Mike,
the bulk of the cost of going to the finals is hotels and transport - since when did Morris control that? It's time to move on.
Yeah probably, but we in England move on with a totally neutered and increasingly irrelevant BBE.
The future for English banding looks bleak.
I'd lay money that BBE won't be here in 3 years. As they loose a foot hold in day to day banding they become irrelevant and therefore why does a band need to waste precious money being a member?
I'll take that bet. With their withdrawal from running a registry which was totally scuppered by the change to registration for the area/national contest and the likes of the Open, Spring Festival and other contests not using any registration card they are probably more relevant to day to day banding.
It is far better to have an independent organisation and I will be sad the day (if) BBE goes. However the recent registry incident showed that even when the registry was closely tied to BBE and therefore BBE had more input to the everyman's banding year, bands/bandsperson didn't care for them and couldn't see how they benefit from BBE. Therefore we have to all intents already handed banding over to private/commercial interests and we'll just have to see what they, or more accurately he makes of it.
Unfortunately BBE can't hold anyone to account as it doesn't have the mandate of bands and judging from history private/commercial interests don't listen to them anyway.
You're right there are two elements to banding and my comment regarding 'handing over' was aimed at the contesting element, not banding as a whole.
Yep my friends where there and said they played to an empty hall and then en bloc left the building to find somewhere more socialible.
My little theory is that we'll move to small local contests of up to 10 bands run by bands, held at open air venues (weather permitting!) and personally I think this would be a good thing. There would be more contests through the years and being most likely at pubs etc... more exposure to the public who might not have been aware of hundreds of bandsmen piling into some cold hall on a dark autumn morning! This in turn might increase concert attendance and bring more players in? Pipe dreams perhaps but the theory sounds good!
I'm not sure if it's a case of syntax, but did you mean to assert that the Open and Spring Festival (which also comes under the Open Championship umbrella, incidentally) do not use registration cards? I'm pretty certain that they do, unless I've had another brain-fart/memory lapse.
Couldn't agree more Steve :clap:TBH I believe the BBE has just increased its relevance by stepping away from contesting and all the political baggage that goes with it. Now we have an organisation which can honestly say it represents all bands, rather than those that just wish to contest, and they can get on with the more serious issue of falling player numbers, falling audience numbers, helping bands with grants and red-tape. All the things it was supposed to be doing rather than setting up more contests for elite bands which were poorly attended.
...If Morris was switched on he would allow BBE to levy the 600 English bands when they enter the National and the resultant cash would allow us to imitate the SBBA and employ a small number of development officers for England, this small act of benevolence would do much to help English banding and probably protect Morris`s investment at the same time.
Is there any reason why bands are reluctant to use the help and support offered by BBE to strengthen their bands to give them a better chance of contest success?
Just a thought...