Sunday Herald Political Hustings: Culture & Arts

WE can be proud of the role arts and culture have played in Scotland's heritage and the continuing contribution they make to Scottish society. And we've taken real action in government to create conditions in which Scotland's artistic community can flourish.

We’ve supported Scotland’s festivals which bring real economic and cultural benefits – and invested in promoting Scottish talent.

And while the arts are important for their own sakes – we should also recognise the difference they make to our young people, developing skills and helping tackle inequalities.

That’s why we’ve published Scotland’s first youth arts strategy, invested in Sistema Scotland which seeks to transform the lives of young people in disadvantaged communities, and the Youth Music Initiative – which has engaged over 225,000 young people.

These are real success stories – but we’re determined to go further and have set out ambitious plans to build on this progress and keep Scotland’s cultural sector moving forward.

That’s why our manifesto will pledge to create a new fund to ensure every primary school has the opportunity to visit Scotland’s historic estates, theatres, museums and galleries.

And we will continue strengthening our film industry – having already made significant progress in securing a permanent film studio, with planning permission submitted for a site in Cumbernauld – and will create a dedicated unit for film and TV within Creative Scotland.

Scotland can continue to be a world leader in the arts – and the SNP will continue to put culture front and centre of Government policy, empowering the sector to continue enriching our national life.

Claire Baker

Scottish Labour’s culture spokesperson and candidate for Kirkcaldy

Scottish culture is built on challenging our establishment, on refusing to accept that old maxim that we do things a certain way because ‘we always have.’

Art pushes our boundaries and expands our understanding of the world. It has resulted in some of the best Scottish works of art and literature.

All politicians talk about valuing cultural activity and yet evidence show that too many people are excluded. If you are poor, or disabled, or elderly you are not benefiting from Scotland’s cultural life.

We need to address this and examine where public policy and funding must be directed if we want to see greater, more equitable engagement in culture.

We will put arts and culture at the centre of our plans for Government with the establishment of a First Minister’s Committee on Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries with representation from all sectors and regions.

We want to see a culturally cosmopolitan Scotland, capable of attracting and retaining gifted people, where our creative community is supported and their contribution to the economy is recognised. We want a vibrant and supported film and TV sector, which includes the huge contribution made by the BBC in Scotland.

In a time of financial constraint, the arts can come under pressure, with very little statutory protection. Our pledge to stop austerity also means that arts and culture will not face the same deep cuts that are planned by the SNP, protecting our cultural life well into the future.

LIBDEM

Liam McArthur

Former Education and Culture Committee member

SCOTLAND has a rich cultural heritage and we have the opportunity to make the most of it in the next five years.

Liberal Democrats will make the participation and enjoyment of culture one of the measures in the National Performance Framework to promote wide and open access, and get the whole of Government behind it.

We need to make sure that the creative industries are supported. That will mean nurturing talent, developing the facilities and spaces they need.

Successful film studios operate in the rest of the UK to produce world-class productions such as Game Of Thrones. There is a successful facility in Wales. Meanwhile, progress towards a studio for Scotland has stalled repeatedly. It is preventing Scotland from capturing a share of this lucrative and enriching market.

Liberal Democrats will support the creation of a range of Scottish film studio spaces. A move to a more autonomous, dedicated screen agency will also ensure we are making the most of the facilities available, and that young people seeking a career in television and film get the nurturing and training they need.

The BBC is one of our finest institutions. People across the world rely on it. Liberal Democrats support moves to shift extra BBC commissioning resources to Scotland.

However, the motivations of some are less than altruistic. That is why we will protect its autonomy and guarantee it operates free from political meddling. Reform must enhance the BBC's status as a world-class impartial public service broadcaster, not undermine it.

GREEN

Zara Kitson

Culture spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP candidate for Glasgow

WHEN budgets are under pressure, the arts are an easy target. The Scottish Greens’ culture manifesto is rightly bold, going further than paying lip service to protection of arts and culture as it exists. Our proposed Intermittent Work Scheme demonstrates our commitment to investment in culture as core to Scotland's economy, communities and quality of life. It is a step forward to ensuring artists have access to a means of living in a precarious working environment, and that their work is valued for its true worth. There are currently approximately 174,000 people employed in the cultural sector and creative industries in Scotland – some 6.6 per cent of the workforce. Scotland can improve on this and continue to be a leader on the world stage.

Arts, culture and sport are not optional luxuries – they are a profound part of the human experience. Whether it’s our proposed overnight visitor levy to raise funds; media watch dog to improve gender equality; introduction of new "Outcome for Culture" to measure more than economic success; or support for publicly-owned empty space to be utilised for cultural activity – our proposals recognise that arts and culture are at the heart of life in Scotland.

Scotland has a rich cultural heritage and it does well in sports on the international stage. Scottish Green MSPs will push to remove the barriers – financial, physical, cultural and psychological – to accessing culture and sport, for the benefit of all.

Scotland can unleash our creativity. Faodaidh Alba ar Cruthachalachd a dh'Fhuasgladh.

CONSERVATIVES

Scottish Conservative culture spokeswoman Liz Smith

Culture and sport both have a very significant benefit when it comes to the social and economic wellbeing of Scotland, but they both have an intrinsic benefit too. We must support them as such.

Scotland is renowned for its rich cultural identity, but also for its ability to reach out to the international community and it is vitally important that that balance is maintained – just one of the interesting debates about the future of the BBC in Scotland.

It is also important that policies support young people in these pursuits. For example, the Scottish Conservatives have pledged to reverse the £1 million of cuts which we have seen affect music tuition in schools across the country. We have also pledged to do much more for outdoor education and sport, well beyond the existing commitment of two hours of PE per week. These activities should be part and parcel of every school curriculum for every young person because of the unique value they bring to the educational experience.

There should also be diversity. For many decades the Scottish Conservatives have been supportive of communities where the Gaelic language is indigenous. We believe that Gaelic communities want to see that investment focused where it is most needed rather than in areas where there is no tradition of Gaelic.

Likewise, in sport, the Commonwealth Games proved just how successful Scotland has become in some of the so called "minority" sports such as judo, netball and bowls. That success bodes extremely well for the future and for wider participation in sport which is so important if we are to improve the physical and mental health of the nation.

Scotland is desperate for a state-of-the-art film studio and a national tennis centre. These can only come about if national and local government, local communities, Creative Scotland and sportscotland all pull in the same direction.

Scotland has exceptional talent. It must be allowed to flourish.

RISE

Jean Urquhart, Rise Highlands & Islands candidate and Culture spokesperson

When it comes to culture, we need to make clear just how important creative output is to our society. I want to see respect for artists whether writers, painters, musicians, actors, dancers or architects.

Knowledge of who and where they are, how they work, and how they contribute is the basis for an informed nation. We need a general acknowledgement of the artist’s right to work and using that work across all agencies in and out with government.

I want to have artists working in hospitals, in prisons and in every community, challenging and reflecting the society we are or might become and arguing for alternatives. The work of the creative must be central to our society so that we might develop a world where everyone's artistic talents, regardless of background, can be embraced. We want to open up the arts to everyone, we want cultural events to spring from communities and to touch all of our lives.

Artists throughout history have defined our country, the contradictions in society, and politics in paintings, in song, in the written word. Investment in creativity and culture must be at the core of all that we do and at the heart of education. But this is not where we are now.

Rise will implement a cultural policy where respect for the artist is central, and realising their skills and talents are not for the elite, but for everyone. Art and culture are core to a healthy democracy, stimulate debate and reflect us warts and all.

UKIP

DAVID Coburn, leader of Ukip Scotland and candidate for Highlands & Islands region

The tourist industry is immensely important to the Scottish economy and everything possible should be done to expand the sector.

Despite the emphasis the Scottish Government puts on tourism, they have been selling the industry short. Country sports such as fishing and shooting are some of Scotland’s biggest tourism attractions, creating 13,000 jobs and contributing £350 million annually towards the Scottish economy. Ukip would create a spin-off organisation from VisitScotland to promote Scottish country sports abroad.

Businesses in our city and town centres have suffered as a result of the dramatic increase in out-of-town trading estates and supermarkets. Ukip believes our cities and town centres should be vibrant and profitable. That means encouraging locals, visitors and tourists into our towns by removing barriers that act as a disincentive, such as expensive or restricted parking. Ukip will push every local authority in Scotland to offer at least 30 minutes' free parking in city and town centres, high streets and shopping parades, to encourage shoppers into our centres and boost local business.

The local pub has been a longstanding tradition in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. However, changes in the law have pushed people away from their local and into the supermarkets to buy cheap alcohol. Ukip believes that the local pub is a cultural tradition which moderates drinking in a social environment. Ukip will make changes to the law to make it easier for people to head down to their local for a pint.