ED2016 Spoken Word ED2016 Three To See ED2016 Week0 Edition

Three To See 2016: Political events

By Caro Moses | Published on Saturday 30 July 2016

ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses helps you navigate the Festival with her Three To See tips. This time some political debate.

Barton Swaim – The Political Speechwriter | Scottish Parliament | 19 Aug
Speech-writing’s been in the news of late, what with that there Melania Trump being accused of plagiarising the words of Michelle Obama. But it’s a pretty interesting subject anytime, right? I mean, who are these speechwriters who put words into the mouths of other people? How do they master this art? Luckily for you, here’s an event at the Festival Of Politics that will shed light on it all. Join Michael Russell MSP and former speechwriter Barton Swaim, author of a book on the subject.

Malcolm Harvey and Michael Keating | Charlotte Square Gardens | 23 Aug (pictured)
This is a Book Festival event with a political theme that’s surely on many minds at the moment, the renewed debate over the possibility of Scottish Independence, particularly since English and Welsh voters pushed the UK into Brexit, despite the European Referendum results in Scotland going the other way. Malcolm Harvey and Michael Keating, co-authors of ‘Small Nations In A Big World’, take a look at what lessons the country can learn from the experience of Nordic and Baltic states.

I Could Do That! – Art In The Public Space | Scottish Parliament | 20 Aug
There are loads of art exhibitions on in Edinburgh this month, of course, but they don’t always attract huge audiences, no matter how much we plug them. Art that’s out in the public space is another thing, however, viewed by anyone, and owned by everyone. This panel debate takes a look at what we should try to achieve with public art, and what makes a good space in which to place it, as discussed by two artists, an art teacher, and an art writer.