A Sonat Perhaps
Yes friends and readers it is almost that time of year again. The illustrious Edinburgh Festival, bringing with it the usual band of luvies and over priced shows. Of coure do not forget that ever popular tourist attraction the tattoo. But what of the punters of Greater pilton we have a purpose built arts centre, that is of course if you can get in.
It Might be nice to see some of the festivals delights in our neck of the woods but alas that will not happen as the travelling band of players will not travel down this way as the culter vultures of Greater Pilton are perceived to delight in other forms of artistic pursuits. Such a shame as that was the ethos of the Festival Fringe when it was set up but like most things it has been hijacked and is now in the hands of true art lovers, you know the ones that are always cadging money, usually from the overpressed local taxpayer.
Our local Labour council are of course true art lovers you can tell by the amount of freebies doing the chambers rounds.Certainly our noble provest has to be seen enjoying the on the house activities and of course representing the plebs to.
We the mere taxpayers are told the usual story, that the festival brings in millions of pounds a year to the city, quite possibly but were does all this money go and who to. Same with that dreadful new year bash in the city centre, which again brings millions to the city,same question were does it go and who to. We are told it brings and sustains jobs in the city,fair enough but is it not cheap foreign labour we are talking about just take a look below stairs in some of our swanky hotels, where english is not a second or even third language. Should these hotels not be paying the rate or better still their working practises looked at.
But back to these missing millions where are they it makes the Da Vinci Code look like snakes and ladders. Surely some of these missing millions could come the way of us lesser mortals you know the punters that do not get to go to these super shows or more honestly cannot afford to. The brewerys and the hotel chains must love these shindigs but i do not hear them saying how much they will invest back in the city from their good fortune, no as ever greed takes over and stuff the rest.
So as the good punters from the housing schemes with their potholed roads and missing pavements, decide which of the super shows they might try to take in, they look to their diaries and remember the rent is due so is the gas and electricity bill,the kids need new shoes and their benifits are late. The fortunate ones if you can call them that, those who have jobs,festival frolicking comes way down their list, more survival in this rich city of ours.
So next time you hear a local dignitary going on about how much this city makes from these wonderous attractions, ask them who really benifits,those with the money or those without.   Â