Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue

[Spinner72]

True. Making sure everyone with the power to vote has all the details clearly laid out in front of them can't possibly do any harm, and will be preferable to a decision based on loudness vs logic

 

The word "review" leads so easily to "consultation", i think thats what fired me up a bit.

 

Ah well, 6 more weeks for the Arts people to clarify the facts, and the objectors to clarify.. , er...

 

Whats done is done, but its a damn shame if the offer of european funding for any shortfall is now lost simply because of a delay so this council can do what its predescessor already did.

 

[JustMe]

Why do the councillors not have enough information to make a decision today?. There has been plenty of time to prepare a fact pack and distribute it in advance of today's meeting. Or did someone think the councillors did not need information in order to decide?.

[Jonners]

I think this is good news for Mareel and a wise move from the SIC.

 

It's basically the SIC giving the Mareel supporters the chance to win the economic argument.

 

Most people in Shetland think Mareel will be a drain on the economy.

 

It's going to take a strong, clear argument from the arts people that this won't be the case.

 

I know they've already tried to make this argument, but so far it hasn't been won.

[Njugle]

Exactly. A strong watertight business plan will prevail because that, after all, is the crux of the long term matter. Anyone can set up a financial house of cards as we have seen oft before around these parts,it is the financial bonding to permanently affix those cards that is not so easy to guarantee.

 

To further the point, from a consultation and statistical point of view it can logically be proven that there is a massive market for selling sand to arabs, plenty of arabs, historical use of large quantities of sand, growth, development etc etc, but of course the reality is patently absurd.

 

The task ahead for Shetland Arts, i feel, is to re-visit re-jig re-structure the business plan in such a way as to allay the fears of the financially cautious. It is quite probably attainable and if done so realistically then common sense will prevail.

 

More power to your elbow Shetland Arts.

[peeriebryan]

Latest from the Shetland News website - Mareel: not dead yet

[u35jm4]

'Councillor Allison Duncan' has been quoted saying: SADA needed to review its business case, which he said he could “nominate for the Shetland Arts creative arithmetic awardâ€.

 

I'd be interested to know if he's ever even looked at the business plan himself!

[just a number]

“The cinema is one area of the venue I am absolutely confident will subsidise the rest of the building,

 

The above quote is from the Shetland news by Mr Gibbons, given that he says that the cinema can susidise the rest of the building, is he expecting the rest of it to make a loss ?

[JohnnyRandom]

“The cinema is one area of the venue I am absolutely confident will subsidise the rest of the building,

 

The above quote is from the Shetland news by Mr Gibbons, given that he says that the cinema can susidise the rest of the building, is he expecting the rest of it to make a loss ?

The leaflet in this week's Shetland Times says that it will break even in Year 4, by £7000, if the expected revenue is as forecast in the business plan.

 

It's difficult to discuss this project. It seems like 'You're either with us or against us!' - with no inbetween.

 

I vaguely remember that I liked going to the 'pictures' when the North Star was still a cinema and not a purple shed. I think there could have been a case for a cinema when it was first raised at the end of the 90's, but times change and I can download - legally - movies and TV shows now. Granted, they are not on a 30 foot screen, but even when near a cinema I still weigh up the worth of sitting for 2 or 3 hours in front of a film I can't pause while eating £2 bags of Munchies - compared to doing it in my living room. Cinema attendances have been down for the last couple of years.

 

Some of the arguments centre around 'what are the kids to do round here?' After the demise of the North Star I didn't consider packing it all up and leaving Shetland because there was nothing to do. Somehow I managed - I rented videos and I went to see some of the sparsely-attended gigs from UK bands that dared venture this far North. Mareel would be someplace else to go.

 

Would it enable the birth of ground-breaking filmmakers or platinum-selling bands? We have a dozen sports centres - we are not awash with Commonwealth medalists.

 

Sure i'd GO to Mareel if it already existed, but I'm not fussed whether it gets built or not. The only aspect of all this business that makes me pay attention is the cost. For £9M (or £5M or so of cooncil money) I'd really WANT to feel passionate about something before wanting these elected members give it the nod.

 

The SIC committed the money in '04 when it was arguably in a different financial situation. For several million pounds, shouldn't it be able to look again?

[Baron Farkoff]

Music is not a sport, and cannot be compared as such.

[Talpa]

ALLEGEDLY this is ROUGHLY what happened….

 

Big day. Supporters left the Town Hall a little confused about what exactly had happened but the broad consensus was that the majority of the SIC supports Mareel in principal but needs reassurance about the figures.

 

Pretty much every, but not all, speech in support of Flea’s motion started with some variation of “I do support the idea of Mareel BUT…â€. The ‘But’ part was dealt with by Allan Wishart’s early change/ addition to Flea’s motion (not sure of exact terms) that the review was to be of the business plan only and that it had to be done within 6 weeks. Sensibly ensuring the motion could not derail the project whilst addressing the lack of confidence that was being voiced. I would have liked to see the project go ahead today but respect his common sense and constructive way of dealing with opposing opinions within the council.

 

That the business plan has been scrutinised and approved by bodies such as Scottish Arts Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and European Regional Development Fund didn’t seem to be enough. The point that it should be enough reassurance and that Mareel seems to have to more jumps to clear than a horse on the Grand National course was made by several councillors.

 

But if reassurance from the SIC’s own financial team is required to make this happen then so be it. It may also help to reassure doubters in the community, which can only be a good thing.

 

The most ridiculous line of argument (that had more than a sniff of the pre-planned about it) was the repeated suggestion that Mareel’s inclusion of café/bar income in the business plan was an outrageous endorsement of boozing in a community with a booze problem.

 

Mareel will give people, especially the young, something to do that is not boozing. It may even help to stem a couple of other growing problems – heroin & disillusionment. The necessity that Mareel will generate its own income and not be dependant on SIC funding, unlike other projects, means this revenue has been taken into account.

 

Is it truly so dreadful if folk fancy a gin after a recital or a pie and a pint during a poetry reading or a pounding techo dj set? Or is there a fear from some quarters that if young people go to the cinema on a Friday night rather than the pub then the pubs may loose out? Has there been lobbying from these ‘quarters’? Hmmm, strokes his chin in pondering fashion.

 

Youngsters may spend less time in the pub at the weekend (a good thing, no?) BUT people will also visit the local hostelries before or after events during the week (what, people go out for a glass of wine or a meal on a random Wednesday night?) and at weekends.

 

There were some great speeches.

 

Sandy Cluness, argued that Mareel has already been made to jump through so many hoops (many more than other comparable and far more expensive projects) and should now get on with building Mareel and not risk spiralling costs through delay or risk losing external money.

 

He spoke of previous projects he had seen, such as the Clickimin, which were debated with gusto, nearly to the point of extinction, but have brought so much to Shetland. He also cited the support that he has seen and heard that Mareel has. His arguments were simple but stirring and he seemed to have his eye on both the past and the future.

 

Bill Manson was neat in tone and drew on all sorts of arguments; from the general to the specific and from the gathered to the personal. He was the leading voice in favour of now letting Shetland Arts get on with it and not causing more, potentially expensive, delay. He proposed this (as opposed to Flea’s motion) and was seconded by Sandy Cluness - I was already confused by the fine technical details by this point and it could have been the other way round.

 

Rick Nickerson was very, very impassioned and moved gracefully from describing Shetland’s rich heritage and creative talent to the strong financial case for no delay. He received a fine round of applause and has to be noted as a fine orator. He was also wearing a really cool suit.

 

Frank Robertson spoke quietly and elegantly of the rich tradition this project is born out of and cited Tom Anderson and Aly Bain. He sensibly suggested ways of ensuring the financial side was kept in check and drew on his experience of working on the Museum & Archives project. Frank Robertson always impresses me with his gentle and astute observations.

 

Caroline Miller read, with increasing intensity, quote after quote from official documents about how Mareel ticks all the boxes for what the SIC are meant to be doing for the community.

 

Florence Grains, again with experience on the Museum & Archives project, raised the dangers of the SIC being seen as an unreliable funding partner which could endanger future applications for external cash for Shetland. She then spoke of the success of the Museum & Archives. Her points about the knock-on-effect if the SIC renege on its commitment do deserve pause for thought.

 

Betty Fullerton came with a great one-liner “We are not living in a financial wonderland and I am not Alice, so let’s get real with this.†(Shetland News). She needs convincing on the cash side but was keen to stress that she is forward thinking. I hope, once she has been reassured, that she is.

 

Not being a regular in the council chambers I kept getting confused between Iris Hawkins and Laura Baisley but they were both keen to state they weren’t anti-Mareel per se but needed more information about finances and convincing that folk want it. They are custodians of the public purse, which must be a weighty responsibility. They seemed genuine in their motivation. But I do wish they had engaged with the people who can address their financial concerns before now and that they had responded to the wider creative community. It’s not hard now with email, internet etc.

 

Jonathan Wills spoke with occasional wit and a fine beard. He is genuinely motivated by a sense of responsibility as a caretaker of Shetland’s cash (good). He somehow seems like a very erudite but loose canon who never quite blows but could at any moment.

 

His arguments against Mareel and for taking care of Shetland’s cash are weakened by his being a champion of other, competing, projects. He strayed into a general critique of Shetland Arts. Fine - but the not time or the place. I can’t work out if he wants Shetland’s cash kept safe or just used on stuff that he wants. He could be a good debater, when he has the time and space to write for publications he is a very good debater. But this morning he just seemed a bit irritable and fixated on certain points.

 

The Flea was really quiet. He read, with a little awkwardness, from a typed sheet. He said Good Morning to us all at the back He was more vocal when he came out of the town hall. However, it seems like he no longer wants to place a bomb under Mareel, which is reassuring in these days of increased security risks. Was he one of the men with knives in their pockets who didn’t bring them out? (Alistair Cooper referred to this on the radio tonight but names no-one specifically).

 

I wonder if he has been reigned in or has suddenly become aware of how he comes across publicly. He is a passionate and committed man and I’d like to be on his side in an argument because of this. But there is a sense of 'something of the night' about him and his campaign.

 

Gary Robinson may be aware that he is in danger of being perceived as the Blair to Flea’s Bush. And he is in danger of being perceived as the Blair to Flea's Bush. He was quick to state at the end of the debate that even though he voted for a review that he did want Shetland Arts to carry on with work whilst they undergo a review.

 

Gussie Angus spoke of his dilemma as a long time Shetland Arts trustee who ultimately had problems with the business plan, hence the resignation. But just kept on and on about the fact that Mareel will be licensed and that Shetland Arts have included that in the business plan. It was a bit strange actually.

 

With the delights of hindsight it may be fair to say that Shetland Arts haven’t done enough to keep the public up to date. But when you see the work they have had to do behind the scenes to get this far and the work they now have to do to keep the thing alive you start to see why. I do think they are trying to address this – the FAQ’s leaflet helped. They all left straight away to get on with what they were asked to do. I, on the other hand, went for lunch.

 

The masses, well about 50/ 60 of us, were very well behaved. There was a collective ‘you must be joking’ in take of breath at one of Jonathan Will’s comments and clapping for some of the more visionary councillors. There were young and old, guitars and fiddles, cameras and notebooks.

 

Conclusion: Some really tenuous arguments that looked almost conspiratorial, some serious concerns that need reassurance and some inspiring speeches drawing on past, present and future of Shetland.

 

There were moments when I thought the first spade could be in ground starting on the foonds by lunchtime and moments when I thought the whole thing was dead.

 

Alastair Cooper suddenly came to life at the end to suggest that the whole project goes to the Charitable Trust instead of the council…this seemed to cause much consternation in all quarters.

 

For those who want death by review it was perhaps a premature and unexpected move. For those who want the whole thing carefully considered, but who are still open to SIC support, it was not appealing. Betty Fullerton was adamant this was not an appropriate course of action for the SIC. It didn’t really go anywhere.

 

At the end there was a general shuffling out of the town hall of councillors and supporters and bit of confusion about what had actually been agreed.

 

As I understand - Flea’s motion, with Allan Wishart’s alteration (business plan to be reviewed only and in 6 weeks), won. But there was a sense that there was a divide in the supporters of the motion. Those who just want it gone so the money can be used on other projects and those who support the idea but need reassurance.

 

I left with a sense that the councillors who want/ need a bit of reassurance were slightly hood-winked by those who just want to kill it. The notice of motion being the only way they could address these fears. They could have just spent an afternoon with the Mareel project team, but, failing that, the motion was the only way they could get the information they need.

 

Herein lies the common sense of Allan Wishart, even if more delay is nerve wracking for the folk who are trying to get us this thing.

 

There may be implications for external funders and someone in Shetland Arts has the job of phoning them to tell them this news. I hope they accept it. The reassurance is out there (from external bodies to consultants etc.etc.) but the SIC need it scrutinised by the SIC’s own money people and presented to them. Ok, fair enough.

 

It could be that those who want to kill it will try to use this review to do so or it could be that those who supported the motion because they want fully understand and believe in the business plan will be reassured by what they see. I don’t know. It is a Shetland wide project but it feels like the USA elections the year that Bush’s victory boiled down to a few votes in Florida.

 

I didn't take notes, if I have names/ facts wrong (and you were there) please correct. But, it seemed important that the Shetlinkers got some kind of report from inside the hall. I am pro-Mareel but have tried to reflect what happened. There are anti-Mareel arguments that were aired with vigour and could be more fully explained but I have, at least, tried to refer to them.

 

Very interesting two hours, recommend turning up for the Big One in six weeks time. I mean, until we have Mareel, it is a grand, and at times entertaining, way to spend a couple of hours – and it’s free.

[Njugle]

Very good Talpa. Nicely written and beneficial to all.

[Ichorus]

yes thank you very much Talpa. It did seem very confusing especially for me down here in glasgow not hearing from a single person so yeah nice

 

Video of the Day

http://www.burntcandle.co.uk/Mareel.html

[spencey7]

Cinema attendances have been down for the last couple of years.

"Box office rose in 2007" - Reuters.

[tlady]

Where is the Mareels buisness plan available for public viewing?

[TeeAyBee]

I wasn't at the meeting as I was at work - can anyone shed any light on this letter to Shetland News?

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/letters_05_2008/Mareel%20funding%20could%20still%20be%20withdrawn.htm

 

Is this actually what happened as it seems a little at odds with Talpa's account and the accounts of those I've spoken to since. I was under the impression that motions required terms of references or they were just statements.

 

I would suggest perhaps that there is an element of denial on the nay-sayers side too - Cllr Wishart's manoeuvre was a master stroke. By adding the terms of reference so clearly needed he has removed the emotive part of the argument and successfully channelled the decision into the facts and figures where personalities are not relevant.

 

The decision now will be made on cold facts which is best for all. If the business case doesn't hold up then it is in Shetland's interest to not go ahead and it would be an unarguable resolution. If the business case does hold up to scrutiny then surely it is in Shetland's interest to go ahead, another unarguable resolution. I for one while being a Mareel supporter think that this review of the business case as a resolution of the proposed motion is a good thing.

 

Perhaps now there will be less personal sniping in the debate, which will make it more effective and less about political posturing.