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  1. #1
    Senior Member geoffrey's Avatar
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    Default Wales - wooed and dumped?


    Wales missing out on Capital of Culture benefits


    Jul 9 2008 by Rhodri Clark, Western Mail

    Only sign of connection between Liverpool’s Capital of Culture and Llangollen is a sheep sculpture

    WALES is missing out on the benefits touted when Liverpool won its multi-million-pound Capital of Culture bid, it was claimed as the Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod started yesterday.

    There was no sign of the Capital of Culture event at Wales’ biggest annual cultural festival – which yesterday kicked off with a concert by singing superstar Elaine Paige – even though a tie-in was proposed by Liverpool’s bid leader in 2004.

    The only visible connection between the two events was a surreal Superlambanana sculpture in Denbighshire County Council’s pavilion, a copy of a larger one featuring in Liverpool’s Capital of Culture event this year.

    However, the decision to bring in a copy of the Japanese sculpture was made by local authorities in North Wales, rather than being an initiative of Liverpool Capital of Culture.

    The Llangollen Eisteddfod has done its own advertising in Liverpool, in an attempt to entice people visiting Capital of Culture events, and the two festivals are jointly hosting a visit by a group of Yemeni performers.

    In 2003, when Liverpool was announced as the winner of the European event – seeing off rival bids including Cardiff’s – North Wales was predicted to benefit from spin-offs.

    Liverpool bid leaders had already tried to court the National Eisteddfod, which in the event will be held in Cardiff in 2008.

    In 2004 Sir Bob Scott, chairman of the Liverpool bid, visited the Llangollen festival and told the media he wanted a formal tie-in between the International Eisteddfod and the Capital of Culture in 2008.

    “I would say that it is far more likely for something to happen with the International Eisteddfod than the National,” he said.

    In November 2004 experts reporting to Tourism Partnership North Wales said they were disappointed to find the Capital of Culture would produce spin-off spending in Wales of just £1.4m to £2.8m – compared with £2bn of investment and 14,000 new jobs expected in connection with the event in Liverpool.

    Janet Ryder, Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, said: “North Wales has been wooed and then dumped with no ceremony. It’s deeply disappointing but perhaps not surprising because this seems to be a pattern whereby Wales is promised spin-offs from events such as the City of Culture and London Olympics but, when they actually materialise, we see no benefits at all.

    “This happens time and time again where Wales is used as collateral to gain some benefit elsewhere. It’s about time we woke up to the fact we’re being used.”

    Llangollen’s MP, Martin Jones (Labour, Clwyd South), claimed the Liverpool team had flagged up the benefits to Wales to bolster its own bid.

    “I don’t see any positive spin-offs for Wales,” he said.

    Mervyn Cousins, the Llangollen Eisteddfod’s new executive director, said staff at Liverpool Capital of Culture had changed since Sir Bob Scott proposed the tie-in.

    The two events were on good terms, and Mr Cousins had used contacts in the city to encourage a school choir from Liverpool to compete this week.



    “Liverpool is only an hour away. I say to Liverpudlians: ‘Come and see us.’ We’ve done more advertising in Liverpool this year,” he said.

    Mike Doran, spokesman for Liverpool Capital of Culture, defended Liverpool’s association with North Wales this year.

    “We have been involved in several concerts, such as the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union’s St David’s Day concert with Aled Lloyd Jones, the Flintshire Artfest in March and the Voices Across the Ocean concert in May, with more to come.

    “In terms of the National Eisteddfod, the City Council were talking about hosting the National Eisteddfod but that was vetoed.

    Source: Western Mail

  2. #2
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    So Wales think we're stupid to want to host it even though we have before:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4094191.stm

    and then are unhappy about getting a slice of the cake when we get something. Smacks a bit of two facedness.

    If Newcastle or Bristol had won it, would Scotland or Wales respectively had thought of spin-offs from it?
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  3. #3
    Member cobbett clayton's Avatar
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    Hi
    I want you to see this from the Welsh point of view.
    The Archdruid of Wales has hit out at Liverpool City Council's bid to hold Wales' biggest cultural festival.
    How is Wales being 'two-faced' for not wanting to get 'just' a slice of its own cake, for petes sakes you want to take a WELSH festival 'out' of Wales and let Wales have a spin off??

    Oh boy that's SO kind of you to let the welsh have the crumbs when you've finished eating THEIR loaf!
    and then are unhappy about getting a slice of the cake when we get something
    The eisteddfod is not a spin off of anything to do with Liverpool's city of culture! Its a WELSH festival! note the name eisteddfod. Why the heck should ANY English city take it and give the welsh a slice'?

    Janet Ryder, Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, said: “North Wales has been wooed and then dumped with no ceremony. It’s deeply disappointing but perhaps not surprising because this seems to be a pattern whereby Wales is promised spin-offs from events such as the City of Culture and London Olympics but, when they actually materialise, we see no benefits at all.
    Wales most of the time doesn't even bother to put bids in for anything because they always get overlooked in favour of England!
    Tell you what I'll ask the assembly to put a bid in for the Glastonbury festival shall I? How far do you think Wales would get with that?
    The eisteddfod brings in much needed revenue to Wales.

    Traditionally, towns and cities where eisteddfodau are held see a resurgence of interest in the Welsh language.
    How many people in England would try and learn welsh if the eisteddfod came to their city?
    Diolch Yn Fawr!

    Being a scouser I'm pleased Liverpool got the city of culture, I really am, but don't you dare have a go at the welsh for wanting to keep a hold of their own cultural events, the English get plenty enough.
    Nos Dar
    Shelli
    Last edited by cobbett clayton; 07-28-2008 at 01:57 AM.

  4. #4
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    I think you're missing the point. Wales are pee'd off at not getting any spin offs from Liverpool winning CoC - that is their gripe.

    So what happens when Liverpool and Wales did a simulcast on BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Wales (although in general the programme was positive) there was the occassional moaner about putting a superlambanana on Moel Famuu (sp)

    Perhaps a Welsh city should just put in for it instead?
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  5. #5
    Member cobbett clayton's Avatar
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    Cardiff did put in for the European city of culture! and I've not heard ONE welsh person moan about Liverpool getting it.
    How have I missed the point? The whole article was about having the Eisteddfod in Liverpool, not just a link up. Liverpool put a bid in to hold it
    Liverpool City Council's bid to hold Wales' biggest cultural festival.
    Would it really have harmed Liverpool to just link to the Eisteddfod? No it wanted to HOLD it, that's the issue here. The Welsh generally get on better with Liverpool than any other city, but you cant blame them for wanting to keep their own festival, not just hand it over to Liverpool and be allowed a link up.
    Shelli

  6. #6
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    Yes, the bold 'grab you' title of Wales missing out on Capital of Culture benefits is a bit misleading. But Wales don't seem to be moaning about Liverpool wanting to have and keep their festival but more the fact that LCC said Wales would get spin off spending due to its geographical nearness which hasn't materialised. They can't make tourists go to Wales if they don't want to, are they moaning that LCC haven't marketed Wales as being worth a visit? Perhaps we take it for granted?
    Last edited by Ged; 07-28-2008 at 11:04 AM.
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  7. #7
    Member cobbett clayton's Avatar
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    Hi Ged

    What the issue with plaid here seems to be this
    In 2004 Sir Bob Scott, chairman of the Liverpool bid, visited the Llangollen festival and told the media he wanted a formal tie-in between the International Eisteddfod and the Capital of Culture in 2008.
    , they were told to expect more visitors because they were going to be advertised alongside the LCC.
    “This happens time and time again where Wales is used as collateral to gain some benefit elsewhere. It’s about time we woke up to the fact we’re being used.”
    They probably spent money preparing for the influx, and then said tie-in didn't materialise.
    I'm English and more to the point I'm scouse, but in this I'm right on the side of Wales. If they hadn't been promised this they could have done their own thing to encourage visitors here, but they were promised, so they held off, and they got let down which means Wales loses out on much needed tourism, for example have you seen Rhyl lately?
    This year above all because they've lost the revenue from all the matches going back to Wembley, add to that the credit crunch and recession, if Sir Scott had no intention of honouring that promise he never should have made it in the first place.
    Anyway to quote my welsh husband who just looked over my shoulder, "get off your soapbox Shelli, its not worth upsetting people over"

    to all from Wales
    Shelli

  8. #8
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    No, you keep on ha ha.

    I don't know if it's wise for anyone to do with the tourist industry holding off marketting themselves though on the promise by somebody else - especially LCC

    It's taken them long enough to market what we have/had here.

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  9. #9
    Otterspool Onomatopoeia Max's Avatar
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    Wales needs to be dumped for having to get 3 trains to get there.
    Gididi Gididi Goo.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max View Post
    Wales needs to be dumped for having to get 3 trains to get there.
    Haha, that's so very true though!!

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