At Westminster today
The King’s Speech will be read in parliament today by His Majesty the King sitting in the House of Lords. The speech is prepared by the government at the beginning of the parliamentary term and today there will be an amount of pomp and ceremony attached to proceedings.
The government uses the speech to outline what it intends to legislate on in the coming months and today the government will outline plans to nationalise the railways.
In the first State Opening of Parliament under this government, The King’s Speech is expected to unveil over 35 bills and draft bills which will support delivery of the government’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain.
The package of bills will focus on growing the economy through better transport, more jobs and turbocharging building of houses and infrastructure – helping to make every part of the country better off.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain. For too long people have been held back, their paths determined by where they came from – not their talents and hard work.
“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress, and my government is focussed on supporting that aspiration.
“Today’s new laws will take back control and lay the foundations of real change that this country is crying out for, creating wealth in every community and making people better off – supporting their ambitions, hopes and dreams.”
The State Opening of Parliament begins with the Monarch’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster. The King will arrive at the Sovereign’s Entrance to Parliament and subsequently leads the Royal Procession to the chamber of the House of Lords.
A senior officer in the House of Lords called Black Rod will then summon members of the House of Commons into the Lord’s Chamber to listen to the speech.
Before entering the Commons chamber, the door is shut in Black Rod’s face and the official will strike the door three times before it is opened. This practice dates back to the Civil War and symbolises the Commons’ independence from the monarchy.
When the King leaves the chamber, a new parliamentary session begins and members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords will then debate the content of the speech for a number of days before the speech is voted on. Presumably after that the Prime Minister will declare a recess to allow MPs to regroup over the summer before a new parliamentary session begins.
Scottish Greens say they would like climate justice to be at the heart of the UK Government’s vision.
Three Edinburgh charities win big on the National Lottery
An award of £19,513 for Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust means it can run a sustainable food project to recycle food to produce jars of preserves which they will sell to the community and to farmers’ markets.
Rob Hoon, Chief Executive, Out of the Blue, said: “The ‘Preserves’ project is a new and exciting adventure for us, and this funding will allow us to process at least 4,000kg of ingredients per annum to make quality products that extend the shelf life of that food for up to 12 months.
“We will achieve this by producing small batch jams, pickles and preserves embracing traditional methods of preservation. We will work with people and community groups to support them to make their traditional preserves and gain new cooking skills.
The Grassmarket Community Project will run a programme of weekly digital skills workshops for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness after an award of £19,763.
Helene Van des Ploeg, Chief Executive Officer, Grassmarket Community Project, said: “Digital skills are so vitally important for all of us, whether it just be for connecting with friends or family through social media, writing a CV and applying for jobs or developing skills to open opportunities for employment through accredited learning.
“We will offer a high-quality service in which members can access new IT skills at any level and tailor the learning to match the needs of the individual and support them to work at their own pace, achieving their goals. We really appreciate the support that this funding will give us to go ahead with this vital project that will enable our members to flourish in the future.”
Thanks to an award of £63,189, Space at the Broomhouse will be able to extend their opening hours on Saturdays and provide more activities on offer.
Neil, Hay, CEO, Space at the Broomhouse, said: “We know that costs have risen significantly for all charities and community groups in the past few years and wanted to find a way to assist.
“Room hire, especially for smaller groups who do not have their own premises, is a big part of their costs, so we approached The National Lottery Community Fund to see if they could help.
“Thanks to their support we are in a position to offer a whole raft of help to the community, including free use of the halls at Space well into 2025.”
Art and technology
Art Fund are bringing new technology to the National Galleries of Scotland on 25 and 26 July which will allow people to see the impact that art has on their brains.
The tech will be available to try in the new Scottish galleries between 10am and 1pm on Thursday 25th July and 10am and 5pm on Friday 26th July. By showing the way the brain reacts Art Fund how to encourage people to visit museums and galleries with a National Art Pass. This gives free entry to hundreds of museums, art galleries and historic houses along with a 50% discount to some of the exhibitions, shops and cafés. While it is free to go to the National Galleries the Art Pass gives half price discount to ticketed shows such as Lavery on Location which will open on 20 July.
Art Fund Director, Jenny Waldman, said: “This technology shows how art can improve our wellbeing and emotions. Audiences love seeing the visualisation of their brainwaves when they look at different paintings and objects in museums, so we are thrilled to take this technology on tour. We hope that by bringing the experience to Edinburgh, we can inspire more people to visit the amazing museums and galleries we have on our doorsteps, such as the National Galleries of Scotland.”
Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland, said, “It is a real pleasure to be able to host this world-first technology here in the new Scottish galleries at the National, and it is fascinating to see the impact that art can have on us all. National Galleries of Scotland carried out research recently which showed that around 86% of our visitors felt that visiting the Galleries had a positive impact on their wellbeing, and we can’t wait to see this reflected in brainwaves. We’re looking forward to welcoming local residents to the gallery to test out this exciting technology, and to see the incredible art that belongs to the people of Scotland.”
Get your phone out in the loo
A call to action from Caitlin Cook who is staging a show at Pleasance Dome from 14 to 25 August.
Do you often find yourself reading the graffiti on bathroom walls? Do you smile at the witty bon mots that adorn the stalls of the public toilets of Edinburgh?
Well now is your chance to become part of an artistic project by comedian and songwriter Caitlin Cook.
Comedy infiltrates every corner of the city during the Fringe Festival – and bathroom walls are no exception. Caitlin’s show The Writing on the Stall explores the humour, beauty and human nature behind the often ignored scrawls of strangers on the inside of the cubicle. You might have seen her viral instagram videos turning crowdsourced graffiti into songs.
The Writing on the Stall sold out its 2023 Off-Broadway debut and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick – the accompanying studio album has over 25M+ streams.
The Writing on the Stall is coming to the Edinburgh Festival in August and Caitlin is calling on anyone with a keen eye for comedy, pathos, or witticisms to snap the best, funniest and most thought-provoking restroom scriptures they can find in public bathrooms across Edinburgh.
Those who think they’ve snapped a winning image should email the submissions to Caitlin at thewritingonthestallshow@gmail.com and she will create an original song using the images, releasing it on social media ahead of the show. There are free tickets on offer.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
