Summary
The Arts Council says the issue of greatest concern to it is the Assembly Government's proposal to fund directly six major arts companies: Welsh National Opera; the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Clwyd Theatr Cymru; Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru; Diversions Dance Company and the literature promotion agency Academi. According to the Arts Council, the reasons against direct funding are compelling: The 'arm's-length' principle is actually increasing in importance as freedom of expression comes under pressure from religious fundamentalism and security considerations; The sincerity of Government Ministers is not questioned when they say they have no interest in censorship or any intention of interfering with artistic decisions. But that is not the point. Freedom of expression needs to be guaranteed through structures, not the goodwill of individuals. Without such safeguards self-censorship is the greater worry; Theatre exists to challenge us - as individuals, as society, sometimes even as government (witness the current spate of overtly political theatre in England). Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru are our two best-funded theatre companies. They should not be direct clients of Government; The BBC is the dominant provider of news and current affairs information in Wales. Inevitably, it is often in a state of tension with government. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales should not be a direct client of government. We know this to be a matter of great concern to the BBC, and understand that other mechanisms are having to be sought to protect its position; Academi not only distributes grants to individual writers, it also represents writers. A body representing writers should not be a direct client of government. We understand that Academi has written to the Government stating the same view;
Direct client relationships between arts organisations and government will pose problems for both parties. When anything goes wrong in the arts organisation it can immediately become a ministerial issue;See the full content of this document
Extract
Politicians and Arts at Arm's Length
Making six key o...
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