Back to index of Nerve 24 - Summer 2014

Culture is Political

Among the anniversaries to celebrate or commemorate in 2014 is that of the miners' strike of thirty years ago. This was a defining moment in struggle to maintain communities and livelihoods. It is also a clear example of the cultural mixing with the political. When the miners' villages were destroyed their culture - of solidarity, of resistance, of art - was destroyed too.

There is a hatred by the ruling class of our art and culture. Hillsborough shows us that the state doesn't understand our solidarity, and will do almost anything to undermine it, even spying on the families of dead victims.

If the powerful can't commodify our culture to make money, they will vilify or marginalise it. This has happened with people that stood up against war, some of whom have been brought back to life by our 2014 calendar. People such as Edward Rushton - 200 years dead this year - who was an inspiring poet and fighter for social justice, but who has been 'forgotten' and continues to be left out of lists of 'great' Liverpudlians.

One part of our culture that continues to shine is News from Nowhere bookshop. This is a space which belongs to the people; 40 years old and going strong.

Repressive regimes target artists because they know they inspire, give heart and encourage resistance. Our art, and our culture, not that imposed from above, makes life worth living, and fighting for. We need 'bread' but we need 'roses' too.

Nerve and FACT

As with all our culture at the moment, our access to the arts is being hit by mounting government cuts. Nerve believes that how community arts organisations react to these cuts will show how truly they believe in helping the community they serve. When we heard that FACT were making people redundant and using zero hour contracts and volunteers to compensate for this, we were shocked.

The use of zero hour contracts - where workers are called in at unpredictable times, get no holiday or sick pay, can't plan their finances because of uncertainty in levels of pay, and are not even able to take on other work because they have to be available for that employer, is degrading. What's more, zero hours are discriminatory against women, because they are generally the main carers in families. Also this practice has an effect on benefits and pensions.

FACT is a charity and receives funding from Liverpool City Council, so how do FACT square this move to a casualised workforce with LCC's 'Living Wage Policy' or with their public face of "Working across some of the most economically and socially deprived areas of Liverpool"?

Nerve and FACT have collaborated closely in the past, and this has been productive for both organisations, so we are hugely disappointed that FACT have decided to dismiss workers and then use zero hour contract staff or volunteers to fill their jobs. It is with regret that we have to announce that, unless FACT reconsider their position with regards to these changes in working conditions, we can no longer work with them. Nerve stresses that this stand is about organisations and not individuals, who sometimes have little choice in how they make ends meet.

What should FACT do?

Nerve believes that community organisations are answerable to the community, and have a duty to involve everyone in discussions, especially their own workers, about how they function, starting from the basis of equality, fairness and justice to all. The way forward is to set up workers' co-operatives (such as News from Nowhere). FACT should 'open the books' to allow a full and frank discussion on how to proceed along these lines. This would provide community organisations with an example of how they should respond to government cuts in funding.

Nerve attempts to counter the top-down imposition of culture with this edition about 'space'. We feature many writers and artists whose work has not been printed before. And the ironic thing is we have a lack of space for all the articles and artwork submitted. All those not printed on these pages can be found on the Nerve website.

Printer friendly page

Comments are closed on this article