-held-office-but-he-was-margaret-thatchers-sternest-critic-72021">Tam Dalyell</a>, who argued that devolution could lead to independence. As you might expect, Salmond shares this view. He <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/general-election/alex-salmond-scots-will-vote-for-independence-within-4-years-1-4529994">recently asserted that</a> independence was “rendered inevitable when the Scottish parliament was established”. In his view, the Scots will vote for independence within four years. </p>
<p>Will they? Both sides may claim to know where Scotland is heading, but history tells us not to be so sure. When it comes to what relationship it wants with the rest of people in the British Isles, the reality is that Scotland has never quite made up its mind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher A Whatley is affiliated with the Labour Party. </span></em></p>Scotland voted for its own parliament in September 1997, but has yet to make its mind up about the biggest issue of all.Christopher A Whatley, Professor of Scottish History, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/829262017-09-04T11:25:23Z2017-09-04T11:25:23ZWhen it comes to keeping our brains young, we need to rise to new challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183985/original/file-20170830-23670-m9qu0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Still got it. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professor-gesturing-intelligence-over-dark-background-2471721?src=fTxnv4_cZWQ1yUURtdBZ9Q-2-30">Gino Santa Maria</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As we get older, our thinking skills often deteriorate: we get slower, more forgetful, less good at learning new things. Yet not everyone experiences these changes to the same degree. Some remain mentally sharp into their sixties, seventies and beyond; others experience declines which can make it harder for them to live independently.</p>
<p>Researchers see hope in this variation. It is a sign that decline might not be inevitable. Together with the fact that people are <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/worlds-older-population-grows-dramatically">tending to</a> live longer, it’s no surprise that this is an area being pursued by specialists around the world. </p>
<p>Broadly speaking, the thinking skills that decline earlier <a href="https://www.nap.edu/read/21693/">are the ones</a> that allow us to quickly process information or respond to things. This perhaps starts in our early twenties. <a href="https://www.nap.edu/read/21693/">On the other hand</a>, we retain and may even continue to develop mental skills associated with accrued knowledge through midlife and into old age. A good example would be our vocabulary. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183987/original/file-20170830-12933-zdtqxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lube me!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professor-gesturing-intelligence-over-dark-background-2471721?src=fTxnv4_cZWQ1yUURtdBZ9Q-2-30">Lightspring</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another thing that happens as we get older is our brains get smaller – known as brain atrophy. One relatively recent report <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hbm.22959/abstract">indicated that</a> adults in their seventies experienced about 0.7% loss of grey matter per year, and about 1% of white matter. Both are important for our thinking skills – our “little grey cells” might be the familiar term regarding what underlies complex thinking skills like language and reasoning, for example, but the white matter plays a vital role in connecting different areas of the brain.</p>
<p>Brain atrophy is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, albeit the research is <a href="http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/81/1/13">not</a> entirely <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4832269/">consistent</a>. But crucially, this shrinkage varies from person to person. In the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4832269/">same study</a> of seventy-somethings, for example, men were found to lose a bit more grey matter than women. Those who are less physically active have <a href="http://www.neurology.org/content/79/17/1802">also been shown</a> to have more shrinkage.</p>
<h2>The fear factor</h2>
<p>This much we know, but we’re still developing our understanding of what might influence our thinking skills as we age. In the meantime, there remain challenges in providing the public with clear information about how best to preserve their brain health. </p>
<p>Changes in thinking skills are <a href="http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/staying-sharp/">often reported</a> to be among people’s greatest fears about ageing. On the one hand, it is a good thing to have a healthy concern about this issue, since it might encourage people to make sensible lifestyle choices to maximise their health. Having said that, some of these fears may be the result of misinformation. News headlines <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/756453/Dementia-leisure-activities-middle-age-help-prevent-disease-later-life">often wrongly use</a> phrases like dementia and Alzheimer’s as shorthand for any research into changes in thinking skills, for example. </p>
<p>I was recently involved in a <a href="https://healthyageing.hw.ac.uk/research.html">UK-wide survey</a> into this area, questioning over 3,000 adults aged 40 and older. We’re still analysing the results, but can share some top-line findings – indeed we took them “on tour” recently to the <a href="https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/news/academics-tread-the-boards-at-this-year-s.htm">Edinburgh Festival Fringe</a>. </p>
<p>For example, the middle-aged adults in the survey were more pessimistic than over-70s about when mental decline might begin. The 40-year-olds expected it between ten to 15 years earlier than the older respondents – possibly a sign that the reality does not live up to the scaremongering when you get there. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183992/original/file-20170830-9222-2sor7b.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">Hangin’ in there.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/grandmother-glasses-points-finger-562720921?src=4DnGdBaJWSTEEm2tOLeVRg-1-2">Pavel Kubarkov</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nine in ten respondents thought there were things we can do to protect or maintain thinking skills, though fewer than six in ten were confident about what these might be. This suggests room for improvement, though it is arguably a strong foundation on which to build further public health messages. </p>
<h2>The hacks and the whack</h2>
<p>So how best to preserve our brains? For some lifestyle choices, the evidence is relatively consistent. Smoking, for example, is detrimental. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20875635">It thins</a> the outer layers of the brain, which are vital for functions including memory, reasoning and language. The good news for former smokers is that this thinning appears to “reverse” if you give up, though a full return to thick cortical layers is estimated to <a href="http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v20/n6/full/mp2014187a.html">take about 25 years</a>. </p>
<p>Being physically active is also generally linked to better thinking skills and <a href="http://www.neurology.org/content/79/17/1802">brain health</a>. For the inactive among us, even making initial changes in terms of <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/199487">walking more</a> have been documented as worthwhile. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/183989/original/file-20170830-29224-1bxc6ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Whew.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professor-gesturing-intelligence-over-dark-background-2471721?src=fTxnv4_cZWQ1yUURtdBZ9Q-2-30">Julien Tromeur</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For some other things, the evidence is flimsier. Headlines that some game or puzzle is the key to remaining sharp won’t be going away. But to put it mildly, the whole “brain training” area is highly contested. You wouldn’t expect anything less for an industry already worth well over $1 billion (£774m) and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/23/brain-games-memory-loss-open-letter">predicted to</a> top $6 billion by 2020.</p>
<p>In fact, the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/rbtfl/hK6Y5zBI1Rv.M/full">most recent review</a> of the literature has concluded the same as previous ones: people tend to become better at whatever game they are playing over time, and there are instances where this transfers to other skills. Broadly, however, the benefits appear limited. </p>
<p>Rather than playing the same repetitive game, perhaps a better possibility for boosting brain health is doing something novel and more challenging – learning a new thing, meeting people or engaging in new experiences. <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.24158/abstract">Learning a new language</a> has been promoted, for example, while researchers are also finding some empirical support for the benefits of mastering <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797613499592">digital photography</a> or <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/geront/gnu057">tablet computers</a>, or <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1552-5260(15)00061-8">volunteering</a>. While these activities are quite diverse, the key ingredient is the new learning – and that can continue to increase as your expertise grows.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that brain ageing remains a developing research area with much still unknown. It is certainly <a href="http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/staying-sharp/">worth getting</a> a bit more active and giving yourself a bit of a challenge, but there is also much to be said for choosing that new activity according to whatever makes us happy – be it learning Russian, how to tango or whatever. </p>
<p>Retaining our thinking skills is obviously important, but happiness and fulfilment is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12090/full">linked with</a> its own health benefits. I can’t promise that staying cheerful will allow you to retain the mind of a 20-year-old into your dotage, but it certainly looks worthwhile overall.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan J Gow receives funding from Velux Stiftung and has previously been funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust.</span></em></p>Brain games, learning languages, rowing? Beware of snake oil salesman claiming we know it all.Alan J Gow, Associate Professor, Psychology, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/829992017-08-24T14:50:29Z2017-08-24T14:50:29ZIf Jon Snow thinks local journalism is dead, he needs to get out of London more<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183313/original/file-20170824-18698-1l9u9xp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Mad as hell and not gonna take it any more.' </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?q=jon%20snow&category=A,S,E&fields_0=all&fields_1=all&imagesonly=1&orientation=both&text=jon%20snow&words_0=all&words_1=all">Jane Barlow/PA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every commercial news organisation in the world faces the same dilemma: how to stop the march of Facebook and Google while at the same time feeding these beasts with hard-won material to keep audience figures up. Facebook giveth readers and viewers with one hand and taketh away revenue with the other. </p>
<p>Now veteran news anchorman Jon Snow has joined the fightback against the duopoly, saying in his <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/08/23/force-facebook-google-pay-journalism-says-jon-snow/">impassioned McTaggart Lecture</a> at the <a href="http://www.thetvfestival.com">Edinburgh International TV Festival</a> that Facebook and Google have “decimated the market in digital revenue that many hoped would sustain quality journalism for years to come”. </p>
<p>No one in the British news industry will disagree with his demand that “Facebook needs to pay more taxes; Google needs to pay more taxes, the rest too”. It is a question, he said, of making them “pay more to carry professional journalism”. </p>
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<h2>The coming storm</h2>
<p>From where he was speaking in the bustling Edinburgh International Conference Centre, you wouldn’t have thought that television is facing the same crisis with which print journalism has been wrestling for the best part of 20 years. The centre teemed with metropolitan hipsters up for an annual jamboree at their employers’ expense – something which has long become history in the rest of the UK media world.</p>
<p>Many of these bright-eyed delegates from TV production will not yet have felt the same pain felt in much of journalism. But it has, as Snow correctly said, never been easier to be a broadcaster. “We have travelled from the typewriter to the iPad, from film to smart card, from three hours to record a transmissible image to three nanoseconds,” he said. </p>
<p>This is not lost on the digital giants. For broadcasters like ITV and Snow’s Channel 4, the problem will soon not just be Google and Facebook scooping up advertising pounds and dollars on the back of others’ content, but the likes of Amazon and BT moving more aggressively into broadcasting, too. </p>
<p>Using their buying power to corner even more live sport potentially poses as great a threat to terrestrial “traditional” commercial TV operations as the duopoly has to print. In many cases, it will be more a means for these companies to market their other services than for its own sake. Yet for production people it could be a digital Klondike. </p>
<p>Journalists, meanwhile, face the prospect of more enormous echo chambers for fake news. “It’s a privilege to be in the midst of a revolution that can yet deliver liberation,” Snow enthused, “but which if wrongly addressed can lead to a terrible tyranny of untruth.” Which presumes the new broadcasters will care whether something is untruthful or not. Obviously, we all hope they do.</p>
<h2>The tax question</h2>
<p>It was no surprise that Snow was on side with calls for proper taxation of digital giants and for ways to be found to monetise content, but like the rest of us he failed to suggest how this might be done quickly and effectively. Long gone are the “build it and the adverts will come” days when free access and audience growth was seen as the only key to success in the digital age. Wresting cash from the giants who have stolen the golden advertising and marketing geese is now the name of the game. </p>
<p>It really wasn’t much help for Snow to say “it cannot be beyond the bounds of human understanding” to devise a system that makes them pay for the content they carry. But then he’s a journalist not an ad man, so that’s perhaps unfair.</p>
<p>There is still hope that audiences will pay in significant numbers for quality digital content, but even journalists have long recognised that that’s much harder in a UK dominated by the BBC. But having taken aim at all the other problems facing British journalism, the continuing distortion of the UK’s news markets by licence-fee funded free BBC services was not something such a powerful advocate of public service broadcasting was ever going to address, even if only to dismiss it.</p>
<p>Snow was also on weaker ground when talking about what he sweepingly called “the virtual collapse of local journalism”. It may be true in London, but it is certainly not true in Scotland, or indeed Merseyside, Tyneside or Greater Manchester. His admittedly moving testimony about the tragedy of Grenfell carried his performance but strayed into such generalisations. </p>
<p>Perhaps it is complacent, but I’m not so sure that such loud alarm bells would have been ignored in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, where a strong local press remains hungry for news in a market every bit as competitive as it was 25 years ago. It would, for example, come as a surprise to the editors of the Daily Record, Glasgow Evening Times or Edinburgh Evening News, all titles with strong campaigning histories, that they did not act upon the concerns of the dispossessed to challenge authority. </p>
<p>This is not to say that publications with a strong local remit will exist forever – the migration of advertising, loss of newspaper sales and staff reductions are real enough – just that Snow spoke emotionally without the evidence to back it up. London has a <a href="http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/map-uks-local-newspapers-and-websites-reveals-london-news-gap/">particular shortage</a> of local journalism compared to other parts of the UK. There are slightly over <a href="http://www.scotns.org.uk/about-scottish-newspapers/industry-facts-and-figures-child-of-about-scottish-newspapers/">160 newspapers</a> covering Scotland’s 32 local authorities, for example, while London has about half that number for 33 authorities – not to mention about double the population. </p>
<p>“The UK, unfed by local journalists, becomes ever more dependent upon reporting what’s going on at the centre, eschewing what is happening away from it,” Snow claimed. “The absence of local reporting is merely intensifying what’s happening.”</p>
<p>“Unfed”, “absence” – these are unqualified words, chosen for effect rather than accuracy. In a speech about truth and reliability from an undoubted giant of British TV news you’d expect something more, shall we say, reliable.</p>
<p>But as befits the modern TV newsman/showman, it was as much about the spectacle and the packed Lennox Suite audience loved it all. And even though the London media elite was accused of being distant and elitist by one of its high priests, the least the faithful could do was give him a standing ovation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82999/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John McLellan is a Conservative councillor on City of Edinburgh Council and Director of the Scottish Newspaper Society. </span></em></p>Channel 4 news anchor drew thundering applause at the Edinburgh TV Festival, but don’t believe every word.John McLellan, Honorary Professor of Journalism, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/826122017-08-17T13:24:05Z2017-08-17T13:24:05ZHow to achieve Paul Auster’s literary genius? Start living uncomfortably<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182313/original/file-20170816-32632-pe1fyd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Any questions?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/novello-italy-may-28-writer-paul-78401968?src=WIuMrJLt4Jw4hCId7xxPDA-1-1">andersphoto</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Paul Auster takes the stage at the King’s Theatre <a href="https://www.eif.co.uk/2017/paulauster">in Edinburgh</a> to a great reception. He reads the opening pages of his latest work, the <a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/news/paul-auster-interview">Man Booker-longlisted</a> 4 3 2 1. It is a rare chance for his UK fans to see and hear the man up close and personal. </p>
<p>The 70-year-old graciously relates stories from his life as a writer in discussion with fellow American writer <a href="http://www.valleypressuk.com/author/35/nora_chassler">Nora Chassler</a>. Early on, he talks about growing up in a bookless household. The nine-year-old Auster got round this by visiting the public library, coming home with works by Robert Louis Stevenson and Edgar Allan Poe. </p>
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<span class="caption">His latest.</span>
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<p>By his teens, he explains, he knew the writer’s life would be a struggle. His concerned father suggested he become a professor and write poetry as a hobby. Auster even attended a PhD interview, but fortunately a perceptive professor told him not to do it as he had talent as a writer. </p>
<p>You sense being a professor of literature would have been a terrible failure for Auster. He seems to associate such jobs with middle-class careerists and compromisers, prioritising comfort and respectability over the risks of genuine art. There is slight disdain as he (warmly) remembers a brilliant school friend who was expected to achieve wonderful things but merely ended up a Harvard professor – and the prototype for one of Auster’s literary characters. </p>
<h2>Writers and readers</h2>
<p>Auster talks about how books touch people, creating empathy by asking us to inhabit others. Novels used to ask us to sympathise with gods and kings, he says, but are now mainly about ordinary people. It’s democracy in action, an egalitarianism that Auster seems to embody both on stage and in his writing. His novels are all about the complexity of human existence and the struggle to understand, to survive, to feel meaning in life. </p>
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<p>One of the most important aspects of great fiction is often referred to as <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Writer_s_Voice.html?id=6cU_LY8NfDYC">voice</a>. This is about speaking directly to the reader in a particular consistent style. The pleasure readers receive from “hearing” this voice is what makes them return to an author again and again. </p>
<p>Paul Auster’s mastery of voice is the main thing that makes his prose so captivating. He does it in a conversational American-English, much like his spoken voice, and from this musical prose his characters evolve. It feels so effortless – so spoken – but involves the sophisticated use of a number of literary techniques. </p>
<p>The clarity of his prose is striking, for instance. He recalls an influential conversation with the poet Edmond Jabѐs, in which Jabѐs insisted that syntactical innovations were not as subversive as clarity. Auster goes on to cite Kafka, another writer known for his clarity, as being “always with us”. In future, readers will probably say the same about Auster. </p>
<p>Another element often considered central to Auster’s work is chance. To give one of many examples, in <a href="https://homemcr.org/production/paul-austers-city-of-glass/">City of Glass</a> the main character Daniel Quinn is mistaken for Paul Auster, an event that propels Quinn into a world of uncertainty. During the Edinburgh discussion Chassler refers to coincidence instead of chance, but Auster rejects both labels. He is simply describing the unexpected, he says, something that happens to everyone. He suggests that those who don’t get this point don’t understand the “mechanics of reality”. </p>
<p>He wonders if people who read too many novels – presumably including many in the audience – end up imposing their own limited ideas of narrative onto what they read. They have a sense from fiction that chance occurrences are something remarkable, for example, so they misunderstand Auster’s approach to them. </p>
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<span class="caption">Auster and Nora Chassler.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EIF</span></span>
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<h2>Artistic anxiety</h2>
<p>Auster’s latest novel has clear resonances with his own life. The main character, Archie Ferguson, shares the author’s own chronology (born 1947) and his geography (New Jersey, New York, Paris and so on). Like the young Auster, Archie is struck by the power of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment as a teenager. </p>
<p>Yet Auster stresses that this character does things he himself never did – and indeed, the novel narrates Archie’s four alternate lives. It is a case of using one’s own life as a starting point, something we see repeatedly in Auster novels. </p>
<p>He began writing 4 3 2 1 at 66 years old, he explains, the age at which his father suddenly died. The thought that he too could drop dead made him work fast, finishing the 866-page novel in three and a half years rather than the expected five. This sense of self-reflection and being aware and anxious about artistic creation is another central theme in his work. Hence many of his characters are writers, living in their own bubbles, obsessed by their literary projects. </p>
<p>You certainly can’t deny Auster’s dedication to his art, both in the craftsmanship and the sheer volume: 18 novels plus numerous books of poetry, non-fiction and screenplays. He explains he pushed everything aside to commit to 4 3 2 1, reinforcing the sense of him as a serious working writer rather than a literary star. </p>
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<span class="caption">Auster: sweat not stardom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EIF</span></span>
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<p>At the end of the event, a long, long line of fans queue to get books signed. Auster is particularly warm and courteous to them, but those with their own literary ambitions will be leaving with some new thoughts from the evening as a whole. </p>
<p>In short, commitment is everything; middle-class trappings must be put aside; true art is about vocation, isolation and obsession. Expect lots of reading and thinking; and relentless work of the kind that most people would find absurd because it involves, as Auster puts it, sitting in a room putting words on a piece of paper. </p>
<p>Yet it’s a worthwhile struggle, which for Auster has produced writing of the highest quality and beauty. Books like The New York Trilogy, Mr Vertigo, Timbuktu and 4 3 2 1 have touched people’s imaginations in the way Dostoevsky and Kafka touched the young Auster. </p>
<p>Finally, never rule out the unexpected. We ourselves queue and get to ask Auster a question after climbing the stage: “Since you’re in Scotland, are there any Scottish contemporary writers you enjoy?”</p>
<p>He seems startled. “What,” he says, so we ask again. </p>
<p>“Ah,” he says, putting his hands to his head. “I’m sure there are some great ones, but I can’t think of any”. He smiles. “I’m sorry. I live in my own little world, in my own little bubble.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82612/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>America’s answer to Kafka and Dostoevsky gets real at the Edinburgh International Festival.Alan McMunnigall, Tutor in Creative Writing, University of GlasgowPamela Ross, Tutor in Creative Writing and Literature, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/825412017-08-16T17:37:37Z2017-08-16T17:37:37ZHip-hop dance vs Donald Trump: how robot moves just got political<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182210/original/file-20170816-32661-19we7tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Strait-talkin'</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">BBE</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Suddenly the dancers’ bodies freeze, caught in a white rectangle of light. Reduced to a state of shivering, their faces contort until what emerges is a scream. But this is a scream we do not actually hear. We only see it in the dancers’ gaping mouths against a looping sound of white noise – and then: utter silence.</p>
<p>This is ten minutes into <a href="https://www.eif.co.uk/2017/boyblue#.WZMAFmXSffY">Blak Whyte Gray</a>, the hip-hop dance production by east London collective <a href="http://www.boyblueent.com">Boy Blue Entertainment</a> showing at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-70-years-of-the-edinburgh-festival-has-done-for-the-arts-and-the-economy-82102">Edinburgh International Festival</a>. It is the closing moment of “Whyte”, the first part of the production, featuring three dancers in oversize straitjackets (see main image). They have been doing a robot-like dance, old-skool hip-hop style, limbs moving mechanically as if controlled by an outside force. </p>
<p>The screams feel like a reference to oppression, incarceration and the lack of safe spaces for minorities in the past and present. Think colonialism, slavery, segregation, Trump and Black Lives Matter – a powerful message in uncertain times, particularly in the wake of the recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/charlottesville-virginia-the-history-of-the-statue-at-the-centre-of-violent-unrest-82476">violent scenes</a> in Charlottesville, Virginia. </p>
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<span class="caption">Trump speaking after Charlottesville.</span>
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<p>Michael “Mikey J” Asante, the show’s composer and artistic co-director along with choreographer Kenrick “H₂O” Sandy, later tells me that the imagery goes beyond questions of race or ethnicity, and is not a direct response to his experiences as a black man in the UK. “In our present political climate, with Trump and Brexit, there’s lots of people who can agree with the idea of their voice not being heard,” he says. </p>
<p>That can be interpreted in different ways, of course – not finding a voice, being denied a voice, not being listened to. But then political dance and theatre can often be powerful without making a clear-cut statement. As Asante puts it, politics is always a matter of perception.</p>
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<span class="caption">‘Mikey J’ Asante.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">BBE</span></span>
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<p>While that opening segment was all about restriction set to an electronic accompaniment, the show takes us on a journey towards what Asante calls more “organic” movements and music. It culminates in a joyous celebration with eight dancers falling in and out of formation as if finally gaining control over their own lives and bodies. </p>
<p>Ghanaian masks tower over the dancers’ heads. The masks are another visually striking image, which Asante explains are used in traditional ceremonies in Ghana as vessels for ancestors. Thus it is not only repressed people in the present that are part of this movement for liberation and survival, but those from the past, too. </p>
<h2>Spectator power</h2>
<p>At other times, Blak Whyte Gray’s imagery remains intentionally abstract and cryptic. This is intended as a way of giving power to the spectators. “It is your experience in life that will determine how you see the political value in what you are watching,” says Asante. </p>
<p>In one sense, the silent scream embodies this idea: through its lack of a narrative voice, it guides spectators but does not seek to determine the outcome of their journey. It made me think of <a href="http://www.shobanajeyasingh.co.uk/works/material-men-redux/">Shobana Jeyasingh’s Material Men redux</a>, another excellent recent dance production that uses hip-hop and references colonial history. Material Men is a two-man show in which the political emerges out of the coming together of two different dance styles, classical Indian from one dancer and hip-hop from the other. </p>
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<p>Through the use of voice over narration and film at specific moments during the performance, Material Men takes great care to explicitly embed its dance moves within a larger history of indentured labour, forced migration and being part of the Indian diaspora. </p>
<p>This is no more or less powerful than Blak Whyte Gray’s sometimes more abstract approach, and we’re not talking about absolutes in any case: Material Men’s message doesn’t completely determine spectators’ interpretations of the show, and Blak Whyte Gray still guides its audience by what they see. </p>
<p>What the two productions show is the range of possibilities for making contemporary dance political. Material Men won <a href="http://www.shobanajeyasingh.co.uk/works/material-men-redux/">high critical praise</a> for its endeavours, while Blak Whyte Gray, which originally debuted in January at the Barbican in London, was <a href="http://www.olivierawards.com/nominations/">nominated</a> for an Olivier award. </p>
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</figure>
<p>Just like theatre – and maybe more so because of the focus on physical movement – dance doesn’t even need a message to be political. It is there in the history of the bodily movements, with hip-hop, for example, being a cultural expression that combines Caribbean, African, South American and other traditions. </p>
<p>It is there because of the political climate of our times: while the American president <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/15/donald-trump-press-conference-far-right-defends-charlottesville">defends</a> far-right protesters, shows have been cancelled at the Edinburgh Fringe because Syrian artists <a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/music/2017/08/11/austrias-conchita-wurst-cancels-edinburgh-show-after-syrian-musicians-denied-visas">have been</a> denied visas. And it is there because theatre, performance and dance make artists and spectators share time together, thus bearing the promise of a community. Blak, whyte or gray, it becomes impossible to ignore what is happening in front of you. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Blak Whyte Gray by Boy Blue Entertainment is at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 16-19.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82541/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Bachmann 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>East London collective Boy Blue Entertainment have taken their provocative show to the Edinburgh International Festival.Michael Bachmann, Lecturer in Theatre Studies, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/823912017-08-11T13:34:53Z2017-08-11T13:34:53ZSexual desires of people with learning disabilities are taboo – it’s why we mishandle their pregnancies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181773/original/file-20170811-1217-1xrthdd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mia and baby.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mind the Gap</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mia-daughters-of-fortune">Mia: Daughters of Fortune</a> is a play at the <a href="https://www.edfringe.com">Edinburgh Festival Fringe</a> about a young woman who falls pregnant. The actors ask the audience to call out the things that are normally said when we hear this kind of news. They shout things like “Congratulations!”, “Is it a boy or a girl?” and “You must be so happy”. </p>
<p>In Mia’s case, however, none of this applies. This is because she has a learning disability. When women like Mia get pregnant, what follows is a long way from a baby shower. The priority is an assessment by the authorities to determine whether the child will be at risk after they are born. In <a href="http://www.intellectualdisability.info/family/articles/parents-with-intellectual-disabilities">about half</a> of <a href="http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/18075/1/Mother_ID_Authors%27_Version.pdf">all cases</a>, the child is taken away. </p>
<p>Mia: Daughters of Fortune is a production by the Mind the Gap theatre company from Bradford in England, the biggest theatre company for actors with learning disabilities in the UK. Within the opening scene, the play touches on an area of great stigma and taboo: the idea that people with learning disabilities have and want sex. Despite this reality, particularly for those in special education services, they <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1744629512438034">are often excluded</a> from sex and relationship educational programmes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181776/original/file-20170811-1225-1lj9n2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Raising a taboo subject.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mind the Gap</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When the topic of sex is raised for people with learning disabilities it is usually accompanied by the word “risk”. This, too, often leads to a flurry of assessments and investigations, with a number of people suddenly declaring a vested interest in what happens between someone else’s sheets. All the while, the person in question is expressing entirely normal and appropriate feelings that they were entitled to be taught about and to experience but weren’t and aren’t.</p>
<p>Mia explores this reality through a variety of techniques, including dance, movement, live camera work, recorded video and an interactive gameshow called Don’t Drop the Baby. It is based on the lived experiences of the sister of Alison Short, one of the principal cast. The sister and her partner both have autism spectrum disorder. </p>
<h2>Reality check</h2>
<p>The play makes a convincing job of exploring the feelings of powerlessness that accompany pregnancy for people with learning disabilities. The range of professionals who get involved all have the best of intentions, but the audience is continually reminded that their presence is only felt and known because of who Mia is. </p>
<p>The onus in such cases is effectively on the parents to prove that the child will not be at risk, and that they are prepared for childbirth and the responsibilities of raising a child. They are often disempowered and disproportionately disadvantaged and the unborn baby is seen as a risk rather than a chance.</p>
<p>In one revealing scene, Mia asks the social worker carrying out the assessment whether she herself had to undergo any tests before she could have a baby. It is startling to hear something articulated that so often goes unsaid. The social worker’s embarrassed answer that there’s no equivalent highlights perfectly the power imbalance that exists between professional services and the people they are supposed to support. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181775/original/file-20170811-1165-1098ok2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mia struggles to adjust to motherhood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mind the Gap</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Though the play is very much told from the point of view of the pregnant woman, it doesn’t say anything about learning disability nurses – the one group who are trained specifically at undergraduate level to support people with learning disabilities. </p>
<p>In the context of someone like Mia, such nurses would have a vital role in supporting the woman to overcome any skills deficits and address anything she doesn’t know about caring for the child or herself. They are trained to always focus on increasing independence and reducing the need for any service-level interventions. This isn’t reflected in the play. </p>
<h2>What to change</h2>
<p>But Mia: Daughters of Fortune is nevertheless an intelligent, touching and incredibly witty and warm piece of theatre. The cast make an excellent job of educating the audience about an uncomfortable subject, prompting questions about how we approach sex and relationships with people with learning disabilities both through professional bodies and society as a whole. It explores relationships for these kinds of people in the broadest sense, including friendship, family and love. </p>
<p>To improve the status quo, we need to give people with learning disabilities access to the same sex and relationship education as everyone else. This would be the best way to encourage them to have children within a stable, happy family environment. </p>
<p>If they do get pregnant, it is obviously right that the safety and well-being of the child is the top priority. Unfortunately assessment is therefore necessary. But the authorities need to move away from the starting assumption that the child will be at risk. </p>
<p>They need to adopt an approach that concentrates on the strengths of the couple and supports them to stay together as a family, with a view to avoiding the trauma of removing a child. Mia: Daughters of Fortune, which will tour the UK once it closes in Edinburgh, is a timely reminder that, when it comes to people with learning disabilities getting pregnant, we need to think again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Abdulla 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>Mia: Daughters of Fortune is a powerful new play that puts this issue under the spotlight.Sam Abdulla, Lecturer, Nursing Science, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/812172017-07-19T14:38:30Z2017-07-19T14:38:30ZJack McConnell: United Kingdom can still shape Europe’s future despite Brexit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178701/original/file-20170718-10303-s5ioe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jack's back. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&authuser=0&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=756&q=jack+mcconnell&oq=jack+mcconnell&gs_l=img.3..0l4j0i30k1l2j0i24k1l4.1074.1074.0.1656.2.2.0.0.0.0.70.70.1.1.0....0...1.2.64.img..1.1.69.0.8f5qK_wpQWw#q=jack+mcconnell&hl=en&authuser=0&tbm=isch&tbs=sur:fc&imgrc=z1IdNjMnN3bXNM:">DFID</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ten years after stepping down as first minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell remains a busy man. I caught up with him by Skype in New York, where he was attending the <a href="https://www.un.org/ecosoc/en/events/2017-4">UN meetings on development</a>. </p>
<p>Now a member of the House of Lords, he is a veteran of the devolution campaigns of the 1990s and a strong European. As first minister, he was a leader of the <a href="http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/interregionalgroups/Pages/legislative-power.aspx">movement for</a> a stronger role for devolved regions and nations in the EU. What, I asked him, went wrong with last year’s <a href="http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/interregionalgroups/Pages/legislative-power.aspx">Brexit referendum</a>? </p>
<p>The problem, he tells me, was an absence of a vision for Europe. The Remain side could not explain where Europe was going, or the need for a broader solidarity. Instead, they focused narrowly on economic issues like the importance of the single market and on negative campaigning. David Cameron “had nothing positive to say”, repeating the mistake he made in the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides">Scottish referendum of 2014</a> that helped bring the No side to the brink of defeat. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, McConnell believes the Brexit battle is over and sees little prospect of reversing the decision. He calls the country’s departure from the European Union “pretty inevitable”. Nor is he impressed by the current focus on the UK keeping the single market or something very close to it – recently <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/scottish_parliment/html/region_99999.stm">floated by</a> the likes of Chancellor Philip Hammond, for instance. </p>
<h2>Future of Europe</h2>
<p>Both inside the UK and elsewhere in Europe, McConnell detects a tendency to see the single market as an end in itself. He believes it needs to be part of a bigger picture. Instead of focusing on the technicalities of the single market, Europe needs a broader vision based on solidarity and the whole of the European continent. Instead of focusing narrowly on economics, it could take in a wider agenda, including security threats, climate change and values. </p>
<p>Even though the UK is leaving the EU, he thinks it could still take the lead in these respects by forging links and shifting public opinion. That, of course, would require some rethinking in the UK parties, including his own Labour party. The present Labour leadership under Jeremy Corbyn, he says, shows more interest in revolutionary movements around the world than in the future of Europe.</p>
<p>This overarching failure by politicians in Europe to focus on what the continent could become was one of McConnell’s main themes in a speech he recently gave in Glasgow at the <a href="https://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/conferences/upcoming-conferences/11-meetings-and-conferences/312-2017-program-highlights">International Conference of Europeanists</a>. Focusing on the growing gap between politicians and the public, he talked about the role this played in the crisis in Europe and Brexit – as well as in the arrival of “outsiders” as leaders. </p>
<p>He urged a greater role for Europe in global poverty and development, a matter he pursued as first minister and to which he has devoted a lot of time in the House of Lords. Europeans can “help rekindle our own sense of purpose”, he told the audience, by sharing with other countries their experiences in power-sharing in areas with distinct identities within countries such as Scotland, Bavaria and the Basque country. </p>
<h2>Little Britain</h2>
<p>In the run-up to the Brexit referendum, McConnell tells me that he was not optimistic about the Remain campaign. He had predicted Leave’s victory and Scotland’s decision to Remain. What took him more by surprise was the result’s failure to reinvigorate the Scottish independence movement – he had expected it to become unstoppable. </p>
<p>In fact, he says, Brexit has made it harder for the SNP to win the argument: an independent Scotland in the EU risks being cut off from the UK market, which is more important for Scotland than the European single market. He also believes the public is wary of further change and uncertainty after two difficult referendums. </p>
<p>Instead, he says, Brexit provides an opportunity for securing more devolution for Scotland. Powers should come directly back from Brussels to Edinburgh – contrary to the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/16/repeal-bill-has-caused-constitutional-crisis-says-scotlands/">proposals</a> in the Withdrawal Bill published shortly before we spoke. </p>
<p>If powers were repatriated to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, he believes this would allow them a more equal relationship with the UK government. Edinburgh could share powers in areas like fishing on a voluntary basis, for example, rather than by imposition from London. </p>
<p>McConnell also sees possibilities for Scotland to be more active on the world stage, something he considers neglected in ten years of an SNP government focused on independence. The paradiplomatic activity that he spearheaded as first minister was, he insists, a way of reinforcing the UK by recognising its plurality. He says it reflected the party’s commitment to “shared sovereignty, multilateralism and international cooperation”.</p>
<p>McConnnell’s vision of the UK accords with recent thinking in Scottish Labour circles. This includes Gordon Brown’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/18/gordon-brown-to-push-patriotic-third-option-for-more-powerful-scotland-after-brexit">interventions</a> and the <a href="https://labourlist.org/2017/02/scottish-labour-commits-to-federalism-as-dugdale-reaffirms-her-support-of-the-union/">adoption of federalism</a> as official Labour policy, at Scottish if not UK level. </p>
<p>As the post-referendum research in the Centre on Constitutional Change <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/debating-scotland-9780198789819?cc=gb&lang=en&">has shown</a>, it also chimes with public opinion, which has consistently wanted something less than independence but more than devolution. Even as opinion seemingly shifted away from No and towards Yes during the 2014 independence campaign, the underlying attitudes remained rather stable. It is just that more people thought that voting Yes was the better way to get there. </p>
<p>The question is whether Labour has arrived here too late as political opinion has polarised between the SNP’s independence and the Conservatives’ increasingly intransigent unionism, a polarisation accentuated by Brexit. The current disarray of the UK government and the lack of a majority at Westminster may open up some of these issues. If it does, it is not clear that the opposition parties are in a position to seize the opportunity.</p>
<p>Faced with this question, McConnell returns to the theme of vision and big ideas. He sees a need for a renewal of the political class, away from the professional politicians who have come to prominence since the 1970s, for whom politics is a way of life. </p>
<p>He agrees that Jeremy Corbyn has raised horizons, although not as much as has been claimed. Corbyn has showed a willingness to “stand up for ordinary people” and criticise the behaviour of private companies as well as government. On the other hand, says McConnell, he can be seen as part of a trend towards celebrity politicians and outsiders; a symptom of the current crisis rather than an answer. </p>
<p>In short, McConnell sees good and bad in the current climate: he welcomes the decline of the old deference and the growth of transparency but believes it has been accompanied by a crisis of faith in institutions and a loss of trust. There have been achievements in global development but severe poverty remains. Again and again, he stresses the role of ideas and vision in helping to turn this around. In a world that is increasingly voting against technocrats, the message is that ideas really do matter after all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81217/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Keating 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>Scotland’s former first minister on Brexit, Scotland and the need for a new generation of visionaries.Michael Keating, Chair in Scottish Politics, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/774952017-05-10T23:04:24Z2017-05-10T23:04:24ZWhat I discovered inside Edinburgh’s museum of musical instruments<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168750/original/file-20170510-28075-1nvsx94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">St Cecilia's Hall.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Cecilia%27s_Hall">Wikimedia</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You can’t often travel around the world, traversing six centuries in just ten paces. But that’s the offering at Edinburgh’s Musical Instruments Museum, one of the world’s leading collections of its kind. Situated just off the Royal Mile in the Scottish capital, it reopened on May 11 after three years of refurbishment. </p>
<p>The museum is housed in St Cecilia’s Hall, the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Scotland. This Georgian grande dame of British music history has just completed a <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/museums-and-galleries/musical-instrument-museums/sch">£6.5m redevelopment project</a>. I arranged a sneak preview of the collection ahead of the opening to see what it has in store. </p>
<p>The study of musical instruments, known as organology, is an often overlooked branch of music. Yet in the age before sound recording, nothing can get us as close to the musical soundscapes of Mozart and Bach as the actual tools of their time. </p>
<p>St Cecilia’s Hall consolidates a collection it previously shared with another building. Spread over four galleries, it displays a selection of some 6,000 instruments (there’s also an online repository of sounds <a href="http://www.euchmi.ed.ac.uk/ujia.html">here</a>). </p>
<h2>Peacocks and sax appeal</h2>
<p>Stepping from the entrance vestibule into the Laigh Hall gallery on the ground floor, you are whisked from the Renaissance to the 21st Century, from North America to Asia and back again. A small violin with no sides, made before the shape we know today became the norm, is by the Bassano family – a famous group of Italian instrument makers employed at the court of Henry VIII. </p>
<p>A few paces to the right is the visually enticing Indian mayuri. From the 19th century, and also probably from a courtly setting, it is carved and richly decorated to look like a peacock to represent <a href="http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/saraswati.htm">Saraswati</a>, the Hindu goddess of music. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168719/original/file-20170510-28078-rkp1th.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 19th-century mayuri.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEart~2~2~73102~164129:Peacock-vina---top-view?qvq=q%3Apeacock%3Bsort%3Awork_creator_details%2Cwork_title%2Cwork_display_date%2Cwork_technique&sort=work_creator_details%2Cwork_title%2Cwork_display_date%2Cwork_technique&mi=16&trs=23#">University of Edinburgh</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Through into the Wolfson gallery, you are accosted by a four-and-a-half-foot serpent: a wind instrument. Originally devised in the late 16th century, it was meant to be used for church music, but was also included in orchestral works by composers such as Mozart and Wagner. This <a href="http://collections.ed.ac.uk/mimed/record/18242?highlight=contrabass+serpent">oversized example</a>, known technically as a contrabass serpent, is a more recent creation made around 1840. </p>
<p>Keeping the serpent company is a quartet of saxophones from the workshop of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-Joseph-Sax">Adolphe Sax</a>, the Belgian who invented them in the 1840s. Like the serpent’s influence on the bass range of the orchestra with the ultimate creation of the tuba, Sax’s invention had most impact on jazz and pop. Behind these somewhat clunky originals is a sad story, however: Sax died in poverty in 1894 at the dawn of jazz.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1299&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1299&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168723/original/file-20170510-28092-5d0pbr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1299&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">Ye olde Gibson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEart~2~2~51942~104337:English-guitar--W-Gibson----FRONT?qvq=q%3Agibson%3Bsort%3Awork_creator_details%2Cwork_title%2Cwork_display_date%2Cwork_technique&sort=work_creator_details%2Cwork_title%2Cwork_display_date%2Cwork_technique&mi=6&trs=101">University of Edinburgh</a></span>
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<p>At the other side of the gallery, a selection of plucked and bowed western instruments display a variety lost to 19th-century orchestral standardisation. An English guitar by William Gibson from 1772 sits beside an electric Fender Telecaster: the former used mainly by women to display their talents and attract an eligible husband, and the latter vice versa two centuries later. </p>
<p>A tiny dancing-master’s fiddle from the mid-17th century, known as a pochette, was used to accompany dance lessons in preparation for the frequent balls and assemblies – essentially an early form of speed dating. </p>
<p>There’s also a clutch of <em>violas d’amore</em>, or violas of love. As well as the name and eye-catching design, additional resonant strings create an unusual sweet and enveloping sound that would undoubtedly have been used to woo the opposite sex. </p>
<h2>Ebony and ivory</h2>
<p>The two upstairs galleries house countless keyboard instruments, many still frequently used in concert. Dressed in slightly unsympathetic red leather panels, the Binks gallery exhibits instruments from the famed <a href="http://www.ruckersgenootschap.be/HIS.php">Ruckers workshop of Antwerp</a>, the <a href="http://aviolinslife.org/stradivari/">Stradivari</a> of the harpsichord world. </p>
<p>Beside these examples of perfection sit fakes and forgeries, such as the Goermans harpsichord of 1764, altered in the 1780s by the French craftsman <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pascal-Taskin">Pascal Taskin</a>. Taskin made the instrument appear not only a hundred years older, but to also hail from the Ruckers family. That Goermans was still making harpsichords in Paris at the time just a short walk from Taskin’s workshop raises questions of his complicity. </p>
<p>Next door in the 1812 gallery is a clavichord made in Hamburg by Johann Adolph Hass, one of the best makers of his generation. Made in 1763 – the year St Cecilia’s Hall was built – it would effectively be impossible to reproduce today with its use of tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, rosewood, kingwood and ivory. </p>
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<p>There is also a dinky harpsichord known as an octave spinet. Reminiscent of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuQBjuySvyw">Schroeder’s toy piano</a> in Peanuts, it could be easily transported for use during travel, or moved around the home to accompany singing – quiet instruments such as spinets and clavichords were designed for domestic use. </p>
<p>It sits next to the Burkat Shudi harpsichord of 1766, an impressive instrument with two keyboards. It had a variety of stops to vary its tone, which was used before the more versatile piano became the parlour mainstay. Believed to have been owned by the Duke of Hamilton in Naples, the below painting by the Italian artist Pietro Fabris places the duke and Kenneth MacKenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth, at a concert party with Mozart and his father Leopold. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/168742/original/file-20170510-28100-e9qvmj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&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">Pietro Fabris: Kenneth Mackenzie at home in Naples.</span>
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<p>The Hamiltons were musical, and it is <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2002/mar/04/entertainment/et-swed4">noted that</a> the Mozarts visited their home in 1770 and that Hamilton’s first wife, Catherine, performed on the harpsichord for the great composer. She is likely to have played on this Shudi, which raises the possibility that Mozart himself may have passed his hands over its keys. The instrument is still playable today, so it is possible to briefly inhabit Mozart’s Neapolitan soundscape on a visit to the museum. </p>
<p>In sum, Edinburgh boasts a thrilling collection of bygone instruments. Most museums let us passively observe history, but the musical palettes on display here are a chance to truly step back in time. It shows how organology can improve our understanding of the past from a more cultural perspective than most museum artefacts. This is not just a collection of musical instruments, it is a snapshot of who we were before.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachael Durkin 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 Scottish capital is reopening a well kept secret: one of the world’s finest collections of vintage sound machines.Rachael Durkin, Lecturer in Music, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/768112017-04-27T17:08:30Z2017-04-27T17:08:30ZDid Europe’s leading fire festival do a deal with the Devil to stay alight?<p>In the heart of Edinburgh on the eve of May Day every year is an ancient Gaelic fire festival called Beltane. Set on the imposing <a href="http://www.edinburghguide.com/parks/caltonhill">Calton Hill</a>, opposite the headquarters of the Scottish government, this year marks 30 years since the ancient tradition was revived by a group of alternative artists. </p>
<p>It is now one of the most celebrated spectacles in the city’s events calendar, and the biggest of its kind in Europe. It is sometimes attended by more than 10,000 revellers – and it also happens to be 20 years since I first took part as one of the drummers. </p>
<p>Beltane has certainly paid a price for its current status, having professionalised and to some extent sanitised along the way. So was the journey worth it, and can alternative festivals go mainstream and still matter?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.newgrange.com/beltane.htm">Beltane</a> was originally one of four ancient Gaelic festivals that took place throughout Europe to celebrate the passage of the seasons (along with <a href="https://www.digitalmedievalist.com/opinionated-celtic-faqs/samain/">Samhuinn</a>, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/imbolc.shtml">Imbolc</a> and <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/296380946/Lughnasadh-Research-PDF">Lughnasadh</a>). Its <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-golden-bough-9780199538829?q=The%20golden%20bough&lang=en&cc=gb">origins</a> lie in the celebration of spring and the fertility of land, livestock and people. </p>
<p>The name is thought to originate from a Gaelic-Celtic word meaning “<a href="https://beltane.org/about/about-beltane/">bright/sacred fire</a>”, and a common element of these festivals was the “Neid-Fire”, lit by a spiritual figurehead. From this source, communal bonfires were lit and individual home fires were re-lit as a purifying rite – with “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-golden-bough-9780199538829?q=The%20golden%20bough&lang=en&cc=gb">plenty of beer and whisky</a>” swallowed along the way. </p>
<p>These festivals were discouraged in later, God-fearing centuries and were mostly discontinued in the prim Victorian era. In Scotland, only Edinburgh’s Beltane survived into the early 20th century until its beacon was extinguished, too. </p>
<h2>A new flame</h2>
<p>Then came a group in the late 1980s led by <a href="http://nva.org.uk/about/">Angus Farquhar</a>, then of industrial band <a href="http://testdept.org.uk">Test Dept</a>. Others included the poet <a href="http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/hamish-henderson">Hamish Henderson</a> and the folklorist <a href="https://www.margaretbennett.co.uk">Margaret Bennett</a>, then of Edinburgh University’s <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/celtic-scottish-studies/archives">School of Scottish Studies</a>, and choreographers <a href="http://lindsayjohn.weebly.com/index.html">Lindsay John</a> and <a href="http://www.elizabethranken.com">Elizabeth Ranken</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=864&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=864&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/167060/original/file-20170427-15105-p7f22y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=864&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">Calton Hill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calton_Hill_from_a_kite.jpg#/media/File:Calton_Hill_from_a_kite.jpg">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>While the old Beltane had taken place on <a href="https://www.scottishsport.co.uk/walking/arthurseat.htm">Arthur’s Seat</a>, the hills that overlook the city, these organisers chose nearby Calton Hill because permission was easier. It is the site of Edinburgh’s unfinished acropolis the <a href="http://www.edinburghguide.com/parks/caltonhill">National Monument</a>, which at the time had a negative reputation as a no-go part of the city come dusk. The hill also acts as the symbolic seat of power for the Scottish government, which added to the sense of playful subversion they had in mind. </p>
<p>The original free all-night festival was attended by just a couple of hundred people. It was about protest as celebration, against the black and white politics of 1980s Britain. It overlapped with the wider British <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01438300600625408">free festival scene</a> that had led to the era of Stonehenge as <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-battle-of-the-beanfield-the-violent-new-age-traveller-clash-with-police-at-stonehenge-remembered-10287028.html">contested site</a>, later culminating in acid house raves, road protests and the controversial <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/part/V/crossheading/powers-in-relation-to-raves">Criminal Justice Act 1994</a>. </p>
<p>The core has always been a procession of the <a href="https://beltane.org/2017/04/14/whos-who-on-the-hill/">May Queen</a>, the death and rebirth of the <a href="https://beltane.org/2016/12/27/calling-our-next-green-man-for-beltane-2017/">Green Man</a>, and the lighting of a bonfire, all set to the beating of drums, fire and acrobatics. Among the additional characters are <a href="https://beltane.org/category/reds/">the Reds</a>, who embody the carnivalesque, the fools who become kings for a night, and the need in all of us to let loose and go wild. </p>
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<p>I joined as one of the Beastie Drummers, who accompany the Reds, having been recruited through a djembe drumming class at Edinburgh University. It was a liberating experience, both primal and modern, all dancing and chanting to the beat of the drums. It would fragment into smaller hillside gatherings until dawn, as boundaries blurred with the audience and we all celebrated a sense of belonging to something forgotten</p>
<h2>Changing times</h2>
<p>The festival has overcome numerous hurdles over the years – the first when Angus Farquhar stepped down in 1992 and the <a href="https://beltane.org/about/">Beltane Fire Society</a> was formed. The new board still had to contend with a darker undercurrent linked to the location and the free nature of the festival, relying on year-round fundraising and bucket donations on the night.</p>
<p>“There were a lot of rougher people when it was free,” says one organiser. “[There was a] violent undertone which never manifested too often but it was there.” The police presence steadily grew and negotiations with the city council became increasingly fraught amid perceived fears about drug dealing, fights and health and safety regulations. </p>
<p>In 2002, I took part in what was to be my final Beltane drumming performance before leaving Edinburgh to work abroad for a time. It also turned out to be the end of the first era since the revival. The festival was <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/one-capital-event-we-must-reignite-1-873108">forced to cancel</a> in 2003, reduced to a low-key private ritual elsewhere. In the post-9/11 world, health and safety costs had gone through the roof and bucket donations were no longer adequate. </p>
<p>It returned the following year with low-cost ticketing and a 1am curfew. This removed the minority undercurrent but also “that sense of controlled anarchic freedom”, according to a former organiser. Some more activist supporters felt the spirit had gone, though the performance certainly retained that sense of temporary freedom, transgression from convention and wild abandon. </p>
<p>There was another milestone in 2008 when the Beltane Fire Society was granted charitable status. It now has a mutually respectful relationship with the council and works hard to encourage audience/performer engagement through workshops and additional groups and characters. </p>
<h2>A rite of passage</h2>
<p>The modern Beltane has always been a <a href="https://www.academia.edu/6960759/Tinsley_R._and_Matheson_C._M._2014._Layers_of_passage_The_ritual_performance_and_liminal_bleed_of_the_Beltane_Fire_Festival_Edinburgh">rite of passage</a>. It relies heavily on students and young people from around the world, and the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517714000247">audience</a> too is nearly 80% first-time attenders with most resident but not born in Scotland. This has always meant that new performers and organisers have been able to rejuvenate the society’s vision along the way. </p>
<p>Since my Beltane days, I have been through a fair few subsequent rites of passage of my own, one of which will accompany me to my first family-friendly Beltane community open day this weekend. I’ve also secured tickets to attend the main event this year with the school friend I originally signed up with 20 years ago. </p>
<p>The broader political climate too has come full circle for this 30th Beltane, with the Tories dominant and even threatening a comeback in Scotland. The festival might have had to compromise to be embraced by the Edinburgh establishment, but you can expect this year’s celebration to include nods to recent global events and the society’s activist roots. In an era that has forgotten so much of its ancient traditions, better a May Day cup that’s mostly full than nothing left at all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Tinsley 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>Edinburgh will this year host the 30th Beltane.Ross Tinsley, Lecturer, Tourism, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/764732017-04-24T18:10:26Z2017-04-24T18:10:26ZLorenzo Fioramonti interview: the man who would rid the world of GDP<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166514/original/file-20170424-12650-x9adg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fioramonti in Edinburgh. </span> </figcaption></figure><p>The South African economist Lorenzo Fioramonti is one of the leading critics of the fact that we measure the well-being of society using a single statistic. In three books, most recently <a href="https://lorenzofioramonti.org/books/">The World After GDP</a> (2015), he argues that the economic activity captured in gross domestic product (GDP) has been the priority for policies and incentives around the world for the past few decades – with disastrous results.</p>
<p>At <a href="http://www.parliament.scot/visitandlearn/100944.aspx">a recent guest lecture</a> at the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh that was organised by the <a href="http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk">Carnegie UK Trust</a>, Fioramonti told his audience that GDP is a fundamentally flawed measure of economic performance, let alone well-being. </p>
<p>It has been foisted on the world by rich countries, especially the US, and the political interests that they represent. Just as those who live by the sword die by the sword, any democratic government can expect to lose power if it fails to increase GDP. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1040&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1040&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166522/original/file-20170424-23807-8kl085.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1040&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">James Carville, 1992.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Back in 1992 it was <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/carville.html">James Carville</a>, Bill Clinton’s director of strategy, who kept repeating to the future president the phrase: “It’s the economy, stupid”. Carville knew President Bush would struggle to defend his handling of the economy. He insisted Clinton repeatedly raise weak GDP growth to show Bush was failing to lead the country. </p>
<p>Sure enough, it helped win the election. Case closed? Not according to Fioramonti.</p>
<h2>Simplicity and complexities</h2>
<p>Economists like GDP <em>because</em> it is a single statistic. It seems precise. But as Fioramonti pointed out on a day the Scottish parliament <a href="http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10890">had been</a> debating a small fall in Scottish GDP, the initial estimates are always subject to revision. Important variables are only available after taxes have been paid, so the most accurate figures take two or three years. By the time those are published, there probably won’t be any debates in parliament on the subject.</p>
<p>Then there is how to measure GDP. Most countries total all of the income that activities produce, ranging from the wages of individuals to the revenue of companies. But this can lead to all kinds of distortions. Take Ireland, for example. If a UK shopper buys a product online from a retailer domiciled in Ireland, that retailer’s income will be counted as part of Ireland’s GDP. </p>
<p>That would be perfectly reasonable for, say, an Irish shop with a website. But many multinationals put all their European sales through an Irish business unit for tax purposes. Consequently Irish GDP is no longer an accurate measure of the economy’s performance.</p>
<p>When I interviewed Fioramonti after his lecture, he quickly rejected any suggestion that you could solve these problems simply by having a better measure of GDP. This would simply continue to confuse the wealth of the nation with its income, and fail to value other factors important to our well-being such as sustainability. If an offshore drilling company is depleting the Great Barrier Reef, say, focusing on GDP merely continues to prioritise the business success over the environmental damage. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166516/original/file-20170424-25594-1udhrpz.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>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coral not collateral.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stony-coral-colony-soldier-fish-great-41937349?src=4d8qSiR78TeLMF-iJx050w-1-14">Pete Niesen</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From depression to depressing</h2>
<p>Fioramonti linked the primacy of GDP to the development of <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2014/09/basics.htm">Keynesian</a> thought and the perceived need to measure national income after the global slump of the 1930s. His characterisation of the use of GDP in political analysis reminded me of Keynes’ <a href="http://cas2.umkc.edu/economics/people/facultypages/kregel/courses/econ645/winter2011/generaltheory.pdf">claim</a> that “madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back”. </p>
<p>But Fioramonti believes economists cannot shrug off responsibility for politicians’ use of GDP. The Keynesian economists who adopted GDP growth as a policy target after the war ignored Keynes’ own <a href="http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf">critique</a> that monetary values cannot truly measure well-being. And when Keynesian demand management failed to achieve strong GDP growth in the 1960s and 1970s, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/nov/16/post650">neoliberal economists</a> who came to the fore compounded the problem by making that growth an even greater priority. </p>
<p>For Fioramonti, weaning the world off GDP is a little like playing chess: you need to win by accepting the rules and conventions of the game before you can change the game. In other words, you need to demonstrate to advocates that, as in the Irish example, GDP no longer measures well-being. </p>
<p>So far so compelling, but I must admit I struggled with his proposed alternative. Fioramonti envisages a “census of assets” – a 21st-century global <a href="http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk">Domesday Book</a> that would be a record of how people value the assets they need for a good life. It would include everything from jobs to shelter to the surrounding countryside. It would use the language of sustainability and need, and what was included would be subject to a public vote. </p>
<p>I pressed him on how we might value and compare the multiple sources of well-being that are essential to an alternative approach. He was clear it wouldn’t be primarily about assigning monetary values to things. </p>
<p>You would accept that different categories would be measured in different ways and that these would all be part of the mix. Where it made sense you would monitor resource depletion, for instance reducing the value you ascribe to the Great Barrier reef as appropriate.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166518/original/file-20170424-12645-w6fzc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">God Damn Pounds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/finance-concept-stack-coins-gdp-gross-578264188?src=xeL0MP1xI1uddwGh3XlRvQ-1-97">mrfiza</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All these measurements would go towards a national “performance dashboard” – in line with a concept <a href="http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2016/02/pub1455011423.pdf">being promoted</a> by the Carnegie Trust. The trust shares Fioramonti’s <a href="http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/project/measuring-what-matters/">interest</a> in measuring well-being and incidentally sees <a href="http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms">Scotland’s efforts</a> to score its government policies using a wide range of indicators as being at the leading edge. </p>
<p>Our discussion was rapidly going away from economics towards something much broader. Fioramonti said he considers even social interactions to be vital to well-being. I certainly agreed with this, but it highlights a problem of practicality. The challenge for developing Fioramonti’s census will be balancing the easily measurable factors associated with well-being with the broader range that are arguably important. </p>
<p>It is not made easier because Fioramonti and other critics of GDP seem to value dialogue rather than statistical measurement. He talks about beating the economists at their own chess game, but he seems to have left the table after an opening gambit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76473/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Mochrie 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>South African economist is one of leading voices questioning the way we relate everything to a single statistic.Robert Mochrie, Associate Professor of Economics, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/760342017-04-10T13:09:49Z2017-04-10T13:09:49ZScotland’s new film studio may be denied a Hollywood ending by independence<p>Scotland is set to have its first film and TV studio following <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-39486904">a decision</a> by the Scottish parliament to greenlight a proposal for the outskirts of Edinburgh. The £250m <a href="http://scottishinternationalstudios.com">Pentland Studios</a> is expected to house six movie sound stages and hopes to be open for business late next year.</p>
<p>The move can be viewed in different ways. It is a major statement about the country’s future from an SNP government pushing for independence, but is also part of a scramble by the UK’s regions to get in on an industry that has long been dominated by south-east England. At a time when Brexit could produce a gold rush for the UK’s film business, it raises questions about whether Scottish independence could prevent the new studio from fully playing a part. </p>
<p>Considering Scotland’s distinguished screen history, it has long been a curiosity that it does not have a studio. It boasted innovative talents like directors <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0234963/">Bill Douglas</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287025/">Bill Forsyth</a>; writers like <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-john-byrne-writer-1-472964">John Byrne</a> and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/11653606/Irvine-Welsh-I-was-a-heroin-addict-then-I-found-buy-to-let.html">Irvine Welsh</a>; and numerous classic films about aspects of Scottish life such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042040/">Whisky Galore! (1949)</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037800/">I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)</a>; and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064840/">The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164683/original/image-20170410-8869-1s7er6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Och aye.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninian_reid/20566719518/in/photolist-2aL4pZ-5f4NSF-HFghq-rpaDC1-oErQA9-ab3iJg-2cVozQ-dvspQo-aJVVAT-aJVW18-ixiaih-eGX8Xe-eH4gcW-etQxD-oh9XmA-4isNYa-m6gBtv-aURver-G9QTF3-7rcT4A-qn2z9r-xCCJSD-wF1hVU-xC2dHV-xkpPbo-wF9Evv-xkpPuu-xCCJcv-wF9Fri-xC2dyX-xzGFW3-wF1hBC-xC2daa-wF9EJg-xzGFgL-xkw9YZ-xkw9ND-xC2ds4-xBcdkd-xkpMvS-xkwaxV-xkpPSo-xC2dfR-xBcdnY-wF9Eva-wF1he3">Ninian Reid</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But if Scotland has consistently punched above the limited media investment funds available, the creative credits and revenues have drifted towards London and overseas. Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/">Braveheart (1995)</a> delivered most of its US$200m (£161m) box office to the US, despite filming in Scotland for six weeks. Little wonder many have been calling for a Scottish studio for a number of years. </p>
<h2>Boomtime in British film</h2>
<p>The studio plan comes at a time when the UK has developed into a <a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/production-countries/#tab=territory">major global supplier</a> of creative services for film and television. UK film production <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2016.pdf">was worth</a> £1.4 billion in 2015, part of a <a href="http://www.theknowledgeonline.com/the-knowledge-bulletin/post/2016/01/28/stats-show-healthy-film-and-tv-production-spend">general trend upwards</a> over the years. Around £1 billion of the 2015 total came from Hollywood and other foreign producers, attracted by <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/british-certification-tax-relief/cultural-test-film">tax relief</a> and the strength of British production talent.</p>
<p>The Star Wars franchise is now firmly based at <a href="http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/pinewood-studios/stages">Pinewood</a> near London; Stephen Spielberg’s science fiction movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/">Ready Player One</a> was recently <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2016/09/25/heres-your-first-look-at-steven-spielbergs-ready-player-one-filming-in-london-6152068/">shooting in London</a>; and Marvel’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers: Infinity War</a> has taken Captain America to … <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Edinburgh</a>. </p>
<p>Not only does all this shooting provide livelihoods for many scores of people working in the business, it produces a “<a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/education-research/film-industry-statistics-reports/reports/uk-film-economy/economic-contribution-uks-film-sectors">multiplier effect</a>” that benefits everyone from outside caterers to film tourism businesses. The British Film Institute <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/education-research/film-industry-statistics-reports/reports/uk-film-economy/economic-contribution-uks-film-sectors">reckons</a> this multiplier contributes a total of £6 billion to the UK economy, most of it enjoyed by the south-east through studios like <a href="http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/shepperton-studios/stages">Shepperton</a> and <a href="http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/pinewood-studios/stages">Pinewood</a>, home of the famous “007” stage. The Scottish move is one of several regional efforts to take a slice of the action. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164685/original/image-20170410-8873-1lwqco1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pinewood, UK’s biggest studio complex with 31 stages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/121483302@N02/14585995135/in/photolist-odV3bK-6KSvZw-pnfzdt-7t93Rn-29FAqV-68D7N4-68rpqW-81upBS-3MiQFk-81ujP9-81utK5-5EJAT6-81rbrK-81uv4L-8ucqdq-81rpix-6KRqaB-ozxjPW-81rauF-81rdHM-81ueLU-81ufB3-81ufVq-oRKUMi-81r9Mi-81unFq-81r81Z-81rmVv-81uyrq-81rqfH-ozxRae-81rdXV-81umFj-7URALL-81r7uR-81ud5C-81uyab-81redp-81uzEY-9nLrR8-df5aiF-8sdZiw-4ryVkC-T9VpaF-9TCzSB-5UsY1H-81rno8-81r7f8-d7hW3q-81umU7">Global Panorama</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A Yorkshire film studio was recently opened at a former airfield at <a href="http://churchfentonstudios.co.uk">Church Fenton</a> outside Leeds. It is currently filming <a href="http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep8week41/victoria">ITV’s Victoria</a>, the big-budget drama about the formative years of Britain’s 19th-century queen. Down in the south-west of England, meanwhile, the newly created <a href="https://companycheck.co.uk/company/03616896/THE-FULL-PICTURE-COMPANY-LIMITED/companies-house-data">Full Picture Company</a>, run by Bond-franchise art director Peter Lamont, is <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-64119/Plans-new-British-film-studio-announced.html">reported to be</a> planning a new studio complex, too.</p>
<h2>Decentralisation</h2>
<p>These moves have benefited from the fact that the concentration of UK media production near London has become highly politicised. The <a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/review_report_research/vfm/nao_salford.pdf">BBC’s move</a> of certain key activities from London to Salford in the north-west of England in 2013 was the first effort to rebalance the cultural economy. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/01/channel-4-move-location-location-location-manchester-leeds-birmingham">renewed talk</a> also of Channel 4 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/30/channel-4-escape-london-media-bubble-karen-bradley-regional-diversity">being forced</a> to leave its London HQ and making Birmingham or Leeds (or somewhere else) its commissioning epicentre. And in Scotland, the BBC <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39050612">recently announced</a> plans for a dedicated £30m Scottish channel. </p>
<p>This plan sheds further light on the significance of the Pentland decision. A BBC Scotland channel marks a recognition that the corporation’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-bbc-for-the-future-a-broadcaster-of-distinction">public service remit</a> – and licence fee funding – must accommodate an increasingly fractious UK. At the very least, the new Edinburgh complex will likely benefit from BBC Director General Tony Hall’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39053847">stated intention</a> to increase TV production north of the border by £90m over the next three years. </p>
<p>Then there is Brexit. This will relieve the UK of <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/competition/publications/cpb/2014/013_en.pdf">EU competition rules</a> which have restricted its ability to offer tax breaks to films that are in some way “<a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/british-certification-tax-relief/cultural-test-film">culturally British</a>”. The UK has already interpreted this liberally, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26048992">causing controversy</a> for example when sci-fi thriller <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/">Gravity</a> (2013) was ruled a “British film” despite starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and being directed by Mexican Alfonso Cuarón. It’s a fair bet the UK will boost tax incentives to unleash a content production free-for-all after Brexit. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164686/original/image-20170410-8834-a7cm3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freedom?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/elektroschnitzel/32516686644/in/photolist-Rxow5m-LBCDC-nRH3Lp-dXpeMP-cQSLj3-S5L498-5XVMbb-8SP2q4-6A37Bu-TfDD8o-DLCiA-o6HwjT-7Ddxxv-6H3Bzq-9AaP2R-dQ1zTB-aAuDcS-4e1CKb-Ao5q77-fJaTp9-kGmbCX-bVX4YZ-nMDDc9-dV3gaA-ecDnwZ-aiv5oj-9mriqR-9kgPR7-S245oU-4UunWJ-8SNXSX-fe3pVf-ojaaGC-8SNUH4-RR8gNq-3vsPr-8SS2LJ-fEiyuP-8SNYtP-6TzeVv-aZRaoK-pKpr9r-ccbzQ1-8SRP91-8oHx8-quabP7-8SRZXN-7cPn7P-4jJ2Hx-8SNNH2">Das Elektroschnitzel</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, achieves independence and manages to keep Scotland in the EU, this might make it harder to take part in this bonanza. On the other hand, Scotland will for the first time have the real estate and probably the associated critical mass of talent to full exploit <a href="https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/actions/media_en">EU funding</a> to promote the creativity of small nations against the might of Hollywood’s global players. </p>
<p>This helped attract <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/">Game of Thrones</a> to Northern Ireland, for example. Whether Scotland could find a way of having its cake and eating it remains to be seen, and would have to be weighed carefully by voters at the time of any second independence referendum. </p>
<p>So the Scottish studio announcement is perfectly timed to take advantage of the shift in the UK’s cultural economy away from London. It is a statement about Scotland’s own increasing cultural confidence, independence or no. Either it will add much needed capacity to a growing UK industry or it will turn a great location into a rich creative hub for a newly assertive Scottish nation. How this plays out and how it affects the studio’s competitiveness will be fascinating to watch over the next few years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76034/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ed Braman 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>After Brexit, we can expect a tax-breaks bonanza for the UK film industry. This has big implications for Scotland and the EU.Ed Braman, Lecturer in Television Production, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/753522017-03-31T13:59:23Z2017-03-31T13:59:23ZScotland’s dazzling visitor attraction numbers are not quite what they seem<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163348/original/image-20170330-4555-xzi1n8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Castles in the air?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?q=edinburgh%20castle&category=A,S,E&fields_0=all&fields_1=all&imagesonly=1&orientation=both&text=edinburgh%20castle&words_0=all&words_1=all">Jane West/PA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scotland’s visitor attractions are outstripping those in the rest of the UK, <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15183071.National_Museum_of_Scotland_tops_visitor_attractions_in_Scotland_as_nation_outperforms_UK/">according to</a> a new report. They <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=403&codeid=789">recorded</a> a whopping 15.6% increase in visitor numbers between 2015 and 2016 compared to an overall UK increase of 7.2% – growing faster <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=453&codeid=777">for the</a> third <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=453&codeid=756">year in a row</a>. </p>
<p>Led by big increases from Scotland’s two top visitor attractions, Edinburgh Castle (+13%) and the city’s National Museum (+16%), the Scottish government hailed the 2016 figures as outstanding news. Fiona Hyslop, the tourism secretary, said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The success of our leading visitor attractions will continue to play a vital role in making Scotland a destination of first choice for visitors from the UK and across the world. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Unquestionably Scotland has a great range of visitor attractions. “Must-sees” include the <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/glenfinnan-p236571">Glenfinnan Viaduct</a> on the West Highland railway line, made world famous by the Harry Potter films. Then there are battlefields such as nearby <a href="http://www.nts.org.uk/Visit/Culloden">Culloden</a>, where the Jacobites met their <a href="https://theconversation.com/culloden-why-truth-about-battle-for-britain-lay-hidden-for-three-centuries-62398">most famous defeat</a> to British troops in 1745. Not to mention the scores of whisky distilleries in some of the most beautiful settings in the country. </p>
<p>Yet the new figures, published by the <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk">Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA)</a>, look remarkably high to me – especially compared to other key sources. On closer examination, they are exaggerating the reality for Scottish visitor attractions as a whole. </p>
<h2>Who counts what</h2>
<p>ALVA <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=607">only counts</a> 51 Scottish visitor attractions as members out of a total of more than 1,280. Membership criteria require 1m visitors per year and for each site to be considered among the “most popular, iconic and important attractions”. Of the six Scottish attractions that receive 1m annual visitors on their own, only five are ALVA members: the National Museum, Edinburgh Castle, the city’s Scottish National Gallery and Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Riverside Museum. The sixth, St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, is not included. </p>
<p>The remaining Scottish ALVA sites make the count by collectively attracting more than 1m as part of organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, which includes the likes of Culloden and Ayrshire attractions Culzean Castle and Robert Burns’ Birthplace – or the Royal Collection Trust, which includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh. </p>
<p>Look down the ALVA list and you find most attractions located in Scottish cities, with some significant omissions. These include <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/the-falkirk-wheel-p248061">the Falkirk Wheel</a>, which attracts more than half a million visitors per year, and the <a href="http://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk">Royal Yacht Britannia</a> in Edinburgh, which attracts more than 300,000. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163365/original/image-20170330-4551-1rj6tyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Burns’ cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pikerslanefarm/14142907668/in/photolist-nxL6HE-dohTty-RXQzK8-gTWb3A-dohVPs-ec5XyP-ecbC3o-dohU17-ed2868-gTW86q-ec5XiR-ecbBYo-ecbCpA-ed1Emg-ed1Eyp-dohNxk-oBymZm-nS3ija-nQcoty-nQfMZB-6EYmUp-4DP4ch-5vWsRL-4DJMjF-nQcawG-nQ6EcY-dohVeN-gTWtTs-ed1E9c-gTX9xt-dohLMk-dohVUW-dohKYZ-dohWc9-dohMzp-ed7iyf-gTWd5y-dohMjM-oDnoAq-dohVJm-gTWrQ7-dohW3C-dohUmf-dohM6p-dohVxj-dohUS7-gTXcdP-dohUMd-gTWUQD-uCQKK1">Amanda Slater</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The other key source of annual visitor numbers is the <a href="https://www.asva.co.uk">Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA)</a>. With less limiting membership criteria, it currently has 450 members. Its survey includes 249 sites and also monitors visitor spending and associated activities. </p>
<p>The ASVA 2016 report, which is not publicly available, recorded an overall increase in Scottish visitor numbers of 6%. It still shows increases across all regions, particularly in sectors such as heritage and distilleries – though these inevitably mask a more complex picture. Some non-ALVA members are up more than 10% a year, while others experienced small drops – Edinburgh Zoo, for example. </p>
<h2>The underlying story</h2>
<p>So why the big difference in overall growth between the two sets of figures? Many of Scotland’s smaller attractions have not been performing as well as the big-ticket draws, even if they have still been growing. Having said that, the ASVA numbers are a more reliable and representative guide to the overall performance. </p>
<p>All attractions are vulnerable to vagaries such as new exhibitions, temporary closures, improvements in visitor counting tools – and weather and road developments. Because ALVA focuses on a smaller number of sites, such one-offs are more likely to distort the figures. To give one example, the National Museum’s 2016 numbers have been flattered because, after a <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=605">7% drop in 2014</a> and <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=605">4% drop in 2015</a> owing to ten galleries being closed for redevelopment, they reopened in 2016, bringing in more visitors. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163366/original/image-20170330-4578-6devqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Inside the National Museum of Scotland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/su1droot/7398426654/in/photolist-cgLSuf-aLwvH8-94aMZ1-pwqfva-qqzcNB-cUAesW-bdWwke-jDxTzb-aDZGaS-jDxqTn-ajnVce-dVTZr6-jDz5mE-ajqGsU-aLwNvc-jDxjSL-amhRAe-bsFnTm-mZu8eB-bFi59F-RciJgT-a4VotW-RzbP7h-ikQGop-cXiybQ-gyfRzX-5Hufvr-gqee8N-apHUYM-a9jaCU-puomDi-atKC2y-bV29xG-cgLQ4C-7nxwm4-cgLRRm-dVZzF7-jDz3EU-knMd8z-fmZjHL-jDv71Z-jDy857-dPuYVD-s44zPV-jDziWL-cdtVUJ-jA6WYV-jDxnHf-a4VoaL-8m4aAz">Ben Mason</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ignoring the smaller attractions also misses an economic contribution that is more important than it may first appear. Cumulatively these sites help to differentiate a destination, in some cases by offering <a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/rosenscholar/444/">special interest experiences</a>. They help bring socioeconomic benefits to community hotels, shops and other businesses, <a href="http://www.coris.uniroma1.it/sites/default/files/14.28.24_Visitor%20attractions%20and%20events%20Responding%20to%20seasonality.pdf">particularly</a> out of season. </p>
<p>If we go by the ASVA numbers, Scotland’s visitor attractions still compare well to other parts of the UK. VisitBritain’s 2015 survey of 1,459 English sites, the most recent available, <a href="https://www.visitbritain.org/annual-survey-visits-visitor-attractions-latest-results">showed 2% growth</a> compared to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35690252">3.4% growth</a> for Scottish attractions the same year – a modest but noticeable difference, albeit that most of the <a href="http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423">UK’s biggest attractions</a> are still south of the border. The number one ranked British Museum’s 6.4m annual visits far outdoes the National Museum of Scotland’s 1.8m, predominantly due to the volume of visitors and residents in the London area. </p>
<p>All UK tourism has benefited from <a href="http://www.ukinbound.org/about/inbound-tourism">more inbound visitors</a>, but Scottish visitor attractions have also seen substantial <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-tourist-attractions-see-15-rise-in-visitor-numbers-1-4404265">capital investment programmes</a> and collaborate well on training and sharing best practice via member organisations such as ASVA. Scotland has also seen national campaigns like VisitScotland’s <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/about/themed-years/history-heritage-archaeology/">Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017</a>; plus <a href="http://www.visitscotland.org/research_and_statistics/tourism_sectors/film_tourism.aspx">film/TV tourism</a> from the likes of Harry Potter and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3006802/">Outlander</a>. Extra air routes and <a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/ferries/road-equivalent-tariff/">cheaper ferry prices</a> have also helped. </p>
<p>Tourism businesses have also been getting more customer friendly, introducing longer opening hours, better pricing packages and sharper attempts to target millenials – <a href="http://www.nms.ac.uk/about-us/press-office/museum-late-celts/">music nights</a> at the National Museum for example. Scotland is also seen as safer for tourists than the UK – <a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/edinburgh-wins-title-of-uk-s-safest-destination-1-3536909">Edinburgh was voted</a> the country’s safest destination in 2014, for example. </p>
<p>So while the growth of Scotland’s visitor attractions may not be quite as frothy as the ALVA figures suggest, it’s far from disappointing. Indeed, ASVA records a very respectable 16% increase overall since 2013. However welcome the surge at the biggest attractions, this looks like a steady and gradual increase that can be sustained into the future. That is a story well worth telling in its own right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75352/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Leask 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>Are Edinburgh Castle et al really acing their English equivalents?Anna Leask, Professor of Tourism Management, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/709312017-01-06T14:57:47Z2017-01-06T14:57:47ZCrime novel His Bloody Project put Scottish writing back in the spotlight – here is what’s next<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151982/original/image-20170106-29222-zecvza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bound for glory?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-329572652/stock-photo-portrait-of-a-young-caucasian-girl-in-glasses-with-books-on-pink-background.html?src=GGJd14km6yQeCWLehRSlsw-4-19">Masson</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Thanks to the success of Graeme Macrae Burnet’s <a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/books/his-bloody-project-by-graeme-macrae-burnet">His Bloody Project</a>, Scottish literature has returned to prominence lately. The historical novel about a teenage boy who commits a triple murder was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/22/his-bloody-project-sales-booker-shortlist-graeme-macrae-burnet">surprise nominee</a> for the Man Booker Prize and an unexpected bestseller. Published by small Glasgow imprint <a href="http://booksfromscotland.com/2015/10/contraband/">Contraband</a>, it is one of the most successful novels to come out of Scotland in years. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=910&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=910&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151961/original/image-20170106-18650-vafsv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=910&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Burnet reads His Bloody Project.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a country that many like to associate with gritty fare such as <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135836.Trainspotting">Trainspotting</a> and <a href="http://www.ianrankin.net/rebus-books-in-order/">Rebus</a>, where does its writing go from here? Besides various other <a href="https://www.bloodyscotland.com/uncategorized/focus-tartan-noir/">crime writers</a>, the big Scottish noises are mainly established figures such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/aug/26/john-burnside-life-in-writing">John Burnside</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/06/ali-smith-interview-how-to-be-both">Ali Smith</a>. Little attention has been paid to emerging writers in their twenties and thirties. </p>
<p>You might be tempted to believe novelist Kirsty Gunn’s <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scots-authors-face-political-pressure-from-creative-scotland-1-4095679">widely publicised</a> recent <a href="http://www.word-power.co.uk/books/notes-towards-a-national-literature-I9780854111220/">attack</a> on the direction of travel. She accused Scottish literature of having become overly politicised – particularly the way writers are funded by Creative Scotland. She fears the dominance of a nationalist political narrative that awards works that somehow benefit Scottish society or culture rather than artistic merit alone. </p>
<p>While I disagree that there’s a nationalist agenda to blame, I do worry Scottish publishing has become somewhat inward-looking in recent years. With this in mind, here’s what can we expect from the year ahead.</p>
<h2>New work, old guard</h2>
<p>The coming highlights again point to much that is well established – we can expect some high quality. That would include three releases from the always prolific Burnside. There is a collection of poetry, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1110441/still-life-with-feeding-snake/">Still Life with Feeding Snake</a>, and his long-awaited new novel, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1090381/ashland-vine/">Ashland & Vine</a> (both Jonathan Cape). The novel is about a film student who drinks too much and develops an unlikely friendship with an old woman with a lifetime of stories. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151939/original/image-20170106-18656-1ut4vho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What is Utopia?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Little Toller</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also from Burnside is a novella, <a href="https://www.littletoller.co.uk/shop/books/little-toller/havergey/">Havergey</a> (Little Toller), which is set on a remote island and explores the idea of Utopia. Combining the same themes as his best work, environmental destruction and community survival, it may again demonstrate his continued relevance to Scottish and British literature – and resistance to easy classification. </p>
<p>Several new works come from internationally established writers who are under-recognised in their country of origin. A good example is Glasgow crime writer
<a href="http://www.denisemina.com">Denise Mina</a>, who ought to be seen as one of Scotland’s best living novelists. Her historical crime novel The Long Drop (Harvill Secker) received ecstatic <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/mina-moves-harvill-secker-orion-325563">early reader responses</a>. It tells the story of Peter Manuel, a serial killer who lived in 1950s Glasgow, and spent a night with the husband and father of two of his victims before being arrested. </p>
<p>Edinburgh-born writer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/nov/09/interview-shena-mackay">Shena Mackay</a> also falls into this category. Having spent much of her life in London and now based in Southampton, the writer of acclaimed works like <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-orchard-on-fire/shena-mackay/9780349007212">The Orchard Fire</a> (1995) and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1061797.Heligoland">Heligoland</a> (2003) has never received appropriate recognition as a Scottish writer. Virago will this year <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/vrago-acquires-mackay-memoir-and-backlist">publish</a> her memoir and continue to reissue her backlist of 15 novels and collections of short stories. The reissues have begun to cement her reputation as one of the greats, and hopefully the memoir will further showcase her extraordinary talents.</p>
<h2>Villages and islanders</h2>
<p>If Mackay and Mina underline the strength of female Scottish writing, Nan Shepherd’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36111759">prominence</a> on a new Scottish £5 note is a reminder that the classics were not all written by men either. Shepherd’s hillwalking memoir <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-living-mountain/nan-shepherd/robert-macfarlane/9780857861832">The Living Mountain</a> (1944) has become popular in recent years <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30277488">thanks to</a> championing by various other writers, yet her <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grampian-Quartet-Weatherhouse-Grampians-Mountain/dp/0862415896">three Modernist novels</a> about rural north-east Scotland remain under-read outside of Scottish universities. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1165&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1165&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151956/original/image-20170106-18679-1n8uwjq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1165&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Due for reissue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This looks set to change thanks to Canongate’s release of <a href="http://www.canongate.tv/the-weatherhouse-paperback-canons-edition.html">The Weatherhouse</a> (1930) this month. With a new introduction by the Orcadian writer <a href="http://www.canongate.tv/authors/amyliptrot">Amy Liptrot</a>, whose memoir The Outrun was one of last year’s highlights, The Weatherhouse tells the story of a former soldier’s struggle to adjust to village life after returning from the trenches. </p>
<p>Speaking of vital reissues, Peter Mackay and Iain Macpherson’s <a href="http://www.luath.co.uk/the-light-blue-book.html">The Light Blue Book: 500 Years of Gaelic Love and Transgressive Poetry</a> (Luath) stretches this theme of inclusion to Gaelic verse. It came out just before the turn of the year and challenges popular conceptions with material “that ranges from the suggestive to the erotic to the downright rude”. </p>
<p>On the same theme of minority literatures, the veteran p<a href="http://www.luath.co.uk/a-hundir-inboos-till-a-diein-lied.html">oet Robert Alan Jamieson’s</a> A Hundir Inboos till a Diein Lied: A Poetic Voyage Through the (Linguistic) Margins of Europe (Luath) is set to combine original poems in Shetlandic with translations of work from other marginalised languages, including Hungarian, Icelandic, and Catalan. </p>
<h2>The way ahead</h2>
<p>But if these various releases are important and interesting in different ways, none address the deficit I mentioned at the beginning. The good news is there are also a couple of promising signs of where Scottish writing goes next. </p>
<p>One is Glasgow’s small publishing house <a href="http://www.freightbooks.co.uk">Freight Books</a>. Jim Carruth’s <a href="http://freightbooks.co.uk/killochries-by-jim-carruth.html">Killochries</a> was one of the most important books of 2015, for example, stretching the boundaries of what Scottish poetry can do in the form of a verse-novel. This year Freight is publishing Carruth’s second full-length collection, <a href="http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/black-cart,jim-carruth-9781911332350">Black Cart</a>, which focuses again on his rural upbringing near Glasgow and looks set for a larger audience. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151958/original/image-20170106-18641-bnray2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rachel McCrum.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also on Freight will be <a href="http://dangerouswomenproject.org/2016/04/16/the-first-blast/">The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate</a>, the first collection by Rachel McCrum, one of the co-founders of the scene-defining <a href="https://rallyandbroad.com">Rally and Broad</a>, a Scottish spoken word/musical cabaret show. </p>
<p>Yet the most discussed upcoming publication of the year is by new publishing venture <a href="http://www.404ink.com/about/">404 Ink</a>, which incidentally received funding from Creative Scotland. This month it <a href="http://www.404ink.com/nasty-women-coming-2017/">launched</a> a crowdfunding pitch for its first collection of essays, Nasty Women, and met its target in less than three days. </p>
<p>Nasty Women will showcase a wide array of female voices, many of them new writers, focusing on intolerance and inequality to cover everything from Trump’s America to pregnancy. Like Freight, the arrival of 404 Ink is a sign that when we talk about cutting-edge Scottish publishing, the small publishers are increasingly defining the scene.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70931/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy C. Baker 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>Despite the political renaissance, Scotland’s literature is in need of new blood.Timothy C. Baker, Senior Lecturer, Scottish and Contemporary Literature, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/706102016-12-20T11:20:55Z2016-12-20T11:20:55ZCEOs sleeping on streets for charity is a good idea – if you spend proceeds wisely<p>Hundreds of business leaders <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38328702">recently spent</a> a night sleeping outside in central Edinburgh, Scotland, to raise funds for homeless people. They were joined by Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy and were served breakfast by the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Organised by sandwich chain and social business <a href="http://social-bite.co.uk/whats-a-social-business/">Social Bite</a>, the aim was to raise half a million pounds for a “homeless village” on the outskirts of the city, where eco-friendly “<a href="https://tinyhousescotland.co.uk/social-bite-tiny-house-village-fundraising/">tiny houses</a>” will accommodate 20 homeless people. </p>
<p>The sleep-out prompted a welcome conversation about homelessness among business leaders, politicians and the public and brought together a wide coalition of people wanting to help. The appeal of initiatives like the homeless village that offer a practical solution to a very visible social problem is clear, especially at Christmas time, and the underlying message that we can end rough sleeping chimes with <a href="http://www.ighomelessness.org/single-post/2016/06/09/Were-Going-To-Help-150-Cities-End-Street-Homelessness-by-2030-Heres-how">a movement</a> in 150 cities worldwide. Since Social Bite is a young five-outlet chain with ambitions to expand, its Edinburgh village may be the first of many.</p>
<p>Good intentions are not enough, however: altruism <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-become-a-really-effective-altruist-53684">must also be</a> effective. People developing and supporting new homelessness interventions have an obligation to take account of lessons we’ve already learned from <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poverty-causes-costs-and-solutions">existing projects and research</a>. Social Bite does so in several ways, but departs in one crucial respect. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150754/original/image-20161219-24271-1krgk87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scottish business brass hunkering down in Charlotte Square.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?q=social%20bite%20homeless&category=A,S,E&fields_0=all&fields_1=all&imagesonly=1&orientation=both&words_0=all&words_1=all">Jane Barlow/PA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What matters</h2>
<p>Rough sleepers are extremely vulnerable. Many have previously experienced trauma, while levels of mental ill health and substance misuse are disproportionately high. For support to be effective it needs to be long term, persistent, flexible and co-ordinated. Innovative approaches must include intensive support provision, as the Social Bite village plans to. </p>
<p>When it comes to employment, homelessness initiatives need to focus on enabling people to access mainstream opportunities. Employment sometimes needs to wait until housing, mental health and addiction issues are stabilised, but with support many former rough sleepers will be able to work. </p>
<p>Employers need to be willing to recruit staff from these backgrounds, some of whom will have an offending history; and they need to offer them support, likely backed by specialist organisations. Social Bite’s cafes, which employ people who have been homeless and provide the necessary support, offer a welcome example of this approach. </p>
<p>Turning to places to stay, traditional hostels and other temporary accommodation have been concentrating homeless people together for decades, which can hinder recovery from poor mental health or addiction. The <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poverty-causes-costs-and-solutions">evidence</a> increasingly suggests homeless people should instead be reintegrated into mainstream housing as quickly as possible. The idea of a homeless village seems in tension with this. </p>
<p>Two other lessons are worth emphasising. It is not clear how Edinburgh’s proposed homeless village stacks up against them, but those developing the model should make use of available research. First, interventions need to focus on people’s strengths and aspirations, not just their needs and problems. This underpins <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poverty-causes-costs-and-solutions">well evidenced</a> recovery models for people with mental health and substance misuse problems and also those seeking to help former offenders avoid reoffending. </p>
<p>Also, poverty is a key underlying driver of homelessness. It needs to be addressed directly to ensure people don’t end up homeless again. This entails both individually tailored support and a systemic and political response to ensure the housing market, job market and welfare system work for people. </p>
<h2>What works</h2>
<p>Several existing programmes embody these research-based principles. One is <a href="http://www.pathwayshousingfirst.org">Housing First</a>, developed in New York in the 1990s by homelessness support organisation Pathways to Housing. Unlike traditional models which require rough sleepers to navigate stages of transitional housing before “graduating” into mainstream accommodation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-drug-free-shouldnt-be-a-requirement-to-receive-housing-34176">Housing First</a> takes people directly from the street to mainstream permanent housing. Accommodation is in normal neighbourhoods rather than homelessness-specific schemes, backed by intensive long-term support to address issues that might risk the tenancy. </p>
<p>Housing First’s effectiveness is now <a href="https://i-sphere.org/2016/08/19/select-committee-report-misses-opportunity-to-be-radical-on-homelessness/">very well established</a>. It has been replicated in different parts of the US and also <a href="http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/sites/default/files/mhcc_at_home_report_national_cross-site_eng_2_0.pdf">Canada</a>, <a href="http://www.habitat.hu/files/FinalReportHousingFirstEurope.pdf">mainland Europe</a> and the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/media/chp/documents/2015/Housing%20First%20England%20Report%20February%202015.pdf">UK</a>. </p>
<p>Another scheme is the <a href="https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/individual-placement-and-support">Individual Placement and Support</a> model of supported employment. Also developed in the US, it employs a similar approach to enabling people with complex needs to access and sustain work. It places, supports and trains people in ordinary employment settings – in contrast to the “train and place” approaches that still dominate many employability programmes. The model was originally aimed at people with severe mental health conditions but has been <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/poverty-and-mental-health">successfully adapted</a> for people with drug or alcohol problems. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150956/original/image-20161220-26715-1mmv8sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hard times.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/16519341520/in/photolist-raKWH7-GTF2MZ-oGRPp-ybRJD-qNufte-roCJtM-8uGX3L-4T5Mfb-8uGQK1-79mZQ8-sLARt-qSdtCd-8uE7GR-dQCnv9-fd4kgb-6fxFjs-b8wwix-aeGiNs-hS8jb1-8uE8bM-H6MAV5-4ZVREH-ojyf3f-9JNLKB-9JRKxS-ojsZAB-omvFiD-omvEw8-9JNTze-ojHzs7-ojsZA6-o3h9Ci-ojyfTJ-ojHDi3-omvGLt-o3gbd5-9JNKs6-o3fUjd-ohHU7C-ojHDQ5-omvELr-ojt3F4-4zcGbM-ojKyR6-pJNDQT-ojKz8i-9JRAUY-x3xxZG-omvHZv-ojKBWe">Duncan C</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One final example is community hosting, where volunteer private households make spare rooms available to someone who might otherwise end up on the street. In the UK <a href="https://uk.depaulcharity.org/NightstopUK">Nightstop</a> offers short-term emergency accommodation, for example, while <a href="http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_work/supported-lodgings.htm">Supported Lodgings</a> schemes offer placements of up to several years. Both host and guest receive support from specialist organisations. </p>
<p>Community hosting is most often used to help young people at risk of homelessness avoid more institutional accommodation that might hinder rather than help their transition to adulthood. Research has <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7861/makingadifference.pdf">clearly demonstrated</a> that this too achieves more positive outcomes than hostel-type accommodation.</p>
<p>Despite the good intentions of the Social Bite sleep-out and its success in raising awareness of homelessness, aspects of its proposal for a homeless village do not follow the same direction of travel as these other programmes. The context is that Westminster-led welfare reforms and council budget cuts since 2010 mean that people on already low incomes are <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/homelessness-monitor-2015-scotland">increasingly struggling</a> to meet the costs of housing. This makes it even more important that business leaders and politicians back evidence-based responses and that initiatives like Social Bite’s achieve the best possible outcomes for homeless people with the funds they raise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beth Watts receives funding from the ESRC, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Crisis. </span></em></p>A fundraising initiative in Scotland has made headlines, but good intentions are not enough when it comes to helping vulnerable people.Beth Watts, Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/702282016-12-12T17:21:57Z2016-12-12T17:21:57ZFive ethical Xmas presents where no one ends up with a goat<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149448/original/image-20161209-31405-mbtls6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Goaty McGoatface.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-57844315.html">WilleeCole Photography</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s the time of year where retailers bombard us with advertisements and special offers of magical gifts to delight our nearest and dearest. But let’s be honest: Christmas gifts often have little purpose beyond the experience of handing them over. They’ll end up in landfill, taking hundreds of years to decompose, slowly oozing out methane gas and contributing to climate change all the while. </p>
<p>And that’s before you consider how these products reached high street shelves in the first place. Santa’s elves are often factory workers in poor countries working for long hours for little reward, though exploitation happens in developed countries, too – delivery drivers in the UK were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/20/road-safety-risk-tired-black-friday-delivery-drivers-health-and-safety-executive">recently revealed</a> to have worked 20 days without a day off to cope with Black Friday orders, for example. </p>
<p>Most of us are aware of these things, of course, but don’t act on them when it comes to Christmas presents. Perhaps we would if we realised that buying ethical presents can enrich the experience for everyone involved. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149446/original/image-20161209-31391-125fqe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Feed the tree.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-164612990/stock-photo-beautifully-decorated-christmas-tree-with-many-presents-under-it.html?src=ONowAEN8SEvwPMdApSxDGw-1-18">luminast</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0267257X.2016.1167108">From interviews I conducted</a>, I found people took extra pleasure in the back stories to ethical gifts they had previously received – from the novelty of pineapple waste <a href="https://www.fastcoexist.com/3059190/this-gorgeous-sustainable-leather-is-made-from-pineapple-waste">being converted</a> into accessories, to reading their children stories from workers in faraway countries who had made their gifts sustainably. “Cleaner” production behind the gift also meant both giver and recipient were more connected to the product. </p>
<p>And yet the trick is to still give something that the recipient will want – some research <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-014-2076-0">suggests</a> that people avoid giving ethical gifts for fear of it being taken the wrong way. <a href="http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfam-unwrapped/animal-lovers/goat-ou9010ml">Giving a goat</a> might be a nice way of making a charitable donation to people in poorer countries, but it’s not a gift to the person receiving it. So here are my five gift suggestions for making someone feel warm and fuzzy on Christmas morning while tearing off some wrapping paper at the same time. </p>
<h2>1. Remakery</h2>
<p>Remakery centres dedicated to repairing and reusing old products have been catching on in recent years. London <a href="http://remakery.org">has at least</a> one, for example, while I’m aware of five in Scotland. My local <a href="http://www.edinburghremakery.org.uk">Edinburgh Remakery</a> not only sells upcycled and second-hand products but holds workshops teaching people how to repair broken items in their home, covering everything from computers to furniture to books. It also accepts used goods which the team upcycle and sell in the shop. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149442/original/image-20161209-31383-u94oho.png?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">‘We can mend it, we can fix it …’</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Authentic artisans</h2>
<p>The hipster movement might have brought us the likes of the notorious <a href="https://theconversation.com/cereal-killer-cafe-attack-whos-wrong-and-whos-right-in-the-great-gentrification-battle-48293">Cereal Killer Café</a> in London, but it has also spurred any number of creative initiatives that celebrate artisan products. Take <a href="https://ubrew.cc">U-Brew</a>, for example, a brewery where customers become the brewers by attending courses and then making their beer at sites in London, Manchester and Berlin. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149443/original/image-20161209-31405-i5uad9.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">Beer we go.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-390989926/stock-photo-unrecognizable-man-in-process-of-beer-brewing-bottles-on-foreground.html?src=Ey_2_TVqv8qWn70Nz06vrw-1-15">Click and Photo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For those that want, it could even be the first batch in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/03/uk-breweries-on-rise-craft-beer-sales-surge">their own craft beer business</a>. Alternatively, develop an ale yourself in honour of your recipient for the perfect personalised gift – just don’t expect it to be ready for this Christmas. </p>
<h2>3. Local design collectives</h2>
<p>Visit any craft fair and you’ll find creatives and artisans aplenty – not surprising when they can’t afford the high street. But increasingly designers are also coming together in retail spaces as collectives to cover the cost of rent. </p>
<p>A good example is <a href="http://www.snoopersattic.co.uk/">Snooper’s Attic</a> in Brighton, which sells a wide variety of locally designed and produced goods including jewellery, homewares and clothes. As well as offering novel and unique designs that you won’t find elsewhere, many of these wares use reclaimed or sustainable materials. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149469/original/image-20161209-31352-1sizeea.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">Brighton’s finest.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Supporting collectives like these provide employment for young local designers. It gives them an alternative to unpaid internships in bigger cities, while registering a protest against unfair trade at the same time. </p>
<h2>4. Vintage verve</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149444/original/image-20161209-31379-wrdksw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Old is bold.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-321114212/stock-photo-vintage-gramophone-retro-music-concept.html?src=VBiDVCqpz97IvwS3DrCSgA-1-43">Sunny Studio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From gramophones to A-line skirts to art deco tea sets, buying vintage is cool again – as social commentator Peter York told us at length in his recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b081v950">Hipster’s Handbook</a> series on BBC 4. It not only provides a unique and quirky gift experience, it’s another way of putting money into the hands of local owners. With charity shops also reaping the vintage revival, it extends product lifespans and reduces landfill. </p>
<p>It’s true that vintage shopping may often be more time consuming than the high street (though some have an online outlet), but the treasures that you can find more than make up for it. My most recent discovery was a pair of Japanese binoculars from World War II, still in their original case. </p>
<h2>5. Make something</h2>
<p>Your mum probably still has the cards and drawings you gave her when you were little, and she will never throw them out. And remember getting a mixed tape from a boy/girl and how special that felt? </p>
<p>In both cases, the value was in the giver spending time thinking about someone and creating something just for them. Christmas is the ideal opportunity to tap into some of that magic, whether it’s jams, infused oils, cakes or biscuits – or even paintings, photograph collections or baskets. Personally I have my knitting needles out, just the thing for a cold wintry night.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70228/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elaine Ritch completed this research during her doctoral studies at Queen Margaret University </span></em></p>Sorry kids, these gift ideas are closer to home.Elaine L Ritch, Lecturer in Fashion Marketing, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/667212016-10-12T15:03:14Z2016-10-12T15:03:14ZThe story behind Scotland’s art is not being told – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141438/original/image-20161012-13467-1btxwjn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Peter Graham: Wandering Shadows (1878). </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Graham_-_Wandering_Shadows_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Catalans tell their story to the world at the <a href="http://elbornculturaimemoria.barcelona.cat/en/the-center/">El Born</a> Cultural and Memorial Centre in Barcelona. It tells of how the Bourbon Philip V defeated them in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-the-Spanish-Succession">Spanish War of Succession</a> in 1714. He then abolished Catalan constitutions, parliament and rights; suppressed their universities; and ended administrative use of the language. He demolished nearly a fifth of Barcelona – including the site of the centre. </p>
<p>This conscious destruction of identity has been bitterly resented by the people ever since. El Born condemns the past and celebrates modern Catalan culture as a continuity with the old times before the war. This imbues everything at El Born from the text on the entrance panel that says “nothing was ever the same” after the fall of Barcelona, to the restaurant menu that offers Philip V’s entrails. </p>
<p>Everyone in Catalonia buys into this narrative, regardless of their support for independence. The people know who they are, what they lost, what they want back. </p>
<p>In Edinburgh, meanwhile, the National Gallery of Scotland is <a href="http://www.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsheets/S4/SB_15-62_National_Galleries_of_Scotland_Bill.pdf">gearing up</a> for a major expansion. It is rebuilding a “Scottish wing” and its collection of Scottish art is currently not on display. Will there be a similar approach to El Born? I very much doubt it. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141411/original/image-20161012-13464-7pbhb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Inside El Born: ruins of old Barcelona.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ckorange/15574971028/in/photolist-pJiNgf-gipmFY-eGanZX-g1Ndms-g1MK4b-g1MJxj-g1MmXr-g1NEBJ-fN3EHB-fNknwm-fNMsAo-fNkuPL-fN3Mep-fNPzF1-fNkfBw-fNx1ma-g1MDv4-jwodeV-jHLVUv-g1MG5q-X9A2r-55mKtj-BfTDqF-fNkfu5-fNkfco-fNPzhy-fNkmZs-fNkneq-fNuTye-fN3Dt2-fN3F2g-fNkmJQ-fNx19M-eczwTV-fNkuzS-fN3LGp-fNPzyE-fNkeWU-fNPz5J-fNkn7u-fNMsq1-6b6ku9-w35VUY-fNuSS6-fUb6Nc-Jd3bxb-pvxGwd-7jMSXn-g1MnEs-N9noA">Luca Cerabona</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Not coming soon</h2>
<p>Were Scotland’s national gallery to follow that Catalan model, you might see a <a href="http://www.pictishstones.org.uk">Pictish standing stone</a> by the entrance next to Kate Whiteford’s <a href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/kate-whiteford-land-drawings-installations-excavations/1996069.article">drawings</a> of Calton Hill in Edinburgh. An opening panel might read:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Scotland was for centuries a small but successful independent European country. Like Holland it was a Calvinist trading nation. Its art too had Low Countries parallels. </p>
<p>But following disastrous overseas speculation, Scotland was refused financial support and some proposed political union with England. Many were opposed but the vote was corrupt. The nobles sold Scotland for English gold and nothing was ever the same again.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141413/original/image-20161012-13501-j4tytd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">William Aikman self portrait.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Aikman_(painter)#/media/File:William_Aikman.jpg">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Visitors might walk through to paintings to illustrate <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/j/artist/george-jamesone/object/george-jamesone-1589-1590-1644-portrait-painter-self-portrait-pg-2361">George Jamesone’s</a> primacy in the 16th/17th century, alongside his contemporary <a href="http://artuk.org/discover/artists/wright-john-michael-16171694">John Michael Wright</a>. A portrait comparison of <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/m/artist/sir-john-baptiste-de-medina/object/sir-john-baptiste-de-medina-1659-1710-portrait-painter-self-portrait-pg-1555">John de Medina</a> and <a href="https://www.artuk.org/discover/artists/aikman-william-16821731">William Aikman</a> might explain that while Medina could not keep up with demand in culturally vibrant pre-<a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/act-of-union-1707/">Union</a> Scotland, Aikman had to make his living in London a few years later because Scotland had been stripped of patronage. </p>
<p>The tale could continue with <a href="http://artuk.org/discover/artists/ramsay-allan-17131784">Allan Ramsay</a> the primary portrait painter of Europe in the 18th century, lured to the royal court in London despite an upbringing steeped in Scottish cultural identity; and <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sir-henry-raeburn">Henry Raeburn</a>, 18th/19th century chronicler of a Scottish egalitarianism that contrasts with class-ridden England. </p>
<p>There would be <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/w/artist/sir-david-wilkie/object/sir-david-wilkie-1785-1841-artist-self-portrait-pg-573">David Wilkie</a>, the inventor of modern genre painting; <a href="http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst1716.html">GP Chalmers</a> and <a href="http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp07468/sir-george-reid">George Reid</a>, who brought modern continental art to Scotland at a time when nationalist England ignored it. Then <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/g/artist/sir-james-guthrie">James Guthrie</a>, <a href="http://artuk.org/discover/artists/lavery-john-18561941">John Lavery</a> and the French influence. The <a href="http://www.scottishcolourists.co.uk/history-of-the-movement/">Colourists</a> and Modernism. Nothing in the gallery would ever mention England except to point out Scotland’s artistic independence and/or superiority. </p>
<h2>Wha’s like us?</h2>
<p>It is not the artists that will probably be missing from this display but the narrative. The gallery is unlikely to emphasise that the pre-Union paintings were created in an independent country; that the 18th century artists were increasingly seeking to fit British sensibilities; that the Highland romance in many later works came out of a colonised state desperately trying to find its own identity. And make no mistake: not acknowledging these things is no less political than the alternative.</p>
<p>The problem is that Scots do not have a single shared identity like the Catalans, viewing the past with the same emotion and seeing a continuity with the present. Scotland’s modern identity was not born in outside oppression but through a vote <a href="http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Act-of-Union/">of sorts</a>. Post-Union Scotland was not immediately a victim of oppression, murder and discrimination so there was no shared “enemy”. </p>
<p>Scots often find it faintly awkward that their heroic achievements relate to constant war with England, either because they feel happily part of Britain or are repeatedly assured by Scottish nationalist politicians that independence is not anti-English. It is complex where Catalan nationalism can be anti-Spanish plain and simple. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1039&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1039&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1039&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1306&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1306&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141432/original/image-20161012-13501-1ltqfnx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1306&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Highland Landscape (1835).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Scotland’s nearest thing to a unifying identity is Highlandism: the romantic ideal of the noble clansman and his spectacular surroundings that was championed above all by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/6ybQ7x2H4s0LF0ZlL8jKj0/walter-scott">Walter Scott</a> – the Horatio McCulloch landscape opposite is an example of the art that followed. </p>
<p>But to most people nowadays Highlandism is a manufactured monster of tartan gonks, Nessie, Harry Lauder and kitsch which is no less uncomfortable. Many Scots seem to prefer insisting they are a cool mid-atlantic internationalist people and nothing else. </p>
<p>My own view is that Scots should not throw away the past, no matter how embarrassing or awkward. Scotland invented Highlandism <a href="http://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/eclipse-of-scottish-culture/author/beveridge-and-turnbull/">because</a> its own culture had been ignored by London and <a href="http://www.historytoday.com/ian-bradley/britishness-scottish-invention">suppressed by</a> many leading Scots in the years after Union. </p>
<p>Rejecting it is siding with Irvine Welsh’s Rent Boy in Trainspotting saying “it’s shite being Scottish”. Behind his nihilistic attack on Scotland as the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-F5dmRV5Bc">Land of the Mountain and the Flood</a>” is really an impotent anger at having nothing to put in its place. Accept it and Scotland has no past of its own, only present. Yet Scotland’s identity is not nothing. It is Walter Scott, Jacobites, Presbyterians, Dalriada, Gaels, Samuel Smiles, Catholicism, Glencoe, internationalism, Clearances, Enlightenment, Doric and much more. </p>
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<p>Some might argue your visual artistic culture doesn’t need to tell your national story. Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, the writer and politician, famously <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/209/614.html">said</a> in 1703 that “if a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation”. He appears to be suggesting culture can survive and define a people without statehood. </p>
<p>Madrid’s willingness to tolerate El Born’s violently anti-Spanish rhetoric certainly supports such a reading. “Sing all the ballads you like, display all the paintings you want”, Madrid is saying to the Catalans, “just don’t vote”. </p>
<p>Ultimately I reject Madrid’s implication that identity is powerless if expressed only through culture. I think what Fletcher is actually saying is that culture is in effect a resistance movement. It is not vulnerable to short term changes in law or lawmakers. It is who we were, who we are and what we will ultimately be. How we present our culture, how we construct our resistance, is very important indeed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66721/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Morrison 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 Catalans have no trouble telling their story of oppression through culture. The Scots find it trickier.John Morrison, Head of School, Divinity, History and Philosophy, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/659002016-09-22T14:38:20Z2016-09-22T14:38:20ZThe songs of Robert Burns: how we recreated what they originally sounded like<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138794/original/image-20160922-22530-142s974.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alexander Nasmyth's Robert Burns, 1828. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns#/media/File:Alexander_Nasmyth_-_Robert_Burns,_1759_-_1796._Poet_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">Wikimedia</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ae Fond Kiss, Auld Lang Syne, O My Love’s Like a Red, Red Rose – all celebrated Robert Burns songs. Many Scots will have a favourite performance, too: maybe <a href="http://www.eddireader.co.uk/music/the-songs-of-robert-burns-deluxe-edition">Eddie Reader’s</a> characterful renditions or <a href="https://songoftheisles.com/tag/dick-gaughan/">Dick Gaughan’s</a> more epic performances or <a href="http://es.redmp3.su/versii-pesni/3988045.20610250.21672679.23197409.23628040.24257971.28291222.20450476/kenneth-mckellar-ae-fond-kiss.html">Kenneth McKellar’s</a> White Heather Club interpretations. </p>
<p>Yet none of these are as the songs would have sounded towards the end of the 18th century. Burns collected and wrote the vast majority of his songs for two rather prestigious collections: the six volume Scots Musical Museum published by Edinburgh printer James Johnson and George Thomson’s opulent Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs. </p>
<p>Both came with rather classical arrangements by the likes of Joseph Haydn and Beethoven, aimed at a highbrow audience. It wouldn’t have been Burns’ farmer friends purchasing such books but rather his subscribers, patrons and merchant friends. Eddie Reader fans might want to brace themselves. </p>
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<h2>The project</h2>
<p>We have been working on Burns’ songs as part of a five-year <a href="http://burnsc21.glasgow.ac.uk/">research project</a> called Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century. To explore where they came from, we enlisted 11 music students to produce 25 recordings using the two original publications as our performance texts (included below are two lesser known songs: Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat and Scroggam, My Dearie). </p>
<p>Through a series of workshops they learned what an 18th-century singing lesson would have been like and how 18th-century dress might have affected their breathing or playing. They worked on the songs with professional coaching, using instruments of the time: gut-stringed violins and cellos, harpsichord and an early version of the piano called the fortepiano. To add a sense of period environment, we recorded the performances at Glasgow’s Pollok House – not a venue that Burns visited himself, but one built during his lifetime. </p>
<p>Everyone found it challenging to perform the songs with their original instrumental accompaniments and sometimes they needed to amend things that didn’t work comfortably. Several performers struggled with the keys of the songs – often the singer was having to sing in too high a key or where the melodies ranged between very high and low notes. This was common for fiddle tunes, which were often the melodic basis of Burns’ songs. </p>
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<p>What was really noticeable was how difficult some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-auld-lang-syne-switched-tunes-en-route-to-world-domination-52556">Thomson accompaniments</a> were. They demanded that players could read music fluently and play to a high level of skill. This would have been a problem for many amateur players in Burns’ day, since these publications were intended to encourage people to play the songs at home. </p>
<p>Incidentally the original compositions were even more complicated: Thomson <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-reception-of-robert-burns-in-europe-9781441170316/">had to</a> ask the likes of Beethoven to supply him with simpler piano parts for the young ladies of Edinburgh. (The Scots Musical Museum songs are musically simpler and not so prescriptive, so there’s more choice in how you perform them.)</p>
<h2>The real Burns needn’t stand up</h2>
<p>There is little doubt that Burns enjoyed and was inspired by a good song whether in his own front room, at the harvest or in his local howff. But after he first visited Edinburgh in 1787 and met James Johnson, he was inspired by performances in the city’s drawing rooms and performed his poetry to people who both produced and bought the song collections of the day. </p>
<p>When he was asked to contribute songs for two of these collections, he <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QZonCAXh3O4C&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=%22the+impulse+of+Enthusiasm%22+Burns&source=bl&ots=vZlMafZBO-&sig=hMcSwkD4mYEo3d4GArddUK_8pg4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM7ryF76LPAhXCDsAKHc4yCpcQ6AEIKjAF#v=onepage&q=%22the%20impulse%20of%20Enthusiasm%22%20Burns&f=false">threw himself into it with</a> “the impulse of enthusiasm”, as he put it, contributing many old fiddle standards and in many cases writing entirely new words for them. </p>
<p>All subsequent editions of Burns removed the original accompaniments and published only words with melodies or names of tunes alongside. This enabled lots of different kinds of performances, which meant later Burns enthusiasts could locate the music in a setting more “in tune” with the common man – keeping the songs very much alive in popular music culture along the way. </p>
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<p>There’s certainly nothing wrong with this direction of travel, so long as we recognise how these songs originally sounded. We really hope people will enjoy the songs we’ve recorded, even if these fancy original accompaniments might not be everyone’s cup of tea. </p>
<p>But we are being untrue to the great man if we don’t acknowledge that his songs first appeared to his own public in this way. We ought to pause and appreciate them for what they are.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65900/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>After the Scottish bard mixed with Edinburgh high society, he started dabbling with Beethoven.Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/647082016-08-31T15:45:11Z2016-08-31T15:45:11ZCities will just be playgrounds for rich if poor keep being pushed to suburbs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136133/original/image-20160831-30762-1lolr1f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are you being served?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tcatcarson/3035622814/in/photolist-5CfmUo-5Cb4jr-8jas8c-gBpPRP-cikbRh-8dQFiw-8fxg81-aEsL7N-8jdG7b-2XGKHX-9YTCFo-9YTBuq-eXXfXP-7EEpui-8jdFbS-8jarn2-5BPKEQ-b75nQ-eY9buQ-8xoiQL-bxTd1-8xkhiF-7EEce2-7EJ5HC-8xkhvD-6k7aM8-83asGv-4hhX5c-3watS-bM55gp-83asKF-5BFWEp-PATKi-nJGWv-a8sa5f-b6bBYH-9f7FGi-78Hyim-PQSSH-78DGWa-78Hy1h-78Kruu-78DFJt-nFAXD-78HxJs-578dxr-83dBjo-78FzV4-78DHcM-78HA2s">Lee Carson</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Successive <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Cities">governments</a> in Europe have <a href="http://urbanagendaforthe.eu/introduction/">impressive visions</a> for the future of our cities. These reject the divisive urban model of earlier decades, where richer people moved to low-density, car-dependent suburbs, leaving inner cities predominantly to the poor.</p>
<p>In the sustainable cities of the future, the vision is to attract richer people back to city centres. This will reduce their need to travel and increase public transport use. Importantly, these movements are supposed to bring about more mixed communities of people from different walks of life, living alongside one another harmoniously. </p>
<p>To achieve this urban renaissance, the UK has, for example, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-initiatives-to-help-build-more-new-homes-on-brownfield-land">been directing</a> housing development towards brownfield sites in the core of cities, limiting greenfield development at the edge. It has also been among those pushing substantial investment through urban regeneration schemes in land preparation or infrastructure. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/publicpolicypractice/State,of,Cities,V1.pdf">Sure enough</a>, this has halted and in some cases reversed the population losses which core cities have experienced for decades as richer people have been attracted back to the centres. Yet poorer people are being pushed out; poverty is “suburbanising”. We have seen this pattern <a href="http://confrontingsuburbanpoverty.org">in the US</a> and more recently <a href="http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/book/poverty-in-suburbia-a-smith-institure-study-into-the-growth-of-poverty-in-the-suburbs-of-england-and-wles/">in England</a>, particularly <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/poverty-housing-london-fenton/">London</a>.</p>
<p>Scotland’s four largest cities are also experiencing this trend, as <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD">new data</a> confirms. In Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, the share of each city’s population living near the centre either stayed the same or rose between 2004 and 2016. At the same time, the proportion of poorer people has been falling (see graphs below). </p>
<p><strong>Income-deprived population living in central city (%)</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136126/original/image-20160831-30804-sawq0d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p><strong>Non-deprived population living in central city (%)</strong></p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136127/original/image-20160831-30794-obshi3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>The central area of Edinburgh has seen a loss of approximately 4,000 people in low income households over the period. In Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, where this trend <a href="https://www.aqmen.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RB5-poverty-suburbia.pdf">has been identified</a> before, the figure is approximately 6,000. For <a href="http://rpubs.com/JonMinton/200186">the smaller cities</a> of Aberdeen and Dundee, the losses were around 400 and 700 respectively.</p>
<h2>Segregation</h2>
<p>What is driving this change? As city living has become more popular, poorer households are finding it harder to compete for housing. Social housing stock <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00485857.pdf">has fallen</a> for decades, meaning those in poverty are having to rely more on renting privately. When cities attract wealthier people, landlords can charge rents that poorer people struggle to afford. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, recent welfare reforms have <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/impact-welfare-reform-social-landlords-and-tenants">successively cut</a> the housing benefits that subsidise rent payments for those on low incomes – at the same time as inequality levels <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/scottish-income-inequality-surges-as-rich-get-richer-a7107756.html">have been rising</a> more generally. The net result is that these people are pushed towards cheaper areas, away from the more central neighbourhoods. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136134/original/image-20160831-30780-1sruvho.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’s Royal Mile.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyramdin/17380108475/in/photolist-stPAJF-nV6hQE-dMrtmQ-dKpcKx-nUTofk-cZ2a39-c1GCiU-dkPccG-nCJ5du-dky4Yh-e2wvxL-dKKmz3-cTxhiJ-nFmLBm-nKjZyW-nCG8hu-nV6haS-o1CnSp-d3VEhf-nCLeX4-GBVrXC-nXJUdr-nX2cFP-GBVsvw-nFxJrQ-dmgRwp-cTxhfh-nXWc1f-TqmX4-o24NT7-7MLrGt-dKK5kb-o47dD6-d3U8g3-nZMiB9-nLC5ty-nXVvQ9-o5UwLP-dLr1vx-9oQ71S-nFxLJd-9ojuUM-o5Tn6i-GoaE3J-GL5ZbN-Go7RG1-9sf1my-nCKBNy-dLwxGd-9vj2fF">Andy Ramdin</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As in other countries, this suburbanisation of Scottish poverty looks to be a steady but largely hidden process. If it continues, the cities of the future will be far from the visions set out by policymakers and planners. </p>
<p>Instead, they will continue to be marked by segregation and deep division, only now with poorer households pushed to the edge. That has potentially serious implications for these people’s welfare, particularly their ability to access employment. It also threatens broader social cohesion. If politicians are serious about their visions for the future, it is time we recognised these trends and started talking about how to halt them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64708/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This work was conducted as part of the ESRC-funded Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN – <a href="http://www.aqmen.ac.uk">www.aqmen.ac.uk</a>) (ESRC award ES/K006460/1).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Minton is an Urban Segregation & Inequalities Research Fellow for AQMeN, funded by ESRC (ESRC award ES/K006460/1)</span></em></p>Scotland’s new deprivation figures confirm a wider trend towards suburbanising poverty.Nick Bailey, Professor of Urban Studies, University of GlasgowJonathan Minton, Quantitative Research Associate, University of GlasgowLicensed 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/633482016-08-01T14:08:55Z2016-08-01T14:08:55ZWhy today’s art world owes a great debt to a certain networking genius<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132637/original/image-20160801-17187-1ansznf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Richard Demarco (left) with Joseph Beuys in the early 1970s.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Demarco European Art Foundation</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The beginning of August means it is time for the <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk">Edinburgh International Festival</a>, during which the Scottish capital hosts one of Europe’s premier annual arts extravaganzas over three weeks. With impeccable timing, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art has just launched <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/richard-demarco-and-joseph-beuys/">an exhibition</a> in tribute to one of the festival’s most enduring patrons – and a lynchpin in linking art movements in Europe and the UK for the past few decades. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.richarddemarco.org">Richard Demarco</a>, born in Edinburgh in 1930, has been involved in every Edinburgh festival, organising exhibitions and theatre events, since the early 1960s. He is many things – an artist himself, a curator, arts promoter and organiser – but perhaps his greatest strength is in facilitating relationships. </p>
<p>Over the years, he has cultivated artists, arts practitioners, curators and educators, among others. His <a href="http://www.demarco-archive.ac.uk/richard_demarco_biography.pdf">biography</a> reads like a catalogue of the contemporary art world, and the results of his networking have been immeasurable. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=812&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=812&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=812&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1020&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1020&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132641/original/image-20160801-17190-13mh4vo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1020&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Neagu’s Tactile Object (Hand) (1970).</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To give one example, it was Demarco who brought the celebrated Romanian sculptor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jun/28/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries">Paul Neagu</a> to the UK for the first time. Fleeing the repressive atmosphere of communist Romania, Neagu eventually naturalised in the UK and went on to teach some of the country’s most significant contemporary artists – <a href="http://www.antonygormley.com">Antony Gormley</a>, <a href="http://anishkapoor.com">Anish Kapoor</a> and <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/rachel-whiteread-2319">Rachel Whiteread</a>. </p>
<p>Demarco has long seen it as his role to ensure Scotland maintained its connections with Europe, having originally been inspired by the divisions that scarred the continent following World War II. As a schoolteacher in Edinburgh after the war, he was struck by how many of his students were the result of Scottish women marrying Polish servicemen, for example. He <a href="http://studiointernational.com/index.php/richard-demarco-edinburgh-international-festival-joseph-beuys">sought to</a> highlight his kind of shared cultural heritage and saw the arts as a way of uniting the continent. </p>
<h2>Beuys is back in town</h2>
<p>The new Edinburgh exhibition showcases the fruits from another of Demarco’s special relationships, with the German artist Joseph Beuys. Beuys is one of the most influential contemporary artists in the world. His lasting legacy in performance art has been to shift the emphasis from the objects the artist produces to the life and activity of the artist and the act of creation. The revered performance artist <a href="http://marinafilm.com">Marina Abramović</a> cited seeing him in Edinburgh in 1970 as a key influence, for instance. </p>
<p>Beuys was there as one of 35 German artists who participated in Demarco’s <a href="http://www.eca.ac.uk/palermo/history_strategy_get_arts.htm">Strategy: Get Arts</a> exhibition (the title is a palinrome) for that year’s estival. Both men believed in seeing art in the everyday, and struck up a close relationship that drew Beuys back to Scotland several more times to perform until his untimely death in 1986. </p>
<p>Beuys was famous for his belief that anyone can be an artist, that we each have an inner creative spirit that for many remains untapped. On his way to the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he taught, Beuys would pick up the homeless, the street sweepers and the so-called “non artists” and bring them to class. For him, their participatation in the creative process was as important as anyone else’s. When Demarco invited Beuys to Edinburgh, Beuys’ choice of performance venue was not the city’s official art spaces or theatres but the Forresthill Poorhouse, a place for the deprived and ill. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132638/original/image-20160801-17185-aptvf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&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">Joseph Beuys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/5746208976">cea +</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beuys created what he called <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/social-sculpture">“social sculpture”</a>: the art of the everyday, of living consciously and deliberately, considering every aspect of life as a work of art. It involves the participation of the viewer, for example in <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/beuys-joseph-beuys-12-hour-lecture-edinburgh-arts-73-the-richard-demarco-gallery-ar00826">Beuys’s lectures</a>. It is not an object but an experience. </p>
<p>Beuys was also fascinated by Celtic culture and saw the Scottish Highlands as a spiritual and sacred place, from which he drew much inspiration. For his original 1970 visit, he created <a href="http://www.whitfordfineart.com/item/single/6866/joseph_beuys_the_scottish_symphony_celtic_kinloch_rannoch">Celtic (Kinloch Rannoch) Scottish Symphony</a>, a five-day performance (performed for four-hours each day) in collaboration with the Danish avant garde musician Henning Christiansen that was inspired by the Highlands’ Rannoch moor. During the performance Beuys delivered a lecture to the audience while drawing a series of letters and symbols on the chalkboard, a constant feature of many of his performances, while Christiansen <a href="https://ubusound.memoryoftheworld.org/beuys_joseph/Beuys_Christiansen_Scottische-Symphonie_02_1970.mp3">played his composition</a> on the piano.</p>
<h2>Boundary pushing</h2>
<p>Beuys was a man of extremes: he created marathon performances in Edinburgh, such as his <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/beuys-joseph-beuys-12-hour-lecture-edinburgh-arts-73-the-richard-demarco-gallery-ar00826">12-Hour Lecture (1973)</a>, in which he speaks about things like art, creativity, socialism, democracy and freedom. In <a href="http://www.kidsofdada.com/blogs/magazine/35963521-joseph-beuys-i-like-america-and-america-likes-me">I Like America and America Likes Me (May 1974)</a>, he lived for three days in the René Block Gallery in New York City with a wild coyote. It was his attempt to access the animal primitive world of instinct, as an antidote to the anaesthetised world of capitalism. </p>
<p>Demarco has had a similar bent for the extreme. In 1980 he circumnavigated the British Isles on the sailing ship The Marques, not as a vacation but as a floating university. This was the final hurrah of Edinburgh Arts, Demarco’s international summer school modelled on <a href="http://www.blackmountaincollege.org/history/">Black Mountain College</a> in North Carolina, US, a centre for experimental art and activity in the first half of the 20th century. Edinburgh Arts was set up as a platform for artists from around the world to meet, collaborate, and develop innovative new art projects.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132634/original/image-20160801-17169-1u21yu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&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">Demarco more recently.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amy Bryzgel</span></span>
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<p>This bringing together of artists is Demarco through and through. In the same way as he brought Joseph Beuys to Scotland, Demarco’s talent for building relationships has produced international connections and works of art that would not have existed otherwise. That is his enviable legacy. </p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/richard-demarco-and-joseph-beuys/">Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys: a Unique Partnership</a> is at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh until October 16. Admission free.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63348/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Bryzgel 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>Richard Demarco, aka Mr Edinburgh Festival, has been fostering vital UK links with artists around the world for decades.Amy Bryzgel, Senior Lecturer in Film and Visual Culture, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.