Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I'd have been pretty upset if they continued to fund the Irish festival while other budgets are slashed. I'm sure that great fun would be had by many at this event but not the most needy. Other sources of funding would be more appropriate when times are hard.

Why? Because it's a special interest festival.


We don't expect taxpayers to pay for Glastonbury, Reading Festival or V (or if we do I'm shocked), why should be expect them to pay for an Irish festival?


Go ahead and have the festival, charge for tickets or find a sponsor. Just like everyone else has to.

Yes I understand that. It's exactly my point.


The question appears to be whether the festival is paid for by those that attend it, or paid for by those that don't.


I don't see why taxpayers should be funding public non-profit festivals. Where's the justification? If you want a festival then you'll have to invest and work hard to make them happen, not sponge off taxpayer funds.

Not everyone will have the means to attend festivals. Besides,, a 'free' festival just might help the local populous engage as a community. The fact that it is Irish, mexican or swedish isn't the point. It's a theme, designed at offering southwark rate payers some thing different.

The fact that not everyone can afford to attend a festival is not a reason for Southwark Council to subsidise or organise a free festival. Lives are not blighted by not attending a festival. If he Irish community (or any other community) wants a knees up - it's up to them to organise and fund.


You demonstrate soft and compassionate illogical thinking Atticus - someone always pays.


Not everyone can afford a car, a holiday, a five bedroom house, should the council also provide these at no cost to the user but at a cost to council tax payers?

No they shouldn't MM. I suppose many of us (including me) have enjoyed it's presence over the years without really considering it's actual cost as local ( Southwark) residents.


This thread is a sharp reminder of what's to come I suspect. It had never occurred to me, for example that we would loose the Irish Festival, which is probably the best attended event locally by a country mile.

My point wasn't that the council should provide a festival to placate the needy. That was a side point, apologies for not making myself clear.

What I was trying to say was that a fraction of the local authority's budget should cover local cultural events,if the festival helps ring members of the community together,perhaps then, its worth a bob or two of the local purse. Not everything needs to fall foul to a monetaristic argument, or perhaps I need to lift my head from the sand?

From what I'm told, all council funding of festival events has been cut, so it's not just the Irish Festival. It has been a well attended event by ALL members of the local community and when local authorities can afford to do so, provision of cultural and community events are a positive thing.

Ann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I agree Atticus, unless absolutely necessary, it

> would be a real shame to lose this event. Has

> anyone been there and not bumped into someone they

> know? That's how it's always felt to me.


I bump into people I know all the time - I don't need a council tax subsidised event to make that happen.


There's "nice to have" and "must have" categories in council spending -the Irish Festival falls squarely in the former category.

Playing devils advocate here, but how come there is an Irish Festival but there seems to be a dearth or complete lack of festivals celebrating other cultures resident in the area, such as Arabs, Greeks, Turks, Afro- Caribbean, etc. Why just this one nationality?? And why should the council tax payer be expected to foot the bill? I can't believe for one minute the Irish outnumber all other Nationalities, races and creeds within the area.

Emerson Crane Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Playing devils advocate here, but how come there

> is an Irish Festival but there seems to be a

> dearth or complete lack of festivals celebrating

> other cultures resident in the area, such as

> Arabs, Greeks, Turks, Afro- Caribbean, etc. Why

> just this one nationality?? And why should the

> council tax payer be expected to foot the bill? I

> can't believe for one minute the Irish outnumber

> all other Nationalities, races and creeds within

> the area.



there have been all sorts of other festivals in southwark in recent years - including, by way of example, the largest out-door latin american event in Europe - Carnaval del Pueblo


i guess that there's an irish one as someone(s) decided to organise one

For the newcomers to the ED P Rye area - the Irish community have been the pre-dominant 'ethnic' group in the area for over 40 years. The majority of contributors to the festival are charities, volunteers and those receiving expenses only. It has been part of the summer culture for decades. Big Society ?

paulj Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> For the newcomers to the ED P Rye area - the Irish

> community have been the pre-dominant 'ethnic'

> group in the area for over 40 years.


Really? Are you sure about that, and where do you get your info from? My own recollection is somewhat at odds with this and certainly there has been a large west indian community in this area since the late 60's from my own experience.

paulj Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> For the newcomers to the ED P Rye area - the Irish

> community have been the pre-dominant 'ethnic'

> group in the area for over 40 years. The majority

> of contributors to the festival are charities,

> volunteers and those receiving expenses only. It

> has been part of the summer culture for decades.

> Big Society ?


Big Society is organising, finding volunteers, raising funds and so on yourself. Why should charities and volunteers receive expenses? from the council

Everyone's a minority these days, so why should and how can a council justify putting on a festival for any one group? Why not just call it a 'nice day out with some booze and various dance troupes and hopefully not too many stalls selling tat' if there's to be anything at all (at all?). That way anyone can feel happy to attend and to pay.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The SE22 Evri delivery family are lovely, and always say hello wherever we spot them in the area. We gave them a box of chocolates during Covid as they were working their socks off at Christmas
    • What was he doing on the stage at Glastonbury? Or on the stage at the other concert in Finsbury Park? Grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pissed and stoned 20 somethings on the promise of free internet sung-- Oh Jeremy Corbyn---  What were his policies for Northern mining towns with no jobs or infrastructure? Free Internet and university places for youngsters. What were his other manifesto pledges? Why all the ambiguity over Brexit?  I didn't like Thatcher, Blair or May or Tony but I respected them as politicians because they stood by what they believed in. I respect all politicians across the board that stick to their principles. Corbyn didn't and its why he got  annihilated at the polls. A socialist, anti imperialist and anti capitalist that said he voted for an imperialist and pro capitalist cabal. He refused to say how he'd vote over and over again until the last knockings. He did so to appease the Islington elite and middle class students he was courting. The same people that were screaming that Brexit was racist. At the same time the EU were holding black and Asian immigrants in refugee camps overseas but not a word on that! Corbyn created and courted a student union protest movement that screamed at and shouted down anyone not on the left . They claimed Starmer and the centre right of labour were tories. He didn't get elected  because he, his movement and policies were unelectable, twice. He turned out not to have the convictions of his politics and died on his own sword.    Reform won't win an election. All the idiots that voted for them to keep out Labour actually enabled Labour. They'll be back voting tory next time.    Farage wouldn't be able to make his millions if he was in power. He's a very devious shyster but I very much doubt he'd actually want the responsibility that governance requires.
    • The purge of hard left members that were part of Corbyn's, Mcdonnel's and Lansmans momentum that purged the party of right wing and centrist members. That's politics. It's what Blair did to win, its what Starmer had to do to win. This country doesn't vote in extreme left or right governments. That's partly why Corbyn lost  We're pretty much a centrist bunch.  It doesn't make it false either. It's an opinion based on the voting patterns, demography and statistics. Can you explain then why former mining constituencies that despise the tories voted for them or abstained rather than vote for Corbyns Labour?  What is the truth then? But he never got elected!!! Why? He should have been binned off there and then. Why he was allowed to hang about is an outrage. I hold him party responsible for the shit show that we've had to endure since. 
    • Depends on what the Barista says doesnt it? There was no physical confrontation with the driver, OP thinks she is being targetted when she isnt. These guys work min wage under strict schedules so give them a break unless they damage your stuff
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...