[My-ci] CSG ban Variant from Tramway

[Variant]

The arts & culture magazine 'Variant' has been banned from Tramway, a  
key cultural venue in Glasgow "that promotes public participation,  
education and debate, placing the building at the heart of local,  
national and international concerns, issues and innovation."

It has been brought to Variant's attention that Culture and Sport  
Glasgow (CSG), the private company set up to take over the running of  
culture and sport from Glasgow City Council, has issued an order  
banning Variant magazine from Tramway.

The Summer issue of Variant features an article about the controversial  
creation of Culture and Sport Glasgow, which is based on an academic  
study undertaken by Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt at the University of  
Strathclyde.

Despite having been contacted earlier this year to input into the  
research for this article, James Doherty -- Media Manager of Culture  
and Sport Glasgow, and President of the National Union of Journalists  
(NUJ) -- on publication threatened legal action over its content, and  
has since reneged on responding to Variant’s invitation to identify and  
correct any substantial inaccuracies he alleged existed.

Instead, Variant has learnt that Charles Bell, CSG Arts Development  
Manager, has issued an order to deprive readers visiting Tramway of  
access to the magazine.

Doherty's immediate recourse to legal threats and the ensuing attempts  
at censorship represent an obvious conflict of interest with his role  
in the NUJ to uphold and defend the principles of media freedom, the  
right of freedom of expression, and the right of the public to be  
informed.

Ironically, Charles Bell was a key speaker at today’s conference  
'Raising the Art of Conversation', billed as "a chance to discuss  
policy issues affecting the cultural sector".



The article they don't want you to read is:

'The New Bohemia'
by Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt
Variant issue 32, Summer 2008

Text version: http://www.variant.org.uk/32texts/CSG.html

PDF version: http://www.variant.org.uk/pdfs/issue32/Variant32RGN.pdf

PDF of CSG structure diagram:  
http://www.variant.org.uk/pdfs/issue32/csg_diagram.pdf



And you might also be interested in reading:

'Public / Private Partnership: What crisis of legitimacy?'
by Leigh French
Public Art Resource+Research Scotland (PAR+RS)

http://www.publicartscotland.com/features/5-Public-Private-Partnership- 
What-crisis-of-legitimacy-




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