Politics Festival, Stranraer 2016

LITICS O P

guest speakers

t hr ough our eyes comedy

LITICS O P t hr ough our eyes

music

art

debate

A 3-day Festival featuring a cultural and political programme of events

Stranraer, March 25-27 2016 www.politicsthroughoureyes.co.uk

5th March 2016 – 27th March 2016 FREE Art Exhibition with a Political Theme 5th March to 2rd April 2016

Stranraer Museum, George St, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway DG9 7JP

Scotland art and culture is changing.

Governments and organisations have long used newspapers, posters and leaflets to try and influence what people think. This exhibition explores the power that artists have to make a difference when they chose to engage with politics and global issues through their work.

In the making of art and visual culture through film, individual pieces of art, cartoons or beautiful hand sewn protest banners, values such as collectivism, equality, justice and the search for alternative economies have been explored.

Stranraer Artist Colin Macleod

In Scotland, since the re-inauguration of the Scottish Parliament in 1998 the arts have been changing, this change has been rapid, and since the Referendum, has evolved at an ever increasing pace.

Whether Scotland eventually becomes a sovereign state or remains as part of a larger entity is not the point. Scotland as a country is increasingly taking the decisions itself which defines its parameters.

This in itself is causing a change in culture. The result of this is that Scotland’s art, indeed its whole cultural scene, is changing and will continue to do so because the system which defines these changes is different. However, artists and historians, like many others, don’t know where these changes will eventually lead.

This exciting exhibition attempts to present some of the social forces which in the recent past have contributed to the changes resulting in where we are now.

Scottish Artist Rachel Maclean

SATURDAY 26TH MARCH .... DON’T MISS!

FREE NGO & Craft Stalls FREE Buskers in Castle Square, Stranraer. Weather permitting

LITICS PO t hr ough our eyes

Stranraer, March 25-27 2016

Friday 25th March 2016 FREE Give Sectarianism The Red Card

10.30 Fitba Club and 1pm SFC, QoS and Annan Athletic Youth Teams at Stair Park Come along to Stranraer Fitba club where we are holding an event aimed at exploring sectarianism and offensive behaviour in football. This event, aimed at young people will be led by the charity Nil By Mouth who work with young people to challenge bigotry, racism and abusive behaviour at football games. The event will include Queen of the South, Annan Athletic and Stranraer Football Club youth teams working together to create an environment where the young people can explore what sectarianism is and challenge it.

The morning session will be followed by a football coaching session and team competition at Stranraer Football Ground, Stair Park. All welcome.

FREE 60/70s Night 9:00pm - Late, Railway Inn This is an opportunity for some social networking.

All welcome

FREE Poetry & Story Telling with Liz Niven 4:00pm - 5:30pm Stranraer Museum

Most people would agree that poetry can be, and often is, highly political. By communicating your message in a different format a poem can often be used to illuminate where other channels of communication fail. Liz Niven is a poet and writer who was born in Glasgow and currently lives in Dumfries. Her stories and poems have been widely published in newspapers, anthologies and magazines and broadcast on radio BBC Scotland, Four, Ulster & World Service and Chinese Radio International. Come along and enjoy some of Liz’s work.

FREE The Happy Lands Followed By Q&A with Director 7:00pm - 10:00pm, Ryan Centre

Come along to the Ryan Centre and watch this fascinating piece of Community filmmaking. We are delighted that the Director of the film Robert Rae has agreed to come and hold a Q & A session about the making of the film.

It’s the General Strike 1926 – only seven years after the slaughter of the trenches, miners unions lead the country against savage austerity cuts handed to the nation by a Liberal-Conservative government. Inspired by true stories from local families in Fife, the Happy Lands follow the journey of law-abiding citizens who become law-breakers in a heroic battle against the state. It’s never a good time to stand up for your rights – but it’s always the right time.

Find more event information at www.politicsthroughoureyes.co.uk

Saturday 26th March FREE Scottish Democracy 11:00 am - 12:30pm, Fitba Club, Stranraer Speakers Include Richard Arkless MP, David Torrance, Jonathon Shafi (Rise), Fiona O’donnell (Labour PPC), Sarah Beattie-Smith (Green Party PPC).

Come and join us for a debate on what Scotland will look and feel like in the coming years. We are delighted to welcome four of the most influential political thinkers and commentators in Scotland. What now for Scotland? Join us to explore those and dozens more questions of Scottish Democracy and what Scotland will look and feel like in the coming years.

FREE NGO & Craft Stalls FREE Buskers Castle Square

FREE Common Weal Book Of Ideas 1:30pm - 3:00pm, D’Nisi Coffee House

Ever wondered how we use policy to change society and improve our quality of life?

Robin McAlpine, Director of the Common Weal will be joining us to discuss the new and innovative ideas explored in the Common Weal Book of Ideas. The book asks what we need to achieve to create a better Scotland. The discussion will cover key areas such as Tax, Investment and the Public Realm, National Infrastructure, including energy and importantly the characteristics that give us a good quality of life. This event is aimed at those who want to see things done differently.

Those who want new ideas – big ideas for Scotland.

FREE Scotland In The World/ Bombing for Britain?

3:30pm - 5:30pm, Holy Ground Community Church Speakers – Cat Boyd (Rise), Veronika Todhope (CND), Jeane Freeman (SNP PPC), Tory Rep and Labour Rep As the economic, social and environmental systems in the Middle East and Europe remain in turmoil are we experiencing the irrevocable change in the politics of Europe the Middle East and Africa? Confused about who is supporting who in the Middle East and why? You are not alone!! Come along and listen as our influential political thinkers and commentators as they share their thoughts with us.

Dick Gaughan Supported By Rab Wilson 7:15pm - Late, Ryan Centre TICKETS £10 available from The Ryan Centre The Politics Fest is delighted to welcome Dick Gaughan to our festival here in Stranraer. If you love good music with a political edge then this event is a must!

Dick Gaughan is a Scottish folk singer known for celebrating his working class identity through his music steeped in social protest songs.

Writer, poet, whistleblower and political activist Rab Wilson, will entertain us prior to the Dick Gaughan concert. Please arrive for a 7pm start.

LITICS PO t hr ough our eyes

Stranraer, March 25-27 2016

Sunday 27th March 2016 FREE Building The Local Economy 10:00am - 11:30am, D’nisi Coffee House Speakers, Palm Tree Universal Rep, David Telford Sonas Energy Rep, Stranraer Development Trust Rep, James Shirazi DGHP Regeneration Strategy If you have a stake in it – you’re a stakeholder!

How do you ensure Stranraer has a regeneration strategy that is not purely economically focused – but also contains strong social and cultural foundations designed to improve the quality of life and environment? How do you develop the area to make a lively place for people to live and work – somewhere clean, safe and with a heritage that the community could feel proud about?

FREE Who Owns Scotland 12:00pm - 2:00pm, Fitba Club Speakers – Aileen Mcleod (SNP MSP), Sarah Beattie-Smith (Scottish Green Party), Richard Leonard (Labour PPC), Tory Rep, Lamont Hare Tenant Farmer, Andrew Mccornick (Vice President, NFU) Come and join us for a debate on the most fundamental question for any country. Who owns my country and what does that mean for me? More than half of Scotland is owned by fewer than 500 people.

This entitlement and privilege has been built on a system that has survived almost intact since the Scottish Reformation in 1560. Is such a concentrated amount of power and wealth in the hands of so few sustainable in a modern Scotland? Who owns our infrastructure? Does it matter if our water, electricity and transport systems are owned by foreign companies? Does it affect our economy in Scotland? How does such an arrangement fit with our drive for a more equal and just Scotland?

FREE The Future of Public Services 2:15pm - 4:00pm, Fitba Club Speakers: Colin Smith (Labour PPC), Finlay Carson (Tory PPC), Richard Arkless MP (SNP), Tam Dewar (CWU Rep), Jim Bradley (Vice Chair Scottish Pensioner Forum). Chaired by David Coulter (Third Sector First) The future of public services: the impact on local government and communities. The financial crises, demographic changes and national policy changes are impacting significantly on the services delivered by local government, and the methods by which they are delivered. Will the reduction in funding available and other government policy changes lead to fundamental changes in the methods of commissioning and the delivery of local government services? As more people experience the impact of the cuts with an increasing proportion of households finding services inadequate or unaffordable we ask. Has our local Councils reached a tipping point? How do we prepare for the future and do we need to seriously look at how we deliver services?

Find more event information at www.politicsthroughoureyes.co.uk

A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

DUMFRIES TRADES UNION COUNCIL

LITICS PO t hr ough our eyes

Stranraer, March 25-27 2016

“Young people’s opinions matter and their voices should be heard” Education Services are pleased to support the Festival of Politics; young people’s opinions matter and their voices should be heard. The festival will help our pupils be politically literate - understanding political decisions and the effect these decisions have on their own lives. The 2016 Scottish Parliament election is the first in which 16 and 17 year olds can vote, it is important our young people participate. Many of the debates in the Festival will stimulate and challenge the young people into thinking what kind of a world they want to live in, supporting them make informed choices which will influence the future of their communities.

I want to thank the Festival of Politics for giving young people in our schools the opportunity to participate in this ambitious programme of activities.

I wish you every success.

Gillian Dr Gillian Brydson, Head of Education, Dumfries and Galloway Council

The rural energy company ● Anaerobic Digestion & Biomass ● District Heating ● Combined Heat and Power ● Community Energy projects Sonas energy are specialists in decentralised energy systems. We work all over Scotland from our base in Portpatrick..

Pleased to support the “Festival of Politics”. email: heather@sonasenergy.co.uk tel: 01776 810822

www.politicsthroughoureyes.co.uk

BELFAST DAY TRIPS

£10 PER PERSON RETURN

Choose from Belfast Zoo, Titanic Belfast®, fantastic shopping and lots more!

Or travel further to discover the Giant’s Causeway or take a legendary Game of Thrones tour.

Price includes • Return Superfast ferry travel from Cairnryan to Belfast • Return coach transfers • Admission to attractions where applicable So don’t miss out, book a day trip to Belfast and beyond now!

Book online at

stenaline.co.uk From £10 price shown is for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. For full day trip details and prices please visit our website. Conditions apply.