2 days to get those protests in..........

Petition is up to 565. This is a significant increase during the weekend ....

Some of you may have received a response from the County Councillors emphasing the Tower Arts was not closing and implying that the press are blowing it out of proportion. I guess you will all have to make up your minds on this - but some relevant facts:

1. The proposal is to transfer the management of the Arts Centre from the current Artistic Director to the Kings School management team under the Headmistress


2. The centre will move from the Recreation and Heritage Department of the County Council to the Children and Families Department. All the other Arts Centres in Hampshire are run within the Recreation and Heritage Department.


3. You can read the press reports on the Hampshire Chronicle web-site and make up your own mind whether the reporting is fair. I have summarised the story line below.

My view is that the reporting from the Chronicle has been very objective. The County Council were hoping to make the decision without any consultation with the public. They have now been caught off guard by the leak and they are now choosing clever words and they are making a side swipe at the Press to deflect the criticism they are receiving .

As Theodore Roosevelt said

"Suppose you see a bird walking around in a farm yard. This bird has no label that says 'duck'. But the bird certainly looks like a duck. Also, he goes to the pond and you notice that he swims like a duck. Then he opens his beak and quacks like a duck. Well, by this time you have probably reached the conclusion that the bird is a duck, whether he's wearing a label or not."

Story as presented in the Hampshire Chronicle

1. Leak on 7th June http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/search/display.var.1454755.0.fears_at_arts_centre_future.php.


2. It ws then revealed that the Tower had been instructed to not take any more bookings on 13th June http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/search/display.var.1469260.0.tower_friends_rally_over_closure_threat.php.


3. There have been follow up stories on 22nd June on http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/search/display.var.1488768.0.campaigners_bid_to_save_arts_centre.php


4. Then on the 27th there was news of a separate proposal to close anumber of Art Centres http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/search/display.var.1502206.0.clash_over_arts_centres_closure_plan.php


5. The demonstration at the Tower Arts was covered on http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/search/display.var.1502421.0.stage_front_for_tower_protesters.php