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Gordon Munro

About Gordon Munro

Gordon Munro is Labour councillor for Leith Ward, stood as Labour candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith in the 2017 general election and is chair of the Scottish Poetry Library.

Reclaiming life and space at Picardy

December 1, 2021 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

‘Now that the traffic engineers have had their say it’s clearly about time that the public, not the notionally public servants, have a say about this space. I still hold to the view that sculpture – and new work in particular , the 4th plinth idea – would work here.’

Scotland’s Left must move beyond slogans

November 22, 2021 by Gordon Munro 2 Comments

Substantial powers are held by Holyrood that could be used to build a strategy that would deliver on the promise made of Scotland becoming the “Saudi Arabia” of renewables. The opportunity and moment may soon be lost if not taken now.

Poems for the dawn

June 15, 2021 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

Dawn filtering through woodland

Here is truth that we need to hear and confront in this viral age. Gordon Munro finds it in new work by Ben Okri and Marianne Faithfull

Blame Westminster but Holyrood has powers

May 28, 2021 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

You Cut We Bleed, Edinburgh community poster campaign against 2019 city council budget cuts

Councillor Gordon Munro. was suspended from the Labour group on Edinburgh City Council after refusing to back the SNP-Labour coalition budget in May. He makes his case in the week Scotland’s Accounts Commission released a strongly worded report about the fiscal challenges facing all councils.

Voices for humanity: Max Richter’s quiet protest

December 5, 2020 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

Screenshot, from Max Richter's Mercy, official music video by Yulia Mahr

‘If we get back to public performance in time the piece is tailor made to open next year’s Edinburgh International Festival – at its source is the same inspiration that reached out a hand to the vanquished of the Second World War and also led to the creation of the first festival in 1947. It would be apt too given that Max Richter studied at Edinburgh University’.

Scottish councils at breaking point

November 1, 2020 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

‘This will not be unique to Scotland’s capital but does illustrate the double bind that local government is in with COVID-19: tackling the problems created along with the cost of doing so with insufficient funding and still having to make cuts of £39m at the same time. This is where the unallocated monies and the underspend can be used especially now in this time of great need.’

Willie Hunter 1940-2020

August 15, 2020 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

‘He suffered from depression, remarking once that ‘I’ve written books and poems to self-medicate my depression’. Poetry as medicine for dementia and depression is why the passing of Willie Hunter footballer, poet and ambassador is a loss to poetry as well as those that knew him.’

Optimism of the will in Future Library

May 16, 2020 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

Looking up into a canopy of old conifers at The Hermitage in Perthshire

Camus speaks for our era: ‘The time of the irresponsible artists is over… The freedom of art is not worth much when its only purpose is to assure the artists comfort‘. Katie Paterson’s work (Future Library) takes that observation and invocation to heart. Go see it however you can…

Scottish council cuts: enough is enough

March 10, 2020 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

‘Without real and substantive change in council funding, both fiscal and legislative, then the only budget option for councils will be more cuts, fewer services, fewer workers.’

Cheaper and more democratic than the Fringe

August 7, 2019 by Gordon Munro Leave a Comment

“Essentially, this is a democratisation of the arts that is most welcome.” Gordon Munro’s pick of exciting new work in Edinburgh Festival – at prices cheaper than Fringe shows.

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