Festival of art or a glorification of Europe?

IF JOHN DRUMMOND, former controller of BBC Radio 3 and former director

of the Edinburgh International Festival, feels he accepted a poisoned

chalice when he agreed to run the European Arts Festival, he is not

letting on.

The festival -- the Prime Minister's personal response to the British

presidency of the EC -- has been running since the beginning of July,

coincident with the UK succeeding Portugal in the hot seat.

Ironically enough it was during the Maastricht summit itself that John

Major's #6m gift to the cultural life of the country was announced. At

that time the protocol that became the treaty was merely controversial.

After the Danish referendum and in the face of an unpredictable result

from France, it has assumed seismic significance. Far from being a

celebration of Britain's Euro-presidency, the European Arts Festival has

become a political idea in itself.

There are, of course, those who would suggest it was always just that.

John Drummond was accused of accepting ''tainted money'' when he agreed

to direct the spending of the EAF cash. That viewpoint dictates that it

would have been better to have #6m denied to the arts than to have it

spent in any way that might reflect glory on a Government which presides

over a chronic underfunding of the arts.

Drummond contends that it is his hope that the intelligent use of the

money will demonstrate to the Government that there is a need for such

an increased level of funding all the time. And if that sounds naive, he

points to the independence with which he has pursued his task.

His preconditions to accepting the job were that he would not have to

seek matching funding from local authorities or private-sector sponsors,

and that the money would come directly to him through the Office of Arts

and Libraries (i.e., not via the Arts Council) to spend responsibly.

He adds that he has completely reversed the original remit from former

Arts Minister Timothy Renton, who described the proposed EAF as ''a

celebration of British arts in a European context''. What Drummond and

his team have aimed to put together is a celebration of European art in

a British context, perhaps an altogether more realistic aim.

He seems pleased with what has been achieved. With only four months to

put together the programme, there were 650 projects in place at the

beginning of July. There are now more than 1000 and the EAF lion and

stars logo has become familiar at the foot of concert and theatre

programmes.

So why was Drummond in Edinburgh this week, anxious to speak to the

Festival-covering press about his festival, despite the fact that an

ex-Edinburgh Festival director was probably the last thing the current

incumbent Brian McMaster needed around town?

Could it be that there is growing dissatisfaction about the value for

money that is being gleaned from the #6m? Or that the existence of the

Euro-Fest is not well enough known to engender feelings of

Euro-wellbeing among the lieges at a time when the whole future of the

EC is being questioned?

Drummond has yet to be persuaded that his point of view on the

European Arts Festival is intrinsically political. His defence that the

first thing he did was speak to Labour and the Liberal Democrats and

that Neil Kinnock approved of his appointment is hardly relevant.

''There has to be a European cultural dialogue,'' he says. ''The

common currency of Europe is culture not coinage -- but politicians

can't see that.''

Yet the Maastricht Treaty specifically states that a European culture

should be a common aspiration, and Drummond quotes the relevant clause

with approval. Suggest that such a point of view might currently seem

politically controversial in France and his defence is that any European

arts professional would echo his belief.

Be that as it may, it is to Drummond's credit that he declined to

spend Japan Festival-sized sums of money on marketing and that he has

supported the arts infrastructure of the country rather than

concentrating on making a splash.

Next weekend the single most expensive project in the festival, the

EAF tent, makes its sole visit to Scotland, when the symbolically

12-sided structure is pitched in Castle Douglas. The visit by

Catalonia's El Joglars to the Edinburgh Festival would have been

cancelled without EAF support, Theatre de Soleil's Les Atrides in

Bradford was

also EAF-funded, and the EAF breathed life into Scottish

Opera-Go-Round.

Although Scotland has done relatively well in terms of EAF events per

head of population, Glasgow's ''nose may be out of joint'', Drummond

concedes. However, the Scottish Early Music Festival and Neil Wallace's

Tramway (where El Joglars can be seen next week) have cause to be

grateful for his support.

But if John Major really hoped that funding those events and the visit

of a Portuguese jazz group to Lancashire would make good Europeans of us

all, he may yet be disappointed.