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Scotsman
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Festivals outside Edinburgh and Glasgow ignored under £1m expansion in Expo funds
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Festivals have warned of a 'missed opportunity' as SNP ministers admitted events outside Scotland's two biggest cities will not benefit from this year's expanded Scottish Government Expo fund this year. Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said in January the fund, which was boosted by £1 million as part of a significant rise in culture funding announced in January, would look to expand its reach beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow, where 14 major festivals will see significant grant increases. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Edinburgh International Book Festival is to see its contribution rise from £105,000 last year to £200,000 this year. | Edinburgh International Book Festival However, the Government confirmed to The Scotsman the roll-out will not happen this year and instead will be considered for the future as part of a new Government-led steering group - the Strategic Festivals Partnership - set up earlier this year. Some Central Belt festivals will see their funding more than tripled, with the overall pot totalling £2.8m across the 14 festivals, up from £1.7m the previous year. Cathy Agnew, chair of Wigtown Festival Company, which runs Wigtown Book Festival, as well as stand alone children's book festival Big Dog in Dumfries, said: "Additional funding is urgently needed for the arts in every part of Scotland and it will be a missed opportunity if extra resources are not being spread beyond the Central Belt right away. 'Arts and cultural organisations in rural areas are in especially urgent need of support as they often have little chance of finding sponsorship and support from other sources. Many had hoped that this round of funding would help them in difficult times.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Agnew added: "We are hopeful that the Scottish Government will, at the very least, ensure that funds are allocated to other organisations and other parts of the country in the very near future." The Edinburgh International Book Festival is to see its funding rise from £105,000 last year to £200,000 this year, while Edinburgh International Film Festival's grant will increase from £60,000 last year, when it was relaunched under new leadership, to £193,000. The Edinburgh International Festival will receive £100,000, up from £80,000 last year, and the Fringe Society will get £670,000 for its Made in Scotland showcase, an increase from the £540,000 it received in 2024. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, Celtic Connections in Glasgow will be handed £154,000, up from £100,000 last year, and Edinburgh Art Festival's money will rise from £110,000 last year to £200,000. Art festival Glasgow International will receive £130,000, up from £70,000 last year, while the Scottish International Storytelling Festival will see its funds double from £100,000 last year to £200,000. An open letter published by Mr Robertson in May said 'early action within the programme' of the steering group would be 'likely to include ... building upon the success of the current Scottish Government Expo Fund'. The Edinburgh International Book Festival is to see its contribution rise from £105,000 last year to £200,000 this year. Announcing the funding today, Mr Robertson said: 'Scotland's festivals are our cultural shopfront to the rest of the world. As well as offering performers and creatives an unrivalled international platform, they also deliver an annual economic uplift to businesses, jobs and livelihoods right across the country. 'This year's funding increase for the existing Expo festivals cohort represents an increase of £1m across the 14 festivals in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first in ten years. It recognises the success of festivals in shaping and supporting hundreds of commissions, enhancing the ambitions of thousands of Scottish artists and attracting audiences in the millions for Expo supported work since the fund's creation in 2007.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Culture secretary Angus Robertson. | Getty Images Mr Robertson added: 'From this foundation, we will expand the reach of the Expo fund across the whole of Scotland, and I am working with festivals across the country through the Strategic Festivals Partnership to realise this commitment.' The Expo fund, established in 2007, is designed to support festival innovation and maximise national and international opportunities for the artists contributing to the festivals. It is managed by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. A ministerial statement by Mr Robertson in the wake of Finance Secretary Shona Robison's Budget announcement in January, which included a £34m package for the arts and culture sector, announced the Festivals Expo fund would 'more than double in value and expand its reach beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow'. A timescale was not set, but it is believed many festivals had expected the expansion would come at the same time as any increase to the funding pot itself. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dana MacLeod, executive director of arts, communities and inclusion at Creative Scotland, said: 'The Expo Fund enables Scotland's festivals to commission bold ideas, develop creative collaborations and present high-quality programmes for audiences in Scotland and internationally.' Separately, Festivals Edinburgh will also receive £200,000 via Creative Scotland to support its branding and marketing work to promote the Edinburgh festivals.
Economist
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Bring back Boris
People turn to animals when describing Boris Johnson. To his aides, the former prime minister was 'Big Dog'. One commentator labelled him a 'giant toad', squatting over British politics. Another said he was a 'bulletproof Gunnersaurus', after Arsenal's dinosaur mascot. When rumour emerged that Mr Johnson was considering a return to front-line politics, the menagerie expanded. 'The big, blond-maned cat is stalking the leader of the Tory party,' said one commentator, panting.
CBC
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Why Bria Salmena wrote Rags — a raw song about rage and shame — for her 15-year-old self
In a Q interview, the Canadian musician discusses her debut solo album, Big Dog Bria Salmena is a Canadian musician who originally rose to prominence as the frontwoman of the post-punk band Frigs before joining Orville Peck's touring band. Now, she's released her debut solo album, Big Dog. One of its most powerful tracks, Rags, is a raw anthem about rage, shame and shedding the need to accommodate others. Salmena joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the track and how it helped her reclaim her voice after moving to Los Angeles — a city that made her feel like she was in high school again.
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
2025 GWM Haval H7 review
Big Dog. What a great name for a car, right? Shame it won't be called that in Australia. Nope, this new GWM Haval SUV will be sold as the H7, and – predictably – it'll sit just above the H6, which is a subtler, more conventional crossover. The H7 is, by contrast, a rough-and-ready looking character, with bold design elements that might appeal to those who want something a bit more off-road-looking, and it's a similar size to a Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. Or, perhaps an alternative to the Tank 300, for those who know they won't actually go off-roading. It will arrive in Australia in the next few months, and you can expect pricing to be close to the existing H6 hybrid SUV, which starts at $42,490 drive-away. A new version of that model is also on its way, if the macho machine vibe of this one doesn't do it for you. You mightn't be hot on the bolt-on fender flare look, which is overselling the idea of its capability somewhat, but with a distinct look to it including Mustang-inspired nostrils in the grille, a Pajero-like rear window line, and tail-lights that are reminiscent of a mix of Mazda and Infiniti SUVs, it cuts a different shape to the other, some might say, cookie-cutter options in the mix. That boldness and differentiation continues inside the cabin, with big chunky grab handles on the doors, a mix of durable feeling materials, and – of course – a couple of big screens thrown in. The driver gets a 12.3-inch display with a level of configurability, while the infotainment unit is a huge 14.6-inch touch system with new software and the expected smartphone apps, and an array of buttons below the screen for quick aircon adjustments. Back seat space is impressive for a midsize SUV, with easily enough head, leg, foot and shoulder room for larger adults to fit in the second row. There are some Jeep-like practicality touches, including a removable torch that sits near the passenger's knee, and the interior storage is great too, with a huge open trench below the gear selector, a shelf in front of the front passenger, and neat elasticated bottle holders for all four doors – great for those active lifestyle families, presumably. And if you're a camper, there's a decent size boot as well – 483 litres of capacity with the seats up, and 1362L with them folded down. Nice. Spare wheel? Not likely, sadly. That's partly because of the powertrain. The H7 we're expected to get is the petrol-electric hybrid, which employs a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that combines with an electric motor and two-speed hybrid transmission, with oomphy maximum outputs of 179kW and 530Nm. It has the battery under the rear of the vehicle, and it's front-wheel drive only … so, it might have Big Dog aspirations until it gets stuck in the mud at the dog park. There's another model with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and all-wheel drive, but strict new vehicle emissions regulations have essentially nixed the chance of that one heading Down Under. The 'drive' program I partook in outside Shanghai, China, was more like a car park full of witch's hats. In fact, that's exactly what it was. So it's hard to say what the actual drive experience is like, however my initial limited impressions included that it felt easy enough to steer and soft in its suspension tune, but strong in its acceleration and dependable in braking – a hard balance for modern hybrids with regenerative braking. You can expect the H7 to continue on with Haval's seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, and seven years of capped-price servicing with roadside assistance. Pricing and spec details for the new H7 are due in by the middle of 2025. GWM Haval H7 P OWERTRAIN: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol hybrid, 2-speed hybrid transmission, FWD OUTPUTS: 179kW/530Nm
