Book Festival protesters face backlash over targeting of arts sponsorship
Book Festival protesters face backlash over targeting of arts sponsorship
Plus: So long, Taylor Swift; hotels make flying start to year; and bin strike ballot
National poet and Green leader condemn targeting of ‘soft target’ festivals
Protesters are facing mounting criticism from cultural and environmental figures over their targeting of corporate sponsorship of the arts.
The Fossil Free Books protesters have stepped up their campaign against Baillie Gifford after it withdrew from sponsoring book festivals across the UK in the face of protests. The campaigners cited the Edinburgh-based firm’s £60m investment in the owners of Rosyth dockyard which has links to Israeli arms manufacturers.
Amid concerns other city festivals may be targeted for accepting support from Baillie Gifford, Scotland’s national makar Kathleen Jamie has criticised the campaigners for putting the future of book festivals at risk.
Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie joined the criticism saying the protest “hasn’t worked”. The campaign has so far failed in its stated aim of persuading Baillie Gifford to divest, while costing book festivals and art galleries millions of pounds in sponsorship.
Meanwhile, the Book Festival has been the subject of a complaint to the Scottish charity watchdog, claiming the festival itself has breached discrimination law by dropping a sponsor based on links with Israel.
Protest doubles down: Fossil Free Books has vowed to continue campaigning against Baillie Gifford, criticising its investment in Babcock International, which has contracts with Israeli arms companies. The group has repeated its calls for the firm to divest from companies with links to fossil fuels and Israel.
Makar’s dissent: Scotland’s national poet, the Makar, Kathleen Jamie told The Herald she feared the sudden dropping of Baillie Gifford “endangered” the Book Festival, adding: “Book festivals are very low-hanging fruit. Taking down the very forum where we can, in a civil way, express ideas, listen, bear witness, use our imaginations - all the things we need as we go into the future - just felt counterproductive. Surely we can do better than this?”
Greens dissent: Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie told BBC Scotland the campaign "hasn't worked", and that book festivals were a "soft target" for protesters to focus on.
Rail sponsorship: Fossil Free Books also faced criticism after celebrating a sponsorship deal between Bradford Literature Festival and Network Rail. Critics said it was applying a lower bar to the rail company than Baillie Gifford. Network Rail says it is working towards 75% of its suppliers having science-based targets to cut carbon emissions.
Book Festival ‘discriminated’: Meanwhile, UK Lawyers for Israel are alleging that the Book Festival was guilty of discrimination for dropping Baillie Gifford as a sponsor over its connections to Israel. The complaint has echoes of the case in which AirBnB was sued in the US for delisting properties in the occupied West Bank in 2018. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said it is examining the complaint.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
SO LONG, TAYLOR: She came, she saw, she conquered. In the space of less than 72 hours in Edinburgh, the biggest pop star on the planet created quite a whirlwind, including tram queues bigger than those for the Six Nations rugby and Festival-sized crowds in the city centre. Taylor Swift reportedly stayed at the Caledonian, like Barrack Obama and the late Queen Elizabeth II before her; hired Greggs to do the catering for her massive crew; performed for around three-and-a-half a night, performing 46 songs and making 16 costume changes; and generating as much as £76m for the Edinburgh economy. With Murrayfield now geared up for such huge shows on an annual basis, we wonder what to expect next.
ARENA GO-AHEAD: It might not be big enough for all those Swifties, but AEG Europe, the promoter of Swift’s Eras tour, is expected to get planning permission for its proposed 8,500-seat arena at Edinburgh Park this week. City councillors are being advised to grant planning permission for the project, paving the way for construction to start next year. The city’s biggest indoor arenas are currently the 3,059-capacity Edinburgh Playhouse and 3,000-capacity 02 Academy.
CINEMA TO CHURCH: The Chalmers Bathgate cinema and music venue is to be converted back into a church after being sold by its owner Andrew Henderson to the Centre Point Church. Mr Henderson, who is retiring, had originally hoped to sell the venue to another operator or a charity to run it, but said he was pleased to conclude the sale.
ARENA LEVY CAMPAIGN: The Green Party are supporting calls for Scotland to introduce an ‘arena tax’ similar to one operated in France where tickets to major concert venues include an extra levy to support grassroots venues. Venues in the Capital have been campaigning for such a levy, possibly on a voluntary basis.
NO THEME PARK: The operators of East Links Family Park at West Barns, East Lothian, have been refused planning permission for a new family theme park six miles away near East Fortune. Councillors rejected the plans after hearing concerns about the loss of farmland and the travel congestion that might arise from the vast majority of visitors arriving by private car, reports the East Lothian Courier.
WHAT A RELIEF: Temporary toilets are due to be installed in The Meadows (tomorrow), Straiton Place Park, off Porty Prom (Thursday), Inverleith Park (17 June) and Leith Links (20 June). The move comes after public toilets were closed across the city in recent years to save money.
BUS CAMERAS CALL: The Edinburgh Bus Users Group has called on the council to roll out 7-7-7 bus lanes (operating 7am-7pm, Mon-Sun) and on the Scottish Government to reboot funding for bus priority measures and to enable bus-mounted bus lane enforcement cameras, at its annual general meeting.
BUILDING PAINS: The construction industry downturn has claimed another casualty with the principal contractor pulling out of plans for a 350-bed hotel at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Sir Robert McAlpine is completing the groundworks before handing over to another firm, the Evening News reports, in a move which is expected to see the cost of the project rise.
BIN STRIKE BALLOT: Waste and recycling crews have been working to clear the backlog of unemptied bins across the Capital over the weekend after wildcat action by disgruntled staff was blamed for disruption to collections. Unison is sending out strike ballots to its members today in an ongoing dispute over pay.
STUDENT FLATS: Plans to demolish the former Scottish Law Commission offices on Causewayside to make way for a 174-bed student accommodation complex will be decided by councillors this week. City planning officials are recommending they give the plans for the site opposite the National Library of Scotland the go-ahead.
THE BUSINESS
City hotels get 2024 off to a positive start
Edinburgh’s hotels continue to outperform the UK – despite an ongoing increase in the supply of hotels in the Capital.
As global singing superstar Taylor Swift exits stage left following her triumphant sold-out three nights at Murrayfield which saw hotels sold out and provided a local economic boost estimated at £76 million, a new report shows 2024 got off to a positive start for the sector even before Swiftonomics will impact.
A new report by property services firm Cushman & Wakefield shows a very healthy performance in the first quarter of the year in two key financial indicators for the sector.
Their Hospitality Market Spotlight report shows that full-service hotels in Edinburgh saw revenue growth of 22 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period in 2023, and that gross operating profit per available room increased by almost 69%.
However, the cost of doing business for hotels has also shown a significant increase over the period, with rising payroll costs (up 11 per cent) a major driver.
More than £170m worth of investment transactions took place in Edinburgh’s hospitality sector last year representing a 132% uplift on the previous year.
Murray Strang, managing partner, Scotland, Cushman & Wakefield, added: “Whilst the sector still faces significant challenges, Edinburgh hotels remain attractive to investors particularly in light of this encouraging revenue growth. This has been borne out of strong trading of operating hotels, and also the recent acquisitions of new pipeline hospitality development - primarily centred around repurposing obsolete office premises in Edinburgh’s central business district.”
INDUSTRY APEX: Sticking with hotels, Angela Vickers, Chief Executive of Edinburgh-based Apex Hotels, has been awarded the Hospitality Industry Trust Industry Award, delivered in association with The Caterer and Brakes Scotland. The award is made for exception contributions to the industry.
PRIME OFFICE FOR SALE: An office building in a prime city centre location is being offered for sale for £41million. Lismore Real Estate Advisors has brought The Mint Building to the market, on behalf of Hines. The building on the south east corner of St Andrew Square is fully let to four tenants: FNZ, Nationwide Building Society, Franco Manca and Tattu.
REVOLUTION ENDS: Bar operator Revolution is closing its two-floor venue on Chambers Street on August 31. It is one of 12 branches being closed across the UK as the chain seeks to cut costs.
AD BAN IS CRITICISED: Travel industry body The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA) has criticised the decision by Edinburgh councillors to ban the advertising of “high carbon products” on council-owned space. President Jacqueline Dobson argued that the ban unfairly targets the sector and “fails to consider the advances the travel industry is making towards a greener future”.
The SPAA said it champions greener travel solutions and investment in SAF, adding that it also believes Scotland should be a test-bed for hydrogen and electric flight. “Effective climate policy should support and accelerate these positive trends, not stifle the industry’s ability to communicate with consumers about their greener options.”
The ban will apply to advertising on infrastructure owned or contracted by the council, with high-carbon products being defined as airlines and airports, cruises, cars and fossil fuel companies. The council’s policy and sustainability committee approved the policy to support the administration’s net-zero targets.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
SIX APPEAL: The smash hit musical Six returns to Edinburgh - where it started out at the Fringe in 2017 before taking the world by storm - with a run at the Playhouse from tomorrow until Saturday. Tickets go on sale to the general public, following a pre-sale to Playhouse members, at midday today.
C’EST CHIC: Disco legends Nile Rodgers and CHIC will be showing why they have been the ultimate dance floor party starters for almost 50 years at Edinburgh Playhouse, on Monday, 17 June.
BOTANICAL ART: Inveresk Lodge Garden in East Lothian is hosting a Botanical Art Sale of prints and cards to mark gardens open weekend this Saturday and Sunday, at 2-5pm. The sale will showcase the work of the Botanigals, an all-female, Edinburgh-based arts collective.
QUICK BITES
EDINBURGERS REJOICE: Side Street, a gourmet burger franchise which began south of the border, is to open a new burger joint in Leith Walk at the end of June, they have announced on social media.
EUROS GLORY: Cowgate venue The Three Sisters has earned an accolade as one of the best unofficial fanzones to watch this summer’s Euros football tournament. The lively venue secured third spot in a UK wide analysis of google recommendations by online betting firm Betway.