So, it seems that the local paper's web-site only features "some" of their letters, and rather conveniently chose not to include my second letter for viewing online. As a result, I feel compelled to reproduce it here, for the sake of completeness:-
Sir,I am rather surprised about the small number of responses to both my previous email concerning the CLAN Gathering, and the article it prompted, both in your July 24th issue, but it does not come as a surprise that the sole response I have read comes from a religious stand-point. In my letter, I did my very best to avoid any mention of religion - and I believe I succeeded in that respect - yet I'm accused by your writer of 7 August of trying "to limit God to one kind of service?"
Far from it. People should be free to believe, and do, whatever they choose, in whatever way they choose, so long as it does not harm or otherwise infringe upon the freedoms of others. This event does just that. For five days (13-17 July), we were subjected to the almost industrial process of setting up the huge main "Dwelling Place" and at least four "smaller" marquees - smaller in that, at approximately 12 by 20 metres, they were about a third the size of the main structure. Following that, there came a whole week of being assaulted with noise and the comings and goings of as many of thirteen hundred cars (CLAN's own figures), arriving from 8.30 in the morning and leaving as late as 11 at night, right up to the last day. The dismantling of the site began almost immediately, and continued until Thursday 30th - very close to the "month of suffering" I had predicted!
This year's event was far worse than I had anticipated. On several occasions, I was forced to abandon my normal work-space, facing the Madras Kilrymont building, and seek shelter from the noise elsewhere in the house, not that did much good. On Monday 20th, the noise began at eight in the morning, and after going up to the school to complain, I had no choice but to leave the house entirely to seek some peace of my own. Some local residents have taken this opportunity to leave town completely for the duration of the Gathering, but not all of us are able to, or willing, to do so.
Before the start of the Gathering, I was told by school staff that the Strathyrum site was no longer being used in an attempt to scale down the event. If this event represented a "scaling down" of the proceedings, what must it have been like at Strathyrum, and what will it be like in years to come! On several occasions, we asked CLAN staff the reason why the Strathyrum site, a far more suitable site, was not being used, and not once did we receive a proper response - I would be very interested to hear what the management at Strathyrum have to say on the matter.
In planning future events, maybe CLAN would at least do us the courtesy of addressing St Andrews councillors and citizens concerning their events, and not just Fife Council, whom only seem to show an interest in St Andrews when it is bringing in money from tourism and golf competitions. On being informed about this event, Fife Councillors were surprised, if not alarmed, about the scale of this event, and as were Police called out to address noise complaints.
In closing, I have just one more matter to address. If it is true that, as I have heard from reliable sources, people have been unwilling to put their names to complaints about this event due to fears that they might be seen to be "anti-religious", or that they fear harassment, then roll on the Post-Christian Age.
Meanwhile, I have been informed that the 2010 Gathering date is NOT official, as the Council have not given any go-ahead to this date. I am handling this as though they ARE coming back, even though I have far more important family business dominating my thoughts - but something is already in place to deal with the situation...
...can you say "@i_resist"?
Posted at Codexed.com on 9/7/2009 10:59:41 PM
