Post by adrianc on Mar 16, 2022 10:01:58 GMT
"The Festival of Brexit"...
When announced in 2018, it was the "Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Catchy.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45697248
www.gov.uk/government/speeches/brexit-offers-big-opportunities-to-showcase-our-creativity-and-innovation
By 2019, it was just an anonymous festival.
www.gov.uk/government/news/2022-festival-update
By 2020, it was "Festival UK* 2022" .
www.gov.uk/government/news/10-teams-to-lead-celebration-of-creativity-and-innovation-in-2022/
...and was being touted as a "cause for celebration" in the Telegraph (so long as cynical remoaners don't spoil it).
www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/need-start-supporting-festival-brexit/
although the FT seemed a bit less convinced by what was widely being (inevitably) referred to as "FUK22", saying that "Downing Street’s desperate attempt to distract us from the pandemic is looking increasingly threadbare".
www.ft.com/content/38aaed34-e6d0-477d-a3a6-d42c2c1a2f51
Last October, it was rebranded again, this time to "Unboxed 2022".
unboxed2022.uk/
Did you notice?
Did you even know it started this month?
10 free to attend events across the country...
1. About Us - unboxed2022.uk/about-us - aboutus.earth/
2 - Dandelion - unboxed2022.uk/dandelion - dandelion.scot/
3 - Dreamachine - unboxed2022.uk/dreamachine - dreamachine.world/
4 - GALWAD - unboxed2022.uk/galwad - galwad.cymru/
5 - Green Spaces, Dark Skies - unboxed2022.uk/green-space-dark-skies - greenspacedarkskies.uk/
6 - Our Place In Space - unboxed2022.uk/our-place-in-space - ourplaceinspace.earth/
7 - Polinations - unboxed2022.uk/polinations - polinations.com/
8 - See Monster - unboxed2022.uk/see-monster - seemonster.co.uk/
9 - StoryTrails - unboxed2022.uk/storytrails - unboxed2022.uk/storytrails
10 - Tour de Moon - unboxed2022.uk/tour-de-moon - tourdemoon.com/
Did you care...?
Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee do. They've just called it "an irresponsible use of public money" (£120m of it).
The chair, a Tory MP (Julian Knight) called it... "a prime illustration of an event with aims that have been vague from the start. That it took three years to come up with a rather nebulous name, which will mean little to the few that are even aware of its existence, does not bode well for its chances of delivering a true lasting legacy. How this questionable example of planning is playing out should act as wake-up call for the Government. Such a muddled approach is a sure-fire recipe for failure and we have no confidence that it can meet its ambitious targets for engagement or deliver a return on the substantial investment from the public coffers."
committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/digital-culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/161777/governments-lack-of-vision-risks-squandering-lasting-benefits-to-uk-of-hosting-major-events-mps-say/
When announced in 2018, it was the "Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Catchy.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45697248
www.gov.uk/government/speeches/brexit-offers-big-opportunities-to-showcase-our-creativity-and-innovation
By 2019, it was just an anonymous festival.
www.gov.uk/government/news/2022-festival-update
By 2020, it was "Festival UK* 2022" .
www.gov.uk/government/news/10-teams-to-lead-celebration-of-creativity-and-innovation-in-2022/
...and was being touted as a "cause for celebration" in the Telegraph (so long as cynical remoaners don't spoil it).
www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/need-start-supporting-festival-brexit/
although the FT seemed a bit less convinced by what was widely being (inevitably) referred to as "FUK22", saying that "Downing Street’s desperate attempt to distract us from the pandemic is looking increasingly threadbare".
www.ft.com/content/38aaed34-e6d0-477d-a3a6-d42c2c1a2f51
Last October, it was rebranded again, this time to "Unboxed 2022".
unboxed2022.uk/
Did you notice?
Did you even know it started this month?
10 free to attend events across the country...
1. About Us - unboxed2022.uk/about-us - aboutus.earth/
2 - Dandelion - unboxed2022.uk/dandelion - dandelion.scot/
3 - Dreamachine - unboxed2022.uk/dreamachine - dreamachine.world/
4 - GALWAD - unboxed2022.uk/galwad - galwad.cymru/
5 - Green Spaces, Dark Skies - unboxed2022.uk/green-space-dark-skies - greenspacedarkskies.uk/
6 - Our Place In Space - unboxed2022.uk/our-place-in-space - ourplaceinspace.earth/
7 - Polinations - unboxed2022.uk/polinations - polinations.com/
8 - See Monster - unboxed2022.uk/see-monster - seemonster.co.uk/
9 - StoryTrails - unboxed2022.uk/storytrails - unboxed2022.uk/storytrails
10 - Tour de Moon - unboxed2022.uk/tour-de-moon - tourdemoon.com/
Did you care...?
Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee do. They've just called it "an irresponsible use of public money" (£120m of it).
The chair, a Tory MP (Julian Knight) called it... "a prime illustration of an event with aims that have been vague from the start. That it took three years to come up with a rather nebulous name, which will mean little to the few that are even aware of its existence, does not bode well for its chances of delivering a true lasting legacy. How this questionable example of planning is playing out should act as wake-up call for the Government. Such a muddled approach is a sure-fire recipe for failure and we have no confidence that it can meet its ambitious targets for engagement or deliver a return on the substantial investment from the public coffers."
committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/digital-culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/161777/governments-lack-of-vision-risks-squandering-lasting-benefits-to-uk-of-hosting-major-events-mps-say/
