Festival Questions
A lettdr, printed on another page, from an American citizen on the Festival of Britain has come to us out of the blue, but it is too pertinent to be ignored. Why, it is asked in effect, is a hard- pressed Britain eagerly and gratefully accepting Marshall Aid and at the same time spending millions on a Festival (including a Fun Fair) which has no very apparent object except to show vaguely that Britain is sitting up and taking nourishment 7 There seems every prospect that the Festival will, in fact, be what is commonly known as a good show. All the same, when an American asks such questions as our American correspondent does, it is not entirely easy to find a convincing answer. One of the answers, no doubt, is that a main object of the Festival is to attract American dollars, but it is a question how far that laudable purpose will appeal to Americans. The plain fact seems to be that just as the organisers gave too little thoughtlo the effect of the Festival on London traffic, so they gave too little to its effect on the outside world, which is not particularly interested in seeing Britain so gay, and rather doubts, in any case, whether this is the precise moment for gaiety. But the sponsors of the Festival may have a good answer to all this. There is some need for one.
Previous page
