It is with great concern that we, the undersigned, are contacting you.
Dear Member of the Scottish Parliament, It is with great concern that we, the undersigned, are contacting you.
No doubt you will be aware that there has been growing apprehension regarding the formation of Creative Scotland, and the effects it will have on artists' welfare and practice.
The situation regarding Creative Scotland has now reached crisis point.
We believe the following measures to be particularly damaging to the cultural freedoms and entitlements' originally envisaged by the Culture Commission: - The lack of meaningful consultation with the arts communities during the transition process, culminating in a refusal to refer to artists within the strategy at all, has exposed the abandonment of freedom of expression as a central issue.
- The expanded remit to support the creative industries, without additional funding being reallocated from Scottish Enterprise, will be at the expense of the public funding of artistic independence.
- The huge costs of setting up a new institution, coupled with over-stretched resources, will inevitably result in a damaging cut in grant aid funding for artists and arts organisations.
- The proposed exploitation of Intellectual Property Rights and the introduction of loans coupled with a cut in grant aid, will all act to reinforce artists' poverty. The case of Catalonia shows that increasing artists' debts has been disastrous for all concerned.
We feel strongly that this bureaucratic process has not concerned itself with representing artists' needs, nor does it address UNESCO declarations on culture and freedom.
We have no confidence in the process of the formation of Creative Scotland, or the confused and inappropriate proposals that have arisen.
We are simply not convinced that the proposals will promote the development of and entitlement to culture in Scotland.
Whilst many of us have been critical of the existing institutions, Creative Scotland does not offer improvement on the current provision managed by the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, and will impact negatively on Scotland's international reputation.
For these reasons, we urge you to vote against the formation of Creative Scotland and instead refocus on supporting artists.
Signed:
Guyan Porter
Leigh French
Angela Blacklock-Brown
Alan Johnston
Alan Riach
Andrea Roe
Alan Burgon
Sarah MacIntyre
Angharad Davies
Andrew Paterson
Andrew Murray
Alan McKendrick
Alan Finn
Alec Finlay
Alexander Hetherington
Alex Frost
Alhena Katsof
Alison Stirling
Ally Sinclair
Amy Thomas
Andrew Coulton
Andrew Ross
Andy Wake
Andrew MacDonald
Angie Dight
Angus Farquhar
Ann Nisbet
Anna Vermehren
Anne Bulmer
Anthony Schrag
Lindsay Brown
Irene Watson
Ash Reid
Tony Humbleyard
Attila Tordai-S.
Audrey O'Brien
Ayisha De Lanerolle
Barbara Orton
Bridget Fowler
Beverley Hood
Barry McFadyen
Rebecca Milling
Benjamin Franks
Ben Ewart-Dean
Brian Main
Bob Hamilton
Robert Carey-Grieve
Neil McIntee
Ryan Hays
Bridget Steed
Larry Butler
Lynne Baxter
Patricia Cain
Sam Cartman
Chris Bowman
Cara Tolmie
Caroline Sewell
Catriona Grant
Catherine Czerkawska
Carole Hamilton
Colin Moncrieff
Christine Hamilton
Chandraguptha Thenuwara
Chiew-Siah Tei
Chik Collins
Chris Biddlecombe
Chris Kelly
Christian Newby
Corfield Christina
Christina Gilfedder
Charlotte Bosanquet
Claire Black
Clare Galloway
Colin Bell
Colin Begg
Paul Knight
Colin Parker
Rachel Thibbotumunuwe
Daniel Jewesbury
Deborah Kell
Denitsa Petrova
Denise Mina
Dan Miller
Dani Rae
Daniel Simpkins
Danny Dursley
Colin Darke
David Bernard
Dave Comrie
David Smith
David Kerr
David Gray
David Graham Scott
David Sherry
Deborah Arnott
Deborah Jackson
Deniz Uster
Gerry Loose
Diane Torr
Clyde Jones
Matthew Zajac
Douglas Russell
James MacDonald Reid
Duncan Marquiss
Diane Ludin
Elizabeth Beidler
Eddie McGuire
Eleanor Thom
Ellen Munro
Ellie Harrison
Emmett Walsh
Eona McCallum
Eivind Slettemeås
Euan Sutherland
Fay McConnell
Nick Carlin
Fiona Danskin
Fiona Hutchison
Fiona Jardine
Dave Foster
Luke Fowler
Frode Markhus
Gesa Helms
Geraldine Johnson
Graham Ramsay
Gair Dunlop
Giles Bailey
Gillian McCarrey
Glennis Byron
Gordon Asher
Grahame Coyle
Helga-Marie Nordby
Allan Hales
John Barker
Harald Melrose Turek
Hazel McLaren
Helen Sloan
Helen McGregor
Helen Shaddock
Helen De Main
Chris Helson
Maureen Hodge
Hrafnhildur Halldorsdottir
Heather Lander
Hugh Watt
Ian Smith
Ilana Halperin
David Stamp
Claudia Zeiske
Sarah Tripp
Brian Hartley
Isla Hartley
John Harrington
Jonathan Robertson
John Beagles
Jane Briggs
Jessie E. Buchanan
John Calcutt
Jim Hamlyn
Jenny Hogarth
James McLardy
Jim Colquhoun
Janie Nicoll
James Buso
Jenny O'Boyle
Jens Strandberg
Jessica Foley
Jo Clifford
Joanne Tatham
Tom O'Sullivan
Jo Timmins
Joasia Krysa
John Carnegie
John Owen
Jonathan Blackwood
Joseph McInnes
Joy Hendry
Julia Hilton
Julie Lillelien Porter
Karen Forbes
Kate Tough
Karla Black
Katri Walker
Kate Stannard
Kate Orson
Kathryn Elkin
Katy Dove
Kevin McCallum
Kevin Malcolm
Kevin McPhee
Kirsten Forkert
Kim Coleman
Kirsty Stansfield
Kyle McCallum
Lesley Punton
Laura Aldridge
Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Leigh Ferguson
Leonora Hennessy
Matthew Wickham
Deborah Wickham
Lisa Gallacher
Lisa Wesley
Liz Hare
Louise Schmid Butler
Louise Welsh
Billi Love
Louise Shelley
Lucio Marcello
Lucy McKenzie
Luke Collins
Lynn Wray
Lynn Hynd
Adrienne Zitt
Minty Donald
Julie-Ann Delaney
Anna Orton
Fraser MacDonald
Lucy Alexander
Stuart Lorimer
Lauren Gault
Jan Freuchen
Ruth Ewan
Stuart Murray
Mairi Jack
Mair Hughes
Alicia Devine
Heather Purcell
Mandy McIntosh
Alex Stevenson
Manuela Zechner
Margaret McCormick
Mark Briggs
Mark Coleman
Mark Dawes
Laurent Petit
Dan Scott
Margaret McCormick
Natalie Davidson
Rebecca Lindsay
Ruby Pester
Saskia Coulson
Seonaid Frame
Stuart McAdam
Mark Neville
Martine Myrup
Martin Coffield
Matt Collier
Maud Bracke
Marina Vishmidt
Caz McIntee
Eva Merz
Mick Peter
Mike Chavez-Dawson
Miriam de Burca
Mirto Staboulou
Manu Luksch
Moira Buchanan
Kristin Mojsiewicz
Monika Vykoukal
Morag Keil
Gary Morgan
Beth Fisher
Neil Mulholland
Jon Sørvin
Nadine Haberthuer
Nalini Paul
Naomi Hart
Neil Davidson
Neil Fordham
Nadia Rossi
Niall MacDonald
Nick Millar
Nick Walker
Nicky Melville
Nico Major
Nim Wunnan
Andrew Kerr
Douglas Norman
Craig Nugent
Owen Logan
Owen Daily
Pernille Spence
Paul Kirkwood
Jessica Parkinson
Pat Haward
Paul Fitzpatrick
Paul Bloomer
Peter McCaughey
Peter McCluskey
Kerry McKenzie
Lucy Johnstone
Paula Larkin
Kate Owens
Roderick Watson
Robert Maslen
Rachel Jury
Rachel Mimiec
Ron Butlin
Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt
Richard Causton
Rob Kennedy
Robert Rae
Rob Kennedy
Rory Middleton
Rose Frain
Rosemary Scanlon
Rosie Gibson
Rosalind Nashashibi
Ross Frew
Roxane Permar
Roy McGregor
Stacy Makishi
Ruth Barker
Stephen Richard
Stefan Szczelkun
Samantha Bagg
Sam Davies
Michelle Hannah
Anna Tanner
Sara Barker
Sarah Forrest
Sari Lievonen
Saskia Coulson
Sebastien Marciak
Simon Yuill
Sheena MacDonald
Sophia Lycouris
Sophie Hope
Nicola Hood
Paul Steer
Stephanie Spindler
Stephen Hurrel
Steve Murray
Steven Franchetti
Sille Storihle
Stefanos Pavlakis
Stuart Craig
Stuart Gurden
Linda Green
Jonni Jemp
Sue Reid Sexton
Su Grierson
Terry Brotherstone
Travis Souza
Alison Docherty
George Tarbuck
Christy Cole
Susan Timmins
Mitchell Miller
Johnny Rodger
Wendy Woolfson
Tim Nunn
Tim Facey
Tiziano Poletti
Tom Jennings
Tom Harrup
Thomas Varley
Tonya McMullan
Traci Kelly
Matt Hulse
Alison Peebles
Ann Vance
Val McDermid
Morag Dewar
Alex Wilde
Will Foster
William Wilson
Elaine Woo
Xana MacLean
Rob Kennedy
Krisdy Shindler
Zoe Strachan
Timothy Birtwistle
Lindsay John Moffat
Kristin Mojsiewicz
Desmond Fernandes
Halcyon Nicoll
Beca Lipscombe
Bernie Reid
Franziska Schroeder
Alan Michael
John Foster
Elaine Allison
Jean Edmiston
Laurence Elliott
Cath Whippey
Neil Clements
Simon Gowing
Pete Stollery
Mark Vernon
Erik Smith
Agnes Nedregard
Emma Shannon
Graeme Plunkett
Emilia Muller-Ginorio
Milena Placentile
Matthew Gilchrist
Larisa Manning
Brian Beadie
Sophie Mackfall
Annabel Bartle
Fiona Mathison
Eleanor Carlingford Reeves
Duncan Robertson
Barbara Peffers
Sam Wade
Nan Mulder
Elizabeth Shepherd
Carolyn Burchell
Jack Fuller
Fionna Buck
Allan Goodwillie
Jane Cartney
Neil Gray
Lucy Bannister
Clea Wallis & Paul Rous
Christopher Wood
Marlene Sim
Robert Montseny
Séamas Cain
Alexander Hamilton
Jonathan Owen
Jen Hadfield
Darren Rhymes
Clare Yarrington
Mona Rai
David Harding
James Wyness
Terry Adams
Emma Butler-Cole Aiken
Patricia Shone
Ronnie Heeps
Jane MacInally
Louise Mitchell
Jim Ferguson
Alex Law
Marc Delizy
Stephen Healy
Sam Ainsley
