Maze: the Screenplay
I'm not sure if it's a rom-com or a farce, but Stormont witnessed some chaotic scenes today as unionists on the Culture Committee refused to look at some architects' design plans for a potential multi-sports stadium at the Maze. The members argued they should have been shown a business plan first. The architects, who flew over from London, were, at the time of writing, due to go home without making their presentation.
The scenes outside the Committee room were rendered all the more surreal by the presence at Stormont of Lord Attenborough, Shirley MacLaine, Pete Postlethwaite and other stars of the "Closing the Ring" movie. When I last looked the glamorous Mischa Barton had not arrived, but was due to attend a reception.
The Culture Minister Edwin Poots had to divide his attention between the rebellious Culture Commitee members and the film stars, whilst the architects hung around waiting to hear if the Committee would reconvene to see their drawings.
As I looked on increasingly bemused, I wondered whether there might be a film in it....
Opening Image: An aerial tracking shot of the Stormont estate zooms into the Assembly building and moves seamlessly through a window to reveal angry exchanges inside a Committee Room...
Flashback: We are in a jail, fly on a wall style, listening in to prisoners planning their escape. Some of the inmates look strangely familiar..
Dissolve into: an image of the Olympic torch being plunged into a Beijing stadium bowl (a clock can be seen ticking in the background)
Wipe to: David Healy scores the goal which completes his hat trick against Spain. Long panning shot captures jubilant crowd reaction but rests on ominously creaking base of stadium stand...
That's as far as I've got...perhaps others would care to develop the plot and the characters, before we apply to the Culture Department for development funding.
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Nice one Mark,
The Christmas panto seems to have moved from the Grand Opera House to Parliament Buildings. The discourtesy and immaturity is in stark contrast to the centre-staging conducted in the USA.
Would it have been so bad to take the opportunity to look at some plans, speculative as they were, since the architects/designers were there anyhow?
Spitting the dummy out or posturing I don't know which, but certainly panto and primary school at that.
My 2 year old gets sent to the naughty chair but arguably shows as much maturity.
I mean could this really have been the first ever time that a Stormont Committee would have taken 'evidence' from a group presenting a concept? Surely not!
If this rule was more widely applied then the Coalition for Env. Protection or others on either side of the equation for example, would never have been allowed through the door prior to the Minister looking at the economics of an EPA.
More wastage of MLA time, private sector time and taxpayers money.
You're right about surreal. I'm no good at script writing, but I'm sure you could borrow bits from Donny Darko and Twin Peaks to give it more realism.
Strange that a London firm would fly over on the chance of getting a meeting. Something more to this than is told. Why go to all the cost of printing and journeying just for a chance visit similar to the regular salesman. Refusing to meet the designers could have more to do with putting down whoever helped arrange the visit than a direct snub to important visitors. Nevertheless it was silly behaviour and created an impression to be conveyed to London where the Olympics are being held the result of which has starved us of Lottery funding. Our hopes are not enhanced by MLA's who have an over inflated idea of themselves.