It shouldn’t be for the government to decide what art is worthy of funding, what those granted funding should think, or what the subject of their art should be. Image credit: Shutterstock.
Belfast rap group Kneecap have announced that they are planning to take legal action against the UK Government after being blocked from receiving a £15,000 grant from the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS).
The government backed scheme offers grants of up to £50,000 to UK registered music companies to promote work in international markets.
An independent panel from the BPI had decided Kneecap should be awarded the grant but that decision was reportedly blocked by Kemi Badenoch, the Business and Trade Secretary.
It shouldn’t be for the government to decide what the subject of art should be
Acting MU Regional Organiser for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Sam Dunkley said: “It is deeply concerning that a Secretary of State should see fit to step in and block a grant which had been decided by an expert panel who had the authority to make the decision.
“It shouldn’t be for the government to decide what art is worthy of funding, what those granted funding should think, or what the subject of their art should be.
“Arts funding in Northern Ireland is already far below where it should be, and below every other nation of the UK and the Republic of Ireland – this decision is arguably more damaging when that is taken into account.
“This decision, when taken alongside the guidance from Arts Council England around ‘political statements’, sends a worrying message to artists across disciplines and genres that the art they make and the positions they take may be held against them when it comes to funding decisions.”
MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl has written to Kemi Badenoch to express concern and request the opportunity to discuss the matter further.
Dear Kemi Badenoch,
I am General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, the trade union representing 34,500 musicians living and/or working in the UK. I am writing to raise concerns about reports that your department rescinded Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) funding from the band Kneecap because of the political views expressed in their music.
Your department’s intervention may be in breach of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act which protects the right to hold opinions and to express them freely without government interference. This right is fundamental to our democracy, and I urge you to reconsider your decision.
The MU is fiercely anti-censorship, and the actions of your department set a dangerous precedent for the creative output of musicians. You have repeatedly and very publicly emphasised the importance of freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of speech, all values that the MU and our membership support. We must uphold these values even when someone’s views or political beliefs don’t align with our own. Kneecap’s music clearly engages people and any move to block their development as artists may serve to alienate the communities, within the UK, that they speak to or for.
Despite the huge financial contribution our members make to the economy, musicians are struggling to make an income from their work and rely heavily on public funding streams to progress their careers within and outside of the UK.
The original decision to offer funding to Kneecap was made by a board of experts convened by the BPI who obviously saw the value in supporting their work. It is not the role of Government to make funding decisions on the basis of political belief. We have seen recent remarks from Arts Council England along similar lines and I am writing to them today as well. We have also recently met with the Metropolitan Police to discuss discriminatory actions towards artists in Drill music and other Black music genres.
In the view of the MU, your department’s intervention in the MEGS decision making process on this occasion was a blatant form of censorship and has overstepped the mark.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this.