Nicola Sturgeon and Irvine Welsh feature in Edinburgh book festival line-up
The programme for the Edinburgh International Book Festival has been revealed, with speakers including former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, author Irvine Welsh and MP Diane Abbott.
Authors Maggie O'Farrell and Alexander McCall Smith are also on the line-up, along with comedian Julian Clary and actors Viggo Mortensen, Sam Heughan and Dame Vanessa Redgrave.
Performances at the festival, which runs from August 9 to 24, include Fun Lovin' Crime Writers – a band which involves novelists Chris Brookmyre and Val McDermid.
Ms Sturgeon will launch her memoir, Frankly, and will be in conversation with journalist Kirsty Wark as part of the Front List series.
Sports commentator Ally McCoist will give a talk on his career, and former first minister Henry McLeish will join academic James Mitchell for a discussion on Scottish devolution and how it has progressed.
The core theme of this year's festival is Repair, and organisers said it will be 'seeking to explore the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them'.
Others on the line-up include historian David Starkey, while former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable will give a talk about shifting economic powers, and commentator Ash Sarkar will 'tear into the morals of identity politics'.
Festival director Jenny Niven said: 'This year's key theme of Repair starts from the belief that the brilliant ideas of writers and thinkers can help us repair a host of seemingly 'broken' things in our society, from the cycle of fast fashion and our relationship with the environment, to cultural reparations and the state of our politics.
'It's a statement of hope and resilience, and an invitation for our audiences to think about what 'repair' might mean for them.
'At a time when important conversations can feel impossible to have without igniting conflict and anger, we want the Edinburgh International Book Festival to provide a safe place for challenging but considered discussions.
'This year our programme features over 600 writers and artists from 35 countries, who have a wide range of perspectives on topics of personal, social and global importance.
'We invite you to come and learn something new, feed your curiosity and to broaden your horizons.'
Welsh will give discuss his new novel Men In Love, which features the characters from Trainspotting as they experience the heyday of rave culture in the late 80s and early 90s.
The talk Second Summer of Love will ask if love is the drug all men need, according to the festival programme.
Renowned author Hanif Kureishi will give a talk remotely about his recovery from a devastating accident which left him paralysed.
Shattered But Unbroken will discuss how he dictated his thoughts to his family following the fall on Boxing Day 2022.
Palestinian writer Ilan Pappe and Israeli historian Avi Shlaim will discuss the conflict in the Middle East and whether peace can exist.
Bookbinder Rachel Hazell will lead a workshop, Junk Journals Workshop, where old books will be re-fashioned into journals.
This year's children's programme will include more than 100 events for young readers, including from renowned authors Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson and Cressida Cowell.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
18 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Farage plans to charge non-doms £250,000 fee which will be given to poor
On Monday, the party leader and MP for Clacton will reveal the policy which he said would 'encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom', according to the Telegraph. The Labour Government abolished the non-dom tax status in April, which is where UK residents whose permanent home or domicile for tax purposes is outside the UK. Last year, former Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed plans to scrap the tax status before successor Rachel Reeves sped up the process. Reform UK's policy would mean 'every high-net-worth newcoming (or returning leaver)' would pay a £250,000 one-off fee 'in return for a stable, indefinite remittance-style regime on offshore income and a 20-year inheritance-tax shield', Mr Farage wrote in an article for the Telegraph. All of this fee would be given to Britain's lowest-paid full-time workers through an automatic tax-free dividend via HMRC, the party leader added. In response, Labour said the policy was a 'golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country'. Mr Farage wrote: 'Our policy is simple – Britain must be a place where success is celebrated, not punished with excessive taxes, crippling energy costs, or punitive inheritance levies. 'We will actively encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom, on the clear condition that those who come here deliver immediate, visible benefits to our workers.' The plan would mean around 2.5 million 'hard-working Britons' would receive an 'annual cash bonus', the Reform UK leader claimed. He added: 'Our policy is not a 'golden visa' or a backdoor to citizenship. 'It is a one-time flat tax paid by newcomers in exchange for the certainty of a favourable tax status. 'Individuals will still be liable for all standard UK taxes on UK-sourced income, property and spending. 'But they won't be taxed on offshore income and gains for the duration of their agreed status.' A Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage can brand this whatever he wants – the reality is his first proper policy is a golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country. 'As ever with Reform, the devil is in the detail. 'This giveaway would reduce revenues raised from the rich that would have to be made up elsewhere – through tax hikes on working families or through Farage's promise to charge them to use the NHS.'
Times
31 minutes ago
- Times
Food-shaped candles are latest dinner party trend
If you see some half-melted strawberry tarts or unsavoury-looking fried chicken strewn across the table when you arrive at your next dinner party, don't be alarmed. Your host has not forgotten to clear up their last meal. They are trying to impress you with the latest middle-class homeware trend: food-shaped candles. Selfridges reports that food-shaped candles are now its fastest-selling table decoration and it has had to treble its range to meet demand. A triple layer cake candle weighing more than 2kg is one of the offerings at Selfridges SELFRIDGES The department store said candles in the form of a lemon, a fried egg and red grapes are among its top sellers. Candles that resemble a string of sausages, a slice of Gruyere, a baguette or a strawberry tart are also in strong demand. Prices range from £17 to £95. Leading the unusual trend is Laila Gohar, an Egyptian artist known for transforming ordinary food into striking sculptural and interactive installations, such as a rope of braided mozzarella and a swan made of artichoke leaves. One of Gohar's most popular food candles resembles, quite convincingly, a tin of biscuits. She also sells a set of strawberry candles, although none of her creations come cheap. Her set of four fried chicken candles, thankfully unscented, will set buyers back £38, significantly more than a bucket of the real thing from KFC. Fried chicken candles from Gohar World SELFRIDGES The striking creations have taken social media by storm and the hashtag #foodcandle has had tens of millions of views on TikTok. Some enterprising food influencers have even crossed the line into making edible candles. Erin Dittmer's video on how to make a 'butter candle' has been viewed more nearly 14 million times. This involves pouring melted butter and herbs into a paper cup containing an edible wick and then freezing it. Once solid, the paper cup is torn away, the lump of butter placed in a hole torn out of a farmhouse loaf and the wick set alight. The butter slowly melts down the bread, creating a delicious if messy snack. Erin Dittmer's butter candle in her video on TikTok The latest additions to the Selfridges food candle range come from the Italian firm Introna, which has been making candles since 1840. These include a 'pink pudding' candle at £45, a banana candle at £18 and green apple candle at £18. Selfridges said the strong interest in the candles is part of a wider trend for 'foodie decorations'. Last Christmas, for example, the store doubled its range of food and drink shaped baubles to meet demand. Gregory Krum, buying manager at Selfridges, said: 'If you want to bring a fun talking point to your dinner table, now is the time to think beyond the traditional candle.'
Times
31 minutes ago
- Times
The cocktail set to dethrone Aperol as spritz of the summer
Evoking memories of countryside rambles and summer fêtes, there can be few more quintessentially British flavours than elderflower. After years of underwhelming demand, sales of drinks infused with the taste are suddenly booming, boosted in particular by the sudden popularity of the Hugo spritz cocktail, which younger drinkers are turning to as an alternative to the stronger Aperol. Ocado has reported that demand for elderflower liqueur, a key ingredient in the cocktail, is up by 107 per cent year-on-year. Sales of elderflower cordial and elderflower sparking pressé are also rising, up nearly 50 per cent and 80 per cent respectively, according to the online supermarket. Elderflower comes from the elder tree (Sambucus nigra), which is native to much of Europe and particularly prevalent in the UK. It grows widely in hedgerows, woodlands and along roadsides and has long been associated with British cuisine. The revival in demand for the flavour coincides with an extended period of warm weather. As temperatures in much of Britain have hit the high twenties over the past few weeks, Hugo spritz videos have been going viral on social media. One video by a travel influencer, Juli Cuevas, which declares 2025 to be a 'Hugo spritz summer', has been viewed nearly three million times on TikTok. Many of the comments compare the cocktail favourably with the Aperol spritz, which is typically stronger and has a bitter taste whereas a Hugo is lighter and sweeter. Another video by 'The Wannabe Bartender' showing a guide on how to make a Hugo spritz, which includes prosecco, mint, soda water and lime, has been viewed 1.6 million times. In the video, Henrik Liverod, who has more than 350,000 followers, declares the Aperol spritz 'boring' and tells his viewers that they 'deserve better'. He describes the Hugo spritz as 'lit', slang for excellent or exciting. After drinking his creation, Liverod adds: 'It's summery, it's fresh, it's refreshing, it's mmm, it gives you an orgasm on your tastebuds.' • My evening with the app that finds the best pubs to catch the sun A spokesman for Ocado said elderflower was 'having a renaissance'. He added that the Hugo spritz offered a more 'homegrown take' on a summer cocktail because it was rooted in a 'British flavour'. The drink actually originates in South Tyrol, a German-speaking region in northern Italy. It is reported to have been invented in 2005 by a bartender, Roland Gruber, as a lighter alternative to the Aperol spritz. His original version included lemon balm syrup, often known as melissa syrup, which was later often substituted with elderflower syrup or St-Germain liqueur as the drink spread beyond the region. Gruber reportedly chose the name 'Hugo' simply because he liked how it sounded. My 'It drink' of the summer isn't a putrid orange Aperol or an elderflower cocktail, it's non-alcohol spritz made by Mother Root, which counts Nigella Lawson among its fans and sells in Waitrose for £27.95 a bottle. The British alcohol-free brand launched in 2019 and has been quietly converting cocktail lovers like me with its alcohol-free aperitifs ever since. It doesn't matter that they don't have booze in. They are delicious. I was won over by the limited edition marmalade flavour that first launched in 2023. Then I tried the ginger aperitif, made with apple cider vinegar, blossom honey and ginger and chilli, that came out last year. I'm not surprised it sold out on their website in 20 minutes (it's been restocked now, thank goodness) or that since launching in Waitrose in January, sales have soared by 80 per cent. What I am most excited about is their lovely new limited edition rhubarb flavour, which comes out on Wednesday and is a blend of rhubarb root and apple cider. It sounds delectable served as suggested: ice cold in a champagne flute with cold soda water. Even Nigella is vying for a bottle, eagerly commenting on the brand's Instagram page last week that she'd be ordering some. I will be joining her.
