THEIR coalition to run the Capital has seen its share of drama – and now Steve Cardownie and Jenny Dawe are starring as Romeo and Juliet in protest leaflets about the decision to axe the annual £40,000 council grant for Scottish Ballet.
A mock-up of the flyer for the new production of the world's most famous love story – which opens at the Festival Theatre tonight – shows Edinburgh's SNP and Liberal Democrat group leaders under the words: "This pair of star-crossed lovers has cut al
l their funding for Scottish Ballet."
Senior Labour politicians will be stationed outside the theatre tonight, handing out the leaflets and asking people to sign a petition against the cuts.
The party's culture spokesman, Malcolm Chisholm, MSP for Edinburgh North & Leith, is due to join former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds and other councillors at the protest.
Labour says the cut means the end of Scottish Ballet's outreach programme in schools and risks turning ballet performances into the preserve of the "élite".
Mr Chisholm said: "There are two keys aspects to arts policy – supporting excellent performing arts and making it as widely available as possible.
"This cut shows what the SNP's fine words about the arts amount to – not only are they cutting support for excellent performance art, they are ensuring that fewer people can enjoy it."
Labour group leader Councillor Ewan Aitken said that the funding for Scottish Ballet – and a similar amount to Scottish Opera, which has also been cut – had been provided for decades to give ordinary people access to the arts.
He said: "They have chosen to attack one of the bedrocks of this city's soul – its cultural life.
"This is a classic example of putting pounds before people. The benefits pupils in this city get from that relatively small amount of money is enormous.
"In engaging with ballet and opera, they are getting a cultural experience they would not otherwise have."
He said each year Scottish Ballet went into city schools with its outreach programme: "The children are not just watching it, they are performing it – it's a phenomenal piece of work."
Scottish Opera used a similar model for its engagement. But the council cuts mean both organisations will stop their outreach work in Edinburgh.
Cllr Cardownie said the council had shown its support for the arts by increasing funding for the Festival and would continue to fund Scottish Ballet on a project-by-project basis for work carried out in Edinburgh.
But he claimed the financial "mess" left by Labour was to blame for the cuts.
He said: "I wish their sense of humour was matched by their sense of fiscal responsibility."
The full article contains 449 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
