The Aquarium Terraces

Brighton & Hove News reports today on the proposals to regenerate this large unoccupied seafront site to include a fine dining room (surprise, surprise) and a sports centre. The renovations will include replacing the boarded-up windows, seen above, with a glass frontage. (Evidently optimism reigns supreme).

The rotunda seen above will be unaffected but a separate development  calls for the demolition of the small glass pavilion seen in the photo below:-

It is regrettable that none of the proposals call for any changes to the eyesore that is the roof. It seems more suited to a rundown edge-of-town industrial estate than a Grade II listed property at the heart of a famous historic seafront:-

At the Fabrica

The light & sound installation by Brian Eno, Guest Artistic Director for this year's Festival, is wonderful. Enter the blacked-out gallery and relax on one of the deep comfortable sofas facing an array of monitor screens. Let the soft melodic soundtrack wash over you while the screens display an ever-changing mosaic of hand drawn patterns which soothe and entrance the eye. Such sounds of the outside world that penetrate this once religious building become insignificant and far away.

The work is entitled "77 Million Paintings", (but who's counting?) and the accompanying leaflet describes it as "Monumental in scale, duration and thematic scope" which "underscores our essential human and ephemeral nature". I felt it was like being inside a grown-up kaleidoscope but none the worse for that.  Well worth inclusion on your Festival 'must-see' list. Entrance is free.

Vote Green for Democracy

Churchill once said "Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all the rest", (or something like that), but some would argue that  the British "first pass the post" model is up there with the rest. Certainly many electors have to cast their vote in a general election without hope that it will have any influence on the way they are governed. The arguments in favour of "first past the post" are that it gives strong government and reduces the prospects of a hung parliament. One wonders however, if over a number of parliamentary terms, it has any advantage at all. "Strong" government is only needed if you are pushing through unpopular measures and then it is just as likely that your legislation will be reversed or modified at the next election. In any case, in 2010, the prospects for any one party to have a large majority appear especially poor.

In the 2005 election over 250,000 people voted Green and for their views to have been given proportional weight in Parliament they should have been represented by about 6 Green Party MP's. How can a system which denies a voice to a significant section of the electorate be considered fit for purpose?

Now, in Brighton Pavilion in May, a unique opportunity presents to begin to change things.  Whether your normal inclination is Labour, Conservative or Liberal, your single vote is unlikely to play a  critical role in the political make-up of the next parliament. Voting for Caroline Lucas on the other hand provides a good chance of electing the first Green MP and so make a contribution towards accurate democratic representation. It also saves one the bore of ploughing through the different manifestos to try to distinguish the difference between them.

Related article: "Can Caroline Lucas change British politics for ever?"

A well-trodden path

Victoria Gardens were once surrounded with low metal railings. These could be easily stepped over, so I'm not sure if this well-trodden path between the University and Church Street predates their removal or not. While still there they at least gave out a subliminal message to respect the grass.  This may have helped but now the scarring only disappears in the most favourable of growing conditions.  The cold and lack of rain certainly seem to be hindering recovery at the moment. 

It would be a shame to lose any of the grass to permanent paving, and the consequent diagonal bisection of the Garden would not be attractive. Perhaps the solution should be aimed at making it less energy efficient for walkers to choose the direct  route. This would spread out the footfall and in damp conditions even persuade some to follow the perimeter paving. This might be achieved by positioning narrow shrub beds for several yards along the edges of the garden at Church Street and the University, and a strategically place bed or landscaped mound near the centre of the garden.

St. George's Day

In many countries the 23rd April is still celebrated  as a Feast Day to mark the birth day in 303AD of St. George. It is also the date of Shakespeare's death, and, in Brighton on the nearest Sunday, the 25th., the written word and the national flower will be celebrated in Jubilee Square with a writing and poetry event, "The Book & the Rose".  In a square decked out in the red & white of St. George, the Festival Shakespeare Company will be paying a special tribute to the bard. There will be entertainment from Hanover Poetry Festival, Hammer & Tongue,  Short Fuse and the Catalyst Club and folk music from well- known Sussex performers. There will also be children's activities, deckchairs and local stalls selling flowers, including red roses, and books.

In England the use of the red upright cross of St.George originates from the 12th century crusades and in 1220 the Synod of Oxford declared St.George's Day a national feast day in England. The red cross was used as a national flag & military badge during Edward III's campaigns in France from the 1340's onwards.  In 1388 the crosses of St.George & St Andrew faced each other for the first time across the battlefield of Otterburn.

During the 15th century the celebrations for St.George's Day rivalled that of Christmas  and the symbol of the English rose became popular. It was one of the few Saint's Days that survived the Reformation in the 16th.century, but, after the Union with Scotland in the 18th. its popularity began to wane.

The English have no celebratory occasions exclusively their own and the growing independence of Scotland and Wales has given impetus to the idea that St. George's Day should be given a higher profile. Petitions have been presented to No.10 calling for a St.George's Day Bank Holiday and questions have been put in Parliament. So far these have been side-stepped but many supporters will be taking a day's holiday on the 23rd. to help publicise the call.