Thursday, June 22, 2006
Féile facing funding cut
Féile has been the big daddy of community festivals for some time now. For many years, I was involved in a local community festival and was part of a national group of festival organisers. Throughout this time and since, Féile has been seen as the event at the forefront of development and innovation in communinty festival matters. I remember when they did an economic impact assessment years ago, when making the direct link between a festival and an economic impact had not been contemplated before.
It is not surprising that the news that there has been a £100,00 funding cut has been greeted with dismay. Indeed Danny Morrison goes one further and tries to find an equation between the millions spent as a result of rioting last September and the reduction in funding. There is no equation and no logic to be found. Investment into ventures such as Féile build capacity within communities and provide an alternative to unproductive or violent behaviours.
Bairbre de Brún has commented that:
This is not the way to reward community effort and entrepreneurship. The organisers of Féile an Phobail, and the thousands of volunteers behind the scenes must be applauded for their sterling work over this past eighteen years in putting West Belfast on the map, when others tried to denigrate and demonise this community.
And I believe she is correct. Tourism in Belfast has increased 400 fold since 1994, and the City Council see tourism as a stable and growing economic basis for the future. Part of the marketing package of Belfast is Féile, so it seems shortsighted to reduce funding and place it at risk. In many cases, the rationale is that such events should be self-funding and develop a delf-sufficiency, but this may not be wholly achievable in a deprived area such as West Belfast. To quote again from Danny Morrison on this area of the issue:
Given the historic deprivation in the area prices were kept at a minimum and all literary, political events and lectures were deliberately free. The events which made some profit – marquee concerts, comedy night, tribute nights – helped to defray the costs of some of the cultural events which had received only limited funding, but it was never easy.
The Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) – which is funded by the Department of Arts, Culture and Leisure (DCAL) – likes to subsidise the occasional Elton John or Pavarotti concert in the grounds of Stormont.
Four years ago it refused to fund the Harlem Gospel Choir at Clonard Monastery for spurious reasons, including that it made no “significant contribution to promoting social cohesion.”
Miss Fitz @ 08:10 PM
“Special Olympics: Would this include all the locals the Provies kneecapped doing three legged races around Milltown?”
Pedant that I am, this would be the paralympics.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 09:51 AM5 Staff lay-offs at Feile? - oh dear they wont be able to spend their time between festivals filling in application forms for every Provo supporting group in West Belfast, like they do presently. How sad.
The fact that Feile were getting half of the cake for 2 years running is utterly unjustifiable and its interesting to see the great champions of equality gurning about others getting a fair shre of the resources available.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 10:09 AM“This wasn’t a BCC decision, these were decisions by the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and Department of Social Development during Direct Rule.”
You are then seriously asking how “Unionism” won this argument when this is a decision taken by Direct Rule ministers?
“This is exactly what this new policy aims to achieve so what is the problem?”
The fact it severely damages a festival that is already succesful for ones that probably won’t be for a number of years, if ever? The fact if that happens, it will be the city that takes a hit.
All for more festivals and more funding. I sincerely hope the Unionist community comes up with somehting as vibrant and successful as Feile. But sabotaging thig that are already successful isn’t the way to go about it.
And by the by, on your premise of more equal share of funding, is the expense incurred by the twelfth included in your balance?
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 10:20 AMIs this for real? ORANGEFEST??
http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/celebratebelfast2006/eventsdetails.asp?id=708
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 10:36 AMToo much on this thread to read it all, but in my view the review of festival funding and the establishment of the community festival fund was clearly an indication of an attempt by HMG to spread the funds more evenly as they see it and to start to fund more festivals within the unionist community. In many cases what we will see will be a rebranding of existing traditional events as community festivals and whilst that may not be a bad thing in the context that tension and violence associated with these type of events may be reduced—there is also a cynical move taking place to bolster the influence ( declining) of the Orange Order in the protestant community and to try and make some of these events more palatable. The argument about entrepreneurship being about self sufficiency is a bit of a spurious one. Whilst some of the festivals may not wash their face financially surely there are wider social benefits. Are there any festivals anywhere in Ireland that are self sufficient from receipts and donations and that don’t have commercial sponsorship. Personally I’d rather have taxpayer support for festivals than rampant commercialism from the private sector, who are likely to be even more censorious in terms of support for particular events etc. It’s a pity that the Feile funding was cut but it was inevitable == I’m sure that given the ingenuity of the organisers it might even be sold as a positive move in a few years time. The one thing niggling at the back of my mind is the need to compare and contrast government investment in supposed real entrepreneurship through Invest NI etc. I’d like to see a comparison in terms of costs and benefits between the large sums pumped into the private sector by Invest NI and the rather piddling sums we are really talking about for community festivals. The point I’m making is that I’ll bet that a large part of the private sector here is not very sustainable without state intervention ( and they’re looking for even more in the form of tax cuts etc) and many on this thread are castigating a community based organisation for not being so!
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 10:59 AMThe mind boggles.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 11:01 AMI remember a few years ago- under the governership of spud-faced Catriona Ruane, when feile had a procession of pretend Orangemen up the Falls. Oh what a great joke-apparently very much appreciated by the watching crowds( aka Seamus and Deirdre Bonkers, and their dog, John Paul). Yet, if the very sight of a sash is enough to induce mass feelings of oppression you’ld have thought that they would might have actually asked the Orange to send a few lodges of the genuine article- I bet it would have been cheaper. :0)
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 11:18 AMkensei
“You are then seriously asking how “Unionism” won this argument”
As the decision was made by the DRM it was up to local parties to lobby successfully. In this instance it seems Unionist lobbied better.
“is the expense incurred by the twelfth included in your balance?”
1. Equal taxation, equal benefit.
2. As is the subsidy to the irish language, the public funding to the GAA etc etcjohn
“Is this for real?”
Yes it is.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 11:34 AMWhat is it with West Belfast that it thinks everything should be handed to it on a plate, gratis? Why should this festival of mediocrity, whining and mono-culturalism be subsidised by the British taxpayer or British rate-payer?
And spare us the laughable ‘outreach’ to Prods nonsense, do.
Thank God less of our money is being spent under-writing this year’s spectacular of Palestinian / Basque / Provo victimhood, blue bag hoodery and naff Oirish dancing, ably supported by whatever musical has-beens of yesteryear can be arsed pretending to be pleased to be there for the sake of a few grand (hello Bad Manners, The Proclaimers and Echo and The Bunnymen).
And of course the Orange Order should be forced to pay that 3.3million, duh.Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:19 PM“As the decision was made by the DRM it was up to local parties to lobby successfully. In this instance it seems Unionist lobbied better.”
There is several things wrong with that, like the assumption that what anything any of the parties say here makes a blind bit of difference to the DRM, or that the DRM are in some way competent.
“1. Equal taxation, equal benefit.”
Are you suggesting I saome way benefit from “OrangeFest”?
“2. As is the subsidy to the irish language, the public funding to the GAA etc etc “
Are there any comparitive figures? If we are going to widen the net past community marches and festivals, I’m sure I could equally play “what about x” with the other side.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:40 PMAll out: I think you should remove your reference to “Oirish dancing”. Besides the fact that it is very skillful, popular etc, these dancers are often exploited, wheeled out for el cheapo gigs like this, while boring farts are flown in to bore the pants off anyone with notihng better to do than go to a PC lecture.
As regards the what aboutery: Government spending is all about that and Gerry and the bhoys need to show that “our boring festval speakers” are getting their fair share. Danny Morrisson is in this vein and drags in other funding for arty farty types. Valid yes but relevant, maybe not so much right now.
Give the money to Irish dancing, camogie and let the Orangies have an equivalent amount to shoot up with. Manor youth soccer leagues would be a huge improvement: A Falls Rd League, A Shankill Road league and a final boxing/soccer match of Taigs v Huns in Windsor Park. There is a form of chess where one makes a few moves and then a round of boxing, which might suit local conditions.
Bottom line: spend the money locally on a local festival, don’t fly anyone in and let the drunks find anotherexcuse to piss on the murals of West Belfast.Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 01:01 PMposted by Kathy C
Hi all, Another way of looking at cutting the funding of the fair. The issue to cut funding came from a Direct Rule Minister from where....? London or another way of saying...Tony Blair’s gov’t. Now who has been vocal against the war in Iraq...Sinn Fein...and who brought Moore into the north of Ireland to talk about the evils of the Iraq war....? Danny Morrison. So, this is what is called...PAY BACK....and elementary politics. Republicans are being punished by the Tony Blair gov’t. grass root republicans should realize who is really punishing them...Tony BLair . It’s amazing how Gerry Adams had so much to say when he wasn’t invited to the british VIctoria /Albert museum for some event...but I haven’t read anything Adams has said on this subject how his constituents are having funding CUT for their local fair...we all know what is important to Gerry Adams...the british invitations to parties.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 01:04 PMKensei
“like the assumption that what anything any of the parties say here makes a blind bit of difference to the DRM, or that the DRM are in some way competent.”
Good line.
“Are you suggesting I saome way benefit from “OrangeFest”?”
I don’t know what you do on the Twelfth. You may benefit from going to a festival like the Feile and i will benefit from going to the Twelfth. Others will benefit from festivals that don’t have anything in particular to do with the two main traditions. Thuis equality of taxation equality of benefit.
“Are there any comparitive figures? If we are going to widen the net past community marches and festivals, I’m sure I could equally play “what about x” with the other side.”
There are the different funding streams for the various public bodies. You’d also have to trawl through a lot of Parliamentary questions and their civil service answers.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 01:40 PMYes Kathy, Blair took time out from the Iraq mess, the pensions crisis, the shambles at the Home Office and the deteroriating situation with Iran, to personally ensure that Feile an Phobail got 100k less than they did lasy year. Sheeeesh!
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 01:40 PMposted by Kathy C
Hi all,
Loyalist, politics is a game of paybacks and puttig political pressure on other politicans to get what you want. Politics is all about power...who has it...and how you use it to get what you want. Right now the leadership of sinn fein doesn’t weld alot of power with the british or irish gov’t. Look at what was done to Gerry Adams in the US...it wasn’t by chance that he was stopped at the airport and searched...it was a message being sent...just how uncomfortable the US administration...aka Bush can make Gerry Adams...and Bush has succeeded in making life difficult in the US for adams...and raising money. Adams and many in SF want so despertaly to be in gov’t and have it up and running that they are giving everything away for that end...all they do is whine and complain but they don’t have any real power with blair because they rufuse to weld political power against blair. Now let’s just see...if Blair’s gov’t takes away some of the republicans big fair that is run by Danny Morrison...who does that make happy....why Ian Paisly of course...and isn’t he the one who is calling alot of the shots that blair and ahern are dancing to....like I said...it’s all about politics and punishing those you want and making others happy.....and it comes from number 10.....
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 01:52 PMThe british are duplicitous. One would think the irish are familiar with this fact by now. Why irish people with a politics of separatism would look to the british government for something that can, with some effort, be guaranteed through their own self-sufficiency is not entirely explicable to me. Look to ireland not britain to solve this.
It would be possible I imagine to make profits on the sale of food and drink throughout the course of the festival. It would be possible to get Christy Moore, Gerry Adams etc. to pose with punters for a photo which could be transferred to a tee-shirt, under the heading ‘Feile 2006’, to be sold for £4 a pop, generating a profit of £2.50 per tee-shirt.
You could task 100 people with getting sponsorsip of £500 each for some activity, or sinn fein could task 3 people in each county in ireland with getting the same from local businesses. One could get larger amounts no doubt too. When there’s the likes of Phil Flynn around the country there must be other moneyed republican-minded people around who are rarely represented in the media.
One could advertise on webcasts and podcasts, make a documentary about the event, mix concerts within 48 hours of them taking place to be available while there are still punters at the festival to buy them, you could then distribute these, or make them available for sale on the web.
You could make short 3minute, 5 minute or 15 minute interviews with speakers at the festival which could be sold as fillers to the likes of Channel4 (I leave out RTE because they’re largely useless and highly controlled).In short, there’s a great deal you could do which would plug the community into what is happening economically across the rest of ireland, develop skills amongst the community and develop wealth.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 02:45 PMHarry
Maybe they should look to Ireland to pay the unemployment benefits and healthcare costs also, given that the British exchequer is so evil?
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 03:38 PM“Maybe they should look to Ireland to pay the unemployment benefits and healthcare costs also, given that the British exchequer is so evil?”
May they should look to pay their taxes to the Irish Exchequer while they’re are at it. And following the principle of no taxation without representation, go the whole and just United the Island. Fine idea, fine idea.
I think Harry is right though - self sufficency is entirely possible and should be encouraged.
Posted by on Jun 23, 2006 @ 04:00 PMGerry Adams has the dole culture. His biggest US bakcer is Peter King, the Senator who is “a million percent” behind Bush’ war in Iraq. Sinn Fein, in other words, support the imperialist war in Iraq. All he can do is put his paw out, like a good, well trained puppy.
Posted by on Jun 24, 2006 @ 01:19 AM
