Culture Strategy for Scotland consultation

[peeriebryan]

The Scottish Government are currently consulting on a "draft Culture Strategy for Scotland"

 

The draft strategy and details of how you can contribute your views are available at https://consult.gov.scot/culture-tourism-and-major-events/culture-strategy/

 

It's quite a lengthy read but is interesting and has wide-ranging implications. Here are a few quotes to give you a flavour.

 

The strategy seeks to stimulate a step change that will bring about a shift in how society and government view and value culture. It aims to build collaborative alliances that will help to realise the full potential of culture for everyone and every community.

 

The draft strategy seeks to embed and elevate culture’s position across society, and is therefore of interest and relevance to many different audiences, including:

• the culture, heritage and creative sectors, all those who work or participate in them and their supporting organisations
• individuals and communities across Scotland
• the voluntary/third sector
• Scottish Government, local government and their stakeholders and partners
• people delivering public services, especially those tasked to tackle the fundamental challenges in Scotland today. This covers a wider range of public service roles in health and wellbeing, social care, education, community development and regeneration
• private business, enterprises and industry (for example tourism, energy and those who work internationally)

 

VISION STATEMENTS

• Culture in Scotland is innovative, inclusive and open to the wider world.
• Cultural excellence – past, present and emerging – is celebrated and is fundamental to future prosperity and wellbeing.
• Culture’s empowering and transformative power is experienced by everyone.

 

It would be interesting to hear folk's opinions on this

[The Cleaner]

^My brain hurts!

[Urabug]

Might be better if the Scottish Government scrutinized themselves first and sorted out some off their own adverse political "cultures",like defying democracy and aiming to split the UK .

 

 I might  then see this waste of time and public money differently.  

[mikeyboy]

Can you tell me when the Scottish Government defied democracy and aimed to split the UK?

[Ghostrider]

I gave up trying half way through the quoted material.......Can somebody translate that in to something readable, please.

 

Cuture is fine and well I suppose, for folk that enjoy it and value it, and depending what its defined as...... Glasgow got designated as 'city of culture', and Boy George led Culture Club. Neither endeared me much to 'culture' though.

 

Personally I think Holyrood should be giving far more pressing issues priority than bagpipes, bottles of buckie and tins of shortbread, but to each their own.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Ghostrider

[Urabug]

Can you tell me when the Scottish Government defied democracy and aimed to split the UK?

To most of us that is very obvious, to myself and many others it is very,very clear.

 

If you cannot see it for yourself no point in me trying to explain it,but i will give you one hint "national vote ballet box".

[mikeyboy]

So you can't then.

What you could have said is that the Scottish parliament authorised the Scottish government to request a transfer of powers to hold a second referendum in 2017 but you didn't.

Who do you speak for when you say most of us?

Edited September 8, 2018 by mikeyboy

[peeriebryan]

mikeyboy and Urabug, we're in danger of going off topic...

 

 

^My brain hurts!

 

You have my sympathy!

 

I gave up trying half way through the quoted material.......Can somebody translate that in to something readable, please.

 

Cuture is fine and well I suppose, for folk that enjoy it and value it, and depending what its defined as...... Glasgow got designated as 'city of culture', and Boy George led Culture Club. Neither endeared me much to 'culture' though.

 

Personally I think Holyrood should be giving far more pressing issues priority than bagpipes, bottles of buckie and tins of shortbread, but to each their own.

 

It's not like you to give up so easily Ghostrider. I thought you were a stubborn auld dug?

 

Re: "Culture.... depending what its defined as"

 

The consultation offers the following definitions (so I'm sure something amongst it will chime with you)

 

• Arts – any creative or interpretive expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form. This may include, for example, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture and includes any medium when used for those purposes.

• Creative industries, including film and television production, animation, broadcasting, electronic games, architecture, design and fashion, publishing, media and advertising.

• Cultural heritage including galleries, libraries, archives and museums, built and natural heritage, Scots and Gaelic languages and folk traditions (Intangible Cultural Heritage).

[George.]

Can you tell me when the Scottish Government defied democracy and aimed to split the UK?

Can you tell me if the British government can spell "Democracy", never mind define it, cough cough? The Brit bit tends to give me the flu, unlike their royalty.which does no more than encourage vomit.

Edited September 8, 2018 by George.

[Frances144]

Someone should put them forward for The Golden Bull in the Plain English Campaign imho.  To me, it is just "speak" that means very little but ticks all the boxes.

[Ghostrider]

@ peeriebryan: What is 'culture'? Yes, its all of those things, and none of those things at the same time. Its a constantly evolving subjective fluid object. Its everything we are and that there is, and nothing at all, both at the same time, depending upon an individual's personal opinion.

 

It became whatever it is in the present entirely by accident, not by plan or regulation, and while it deserves to be recognised as a valid phenomena and to be to each individual whatever it is to them, it also needs to evolve naturally. So I'm yet to be convinced that Government intervention with any kind of 'plan' or 'strategy', given their love affair with labelling, ticking boxes, pigeon holing and 'one size fits all' thinking, is a good thing for culture. Their somewhat cacque handed, and arguably highly inappropriate ideas concerning Gaelic language stands as a case in point.

 

Can't knock them for trying I suppose, but I get a definite sense of 'fixing what ain't broke' while other arguably more important issues that are broken are left that way, going on with this.

 

As long as people act on their own desire to express themselves through their medium of choice, culture will continue and evolve, and if there's a role for a government to play, perhaps it should be reactive to accomodating culture in whatever direction it evolves naturally to, rather than proactively manipulating and leading it, as this strategy seems to be intended to be.

 

Is culture not over-regulated and stifled in some areas already? Take grafitti for example, there's enough of it been around long enough now to prove its a part of their culture for some, yet governments do a great deal to remove it, hide it, discourage it, and promote the belief that it is negative, undesirable and not a legitimate 'art' form. As long as any government strategy recognises all forms of cultural expression equally, that's fine, but given their track record so far I fear their plan will end up more a case of promoting and respecting those parts of 'culture' they deem to be legitimate parts of 'culture' and browbeating down the rest. Time will tell.....

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

@ Ghostrider - I've decided it's culture when I practise doing ballet in the kitchen.  I'd like a barre but no doubt the SIC would object to one being installed in Your gaff.  I'm sure the neighbours have some amusement seeing me practise having both feet and arms in 5th position demi-pointe, sometimes followed by what can only be described as me impersonating a weeble.  Does this mean the Scottish Gov. will give me dosh towards my ballet lessons then, given that You're not a balletomane?

Edited September 8, 2018 by Suffererof1crankymofo

[Capeesh]

One of the 3 aims of the Scottish government's culture plan is...

Quote...

 

"To make sure each community is recognised as having its own culture and sense of identity."

 

Blows the predictable tinfoil hat brigade theories mentioned above out of the water.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Capeesh

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

@ Capeesh - and exactly how would they achieve this?  Recognised by whom?

[The Cleaner]

^ I wish I had your way with words Ghostie because I couldn't agree more! Somewhat off the subject I am also pleased to see the use of the phrase "cacque handed". A phrase I was brought up with but whenever I've used it in more recent years no one seems to understand it.

Back to the subject. If we, local council, Scottish &/or Westminster government, whoever, cares so much about culture then why is it we had to cut back on school lessons that nurtured our local culture. I'm talking about knitting & musical instrument lessons, maybe there are other examples.It seems to me a false economy to take with one hand to (be seen) to give with the other.