[matilda] Who Really Runs Leeds? Event/ Why not a sheffield event

[dougald hine]

On 4/2/06, dan thomas <audiotino at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>> Who really runs Leeds?
>>
>> A half day workshop for those interested in being part
>> of a collaborative research project. Organised by the
>> Urban Cultures and Consumption Research Group, School
>> of Geography, University of Leeds, with The Common
>> Place Social Centre.
>>
> Imo, this event is jus the sort of event that Matilda
> should be collaborating on, its not a criticism but
> really a feeling of disapointment. If only Matilda had
> the ambition and perhaps political direction to
> co-host such an event. Sheffield will be going down
> the road of Leeds with massive redeveloment, yuppie
> enclosures, etc, a reponse would be very timely.


Great idea!

I don't think it's a lack of ambition, necessarily. The Common Place
have a lot of links (i.e. people in common) with the geography
department at Leeds. Those kind of connections haven't been there as
much for Matilda. But there's no reason we couldn't do something about
that, if people want to.

There was an event as part of Regen Month called "Whose Renaissance is
it anyway?" - and they charged £140 per person for the day, which
rather pre-empted the question...! The council and the regeneration
quangos tend to be incapable of distinguishing their own agenda
(usually defined in the bluntest economic terms) from the interests of
communities around Sheffield - they struggle to conceive of any
legitimate alternative and so treat anyone who disagrees with them as
naive or a troublemaker.

A few of us have been meeting to look at issues around "affordable
space" (for public meetings, gigs, workshops, etc) in/near the city
centre, partly because of the loss of the Blind centre on Mappin
Street. If anyone else wants to get involved, that would be great.
It's also possible that this group might be interested in
collaborating on a "Who runs Sheffield...?" event, if others are keen
to make it happen.

D.

--
Dougald Hine

freelance journalist, writer, activist
based in South Yorkshire
www.dougald.co.uk