170+ artists slam SNP culture cuts

Responding to the open letter from more than 170 artists including Biffy Clyro, Paolo Nutini and Young Fathers demanding the immediate reinstatement of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Culture and the arts are one of our most successful international exports and are a magnet for tourism. The Edinburgh festival alone sells 3 million tickets in just 4 weeks - that’s a crowd to rival major events throughout the world.

“Creative Scotland helps new artistic talent grow. There can be no excuse for the damage the Scottish Government are about to inflict upon the cultural sector by choking off funding.

“Over the past two years, Creative Scotland and everyone who looks to it for essential funding have repeatedly been messed around. Money has been repeatedly promised and then snatched away, leaving people feeling betrayed. It’s clear that SNP ministers regard the arts as a soft target when it comes to raiding budgets to fill holes created by their own mismanagement of the economy.”