One does not wish to be a party-pooper but the “saving” of Aye Write strikes me as being as unconvincing as its original cancellation was unnecessary.

One basic conundrum is why a £65,000 grant from a private foundation could not have been deployed to rescue a genuine festival rather than subsidise a series of one-off events, most of which shouldn’t need subsidy at all.

Maybe it really is time to take a long, hard look at how Scotland’s creative endeavours are funded and whether reliance on public subsidy has become a habit rather than a cultural necessity. I’m fine with spending the money but prefer it to go where it’s needed.

As far as Aye Write is concerned, one certainty is that for all those first-time writers, small publishers and eager audiences whom the concept of a literary festival is supposed to serve, the “saving” is arguably more annoying than the original cancellation.

According to Glasgow Life, the events promoting wing of Glasgow City Council, there will be precisely three happenings within the time period that was designated for Aye Write prior to its cancellation.

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This compares to last year’s Aye Write which involved 120 events and 175 authors. It is not so much a “slimming-down” as a severe case of literary anorexia. Let’s be clear. Whatever else the Colin Weir Foundation’s generosity has........

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