RUBBER JOHNNIES

This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off with The Flying Scotsman, the only Scottish feature listed in the entire programme. Let’s just hope the film’s producer, Peter Broughan managed to persuade Scottish Screen to cough up the £170,000 they owe him – as revealed in his angry letter to the Herald a few weeks ago – so he can finally pay off his overdue invoices.

Away from the glittery sideshow of the EIFF, closed-door politics prevail. According to Screendaily.com, Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council are to form a joint board for Creative Scotland by the end of the year, which sounds like a done deal to me. If so, then isn’t there the small matter of legislation, such as, duh, a draft Culture Bill to be put before members of the Scottish Executive? Anyone whose eyes glazed over reading the Scottish Executive response to the Cultural Commission Recommendations -

www.hi-arts.co.uk/Scotlands-Culture-SE-Response-to-Cultural-Commission-Review.pdf

- might have missed the small print on page 51 that suggests there’s a way to go before anybody goes around setting up boards for quangos that haven’t yet been rubber-stamped by the government. And isn’t there supposed to be proper scrutiny of said Culture Bill and a consultation period before anything gets passed?

A quick sniff around the Scottish Executive website admits as much in a press release dated 11th July.

www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2006/07/11110842

"Creative Scotland will be responsible for developing talent and excellence in all branches of the arts, and the creative and screen industries. The new body to be regulated by OCPAS will need legislation to establish it and the Executive will publish a draft Bill later this year.

Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson said:

"The establishment of this joint board is a positive step in the development of Creative Scotland. It will give a new focus and clear leadership to the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen during this time of change. It will facilitate working arrangements as the two organisations work more closely together. The new cultural agency will sustain talent and provide an environment in which culture will flourish and be appreciated."

On January 19, 2006 Ms Ferguson outlined plans to invest an extra £20 million per year from April 2007 to nurture the best creative and cultural talent, and boost participation while cutting back on unnecessary bureaucracy.

Each of the existing members of Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen will be invited to apply for posts on the joint Board. The chairman will be appointed following an open competition. The persons appointed will be members of both the Scottish Arts Council and the Board of Scottish Screen Limited."

Looks like a done deal, though why it’s gone unreported by the Scottish press is a mystery to me. But shuffling an old pack to practice a sleight of hand shouldn’t surprise anybody. As long as our politicians view culture as an occult minority activity best left to ‘those in the know’ they're giving licence to the same cast of feckless self-interested individuals who, as Peter Broughan would testify, think it’s okay to cheat freelance film crews out of their wages.

And they call this progress? On yer bikes…