14 September 2011
Posted in
TV
The Writers’ Guild had a hyperactive week at the Trades Union Congress, speaking on key issues including the BBC licence fee and cuts to arts funding
This year’s conference was held in London and was much reduced in size, which meant the Guild was entitled to only a single delegate. That representative was Gail Renard, chair of the Guild’s TV Committee, who was one of the most energetic speakers in the section of the agenda devoted to arts, entertainment and the “culture industry”.
The Guild proposed a motion calling for the BBC licence fee to be unfrozen, and deploring the vast amounts of BBC cash diverted away from programme-making into the digital switchover and the migration to Salford.
The Guild motion also questioned the policy of allowing the BBC to take over the Welsh-language channel S4C – a subject on which our Wales Branch has been highly active.
We supported an Equity motion calling for a better deal for workers in the massively important creative industries. It also highlighted the launch of the Lost Arts website, which is keeping a full record of all projects and organisations lost due to Government cuts in funding.
And Gail went to the microphone again to back a Musicians’ Union motion pointing out the “emotional blackmail” of expecting performers and entertainers to work for nothing in support of charitable and fund-raising “good causes”.
