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Dateline:
30th January, 2006
The Welsh Arts Contoversy: Latest
The Western Mail, the national newspaper of Wales, has joined
in the attack on Welsh Assembly culture minister Alun Pugh over his
sacking of Geraint Talfan Davies, the chair of Arts Council Wales. Editor
Alan Edmunds wrote on 27th January:
As a paper we have taken Alun Pugh to task over his decision to pursue
a questionable agenda and to sack the Arts Council of Wales chair,
Geraint Talfan Davies. Many in the arts world agree with our stance.
But rather than take us on over the substance of the argument, Mr
Pugh called the paper's serious coverage "a bit of a joke".
Well done Mr Pugh. When you are losing the argument in the classroom,
then why not resort to calling your opposite number a nasty name in
the playground?
As the Culture Minister takes such a dim view of the quality of the
Western Mail, we, not unnaturally, informed him his new weekly column
would be withdrawn.
His predictable response to our decision to stand up to him was to
call us "censorial" and "thin-skinned", ready
to dish out stick but unwilling to take it.
But we'll take whatever you want to throw at us over the substance
of the argument, and you won't shut us up by undermining us and trying
to deflect readers from the real issues with cheap shots.
It's not the quality of the Western Mail that is at issue here. The
crucial question for all artists and art lovers is this: Is your livelihood
or passion safe in Mr Pugh's hands? Let's get real Mr Culture Minister
and make sure you listen to the fears being expressed across Wales.
Academi, which promotes Welsh literature and offers bursaries
to writers and is one of the six organisations to be directly funded,
voiced its concerns in a briefing paper which was leaked to the Western
Mail.
The Welsh Assembly Givernment, it says, "will be in a position
to directly influence the Academi's decision-making. This would be
a major change in the relationship the Academi has in its relationship
with its main sponsor. It holds out the potential for future political
interference with the artistic freedom of the Academi's members and
clients.
"The same issue faces the other five organisations that are
now to be directly funded by the Assembly Government, except in the
case of the Academi an additional issue arises from our representative
role. As well as being the literature promotion agency for Wales the
Academi is also a membership based organisation which represents the
interests of its 552 full and 1,500 associate members.
"Every writer of significance in Wales is either a full member
or an associate. Their interests could be adversely affected by the
removal of the arm's-length principle in the funding of the Academi."
On Wednesday opposition Assembly Members - Plaid Cymru, the
Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - will propose an amendment
which will force a public review of the proposals, involving full consultations
with the arts community, after which the proposals would have to be
voted on by the whole Assembly in December. Labour, the ruling party,
has 29 seats in the Assembly and the opposition parties 31, so the amendment
is likely to be carried. AMs from all three opposition parties moved
the amendment.
Plaid Cymru leader in the Assembly, Ieuan Wyn Jones, is sure the amendment
will go through.
"The fact is," he told the Western Mail, "that there
is virtually no support outside government circles for the Minister's
proposals. The arts community has been virtually unanimous in its
opposition, and their concerns are shared by opposition AMs.
"If he is defeated next week, it will be a double blow. His
policy agenda will take a huge blow and he will be severely weakened
as a Minister."
Update: the amendment was carried on Wednesday 1st February by 29
to 28.
On Thursday 26th, the WAG issued a statement:
"We have made it clear on several occasions and on the record
that we have no interest in interfering in the artistic programmes
of our national arts organisations.
"This will be reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding that
the Assembly Government will conclude with each of the national arts
organisations to further safeguard their freedom of expression. We
are always happy to have further discussion on this with our national
arts organisations or indeed the wider arts community. In fact, we
are happy to talk to the arts community about any aspect of government
cultural policy."
It is reported that Alun Pugh is considering a legally guaranteed
right to freedom of expression, an idea which has been dismissed by
both the arts community and politicians.
"These meaningless proposals are not worth the paper they are
written on," said Conservative culture spokeswoman Lisa Francis."
How on earth is the Minister proposing to define freedom of expression?
How will this legislation work effectively? How will it apply to artists
from outside of Wales? How would someone appeal under the law against
a decision?
"Many arts groups in Wales have been struggling to get things
right and with the help of the Arts Council have managed to achieve
that over the last few years. What the Minister has done is to dig
a huge chasm between the Assembly Government and the arts community
in Wales. He now wants to fill it with the political equivalent of
candyfloss - something that looks good at first glance, but actually
lacks substance and is of no real value. "
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