'Train-wreck' of an idea Festival of Brexit is a waste of money - Anthony Clavane

Whenever I go to York railway station, and climb the steps of the bridge, I somehow resist the urge to bellow: “Stop that train!” I have been tempted to shout out those three words for the past four decades, ever since I saw a memorable film called The Dresser.
Anthony Clavane sets out his views on the 'Festival of Brexit' plans. Photo: Yui Mok/PAAnthony Clavane sets out his views on the 'Festival of Brexit' plans. Photo: Yui Mok/PA
Anthony Clavane sets out his views on the 'Festival of Brexit' plans. Photo: Yui Mok/PA

This famous scene, which featured Albert Finney as a Shakespearean actor-manager touring the north with his bedraggled troupe, was recalled in several of this week’s obituaries for Ronald Harwood, who wrote the 1983 movie.

On the same day the Oscar-winning screenwriter’s death was announced, the organisers of the 2022 Festival of Brexit launched an appeal for creative minds to come up with “daring, new and popular” ideas to bring the country together after we finally leave the EU.

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When the then Prime Minister Theresa May – remember her? – championed the notion of such a festival, just over two years ago, it was widely ridiculed.

What with May’s demise, Johnson’s rise, and the world being turned upside down by a global pandemic, I had forgotten all about it. I assumed the plans got derailed. Or, at least, they had reached the end of the line.

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In fact, it appears this ridiculous idea is now back on track. On the fast track, no less. To which I say, or rather boom in the tumultuous tones of a domineering Albert-Finney-at-York-railway-station kind of way: “Stop that train!”

Remarkably, in the film Finney’s loud command was obeyed by the startled guard at York station. The Bradford-bound locomotive, which had begun to pull out of the station, halted and “Sir” lead his bedraggled troupe aboard.

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Nothing, however – especially my melodramatic howl of despair – can stop the Festival of Brexit. It’s all systems go. Applications for teams who wish to be commissioned have been opened.

The deadline for submissions is five weeks away. After that, 30 teams will be given £100,000 each to develop their plans – out of which ten will be chosen. To which I say, in a more respectful, less boomy kind of way: “What a waste of money.”

The £120m budget would be much better spent supporting arts organisations facing disaster due to the virus. Thousands of artists and creatives are on their knees because of Covid-19 and struggling for survival.

“The last thing they need,” as museum consultant Nick Winterbotham told The Art Newspaper, “is a misconceived and semi-funded festival.”

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I have a lot of respect for the festival’s chief creative officer Martin Green and I greatly admired what he achieved as director of Hull’s UK City of Culture year.

Like the 2012 Olympic Games, which he was also involved in – as head of ceremonies – it harnessed the power of storytelling.

Apart from the quality and diversity of its wonderful events and projects, it promoted an engaging narrative about the city, letting the world know that, despite the countless hard knocks it had received over the years, it was ready for regeneration, rebirth, reinvention even.

The problem is that, in such a divisive era, a similar post-Brexit narrative is hard to postulate. Green hopes the festival will heal divisions. “It’s about understanding each other,” he declared. “And appreciating each other’s differences and commonalities.” If only.

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There is a great deal of logical sense in promoting a story of national regeneration. However, as this annus horribilis has only confirmed, it is emotion, rather than logic, that beguiles us.

And as Trump’s America continues to illustrate, public figures – whether politicians or creative officers – cannot rely on rational arguments to sway voters or attract visitors.

Emotion trumps reason every time. Especially when it is an integral part of a group’s tribal identity. In one of Harwood’s last interviews, the writer was asked about the ongoing popularity of The Dresser. He explained: “It is a play about emotion; it’s not a play about the brain, it’s about the heart and that’s what I like.”

The same thing could be said about a festival to mark this country’s departure from the EU, with or without a deal. Bringing people together for a national celebration is, logically, a noble aspiration. In these divisive times, however, it is a train-wreck of an idea.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson

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