Martin Dobson is the Green Party Spokesperson for Culture Media and Sports and the parliamentary candidate for Liverpool Riverside. Martin lives in Liverpool and works as a multi-media designer and musician. Tomorrow he joins Ed Vaizey (Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries) Bob and Roberta Smith (artist and Independent Candidate for Surrey Heath) Baroness Jane Bonham Carter (Lib Dem Spokesperson on DCMS matters in the House of Lords) and Chris Bryant (MP and Shadow Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy) in a debate organised by the Artist’s Union at Chelsea Art School.
Artists’ Union England host a hustings debate on the 11th of Feb 2015 6-8pm, at the Chelsea College of Art and Design lecture theatre in London. It will be an opportunity for representatives of across the political spectrum to address the concerns of artists in advance of the general election. This is the second time in a week that the Liverpool Riverside parliamentary candidate will be debating with Culture Minister Ed Vaisey at a London venue.
Martin Dobson as the Green Party’s national spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport said
“The Green Party sees culture, media and sport as a hugely important across the UK and want more public support for the arts. It comes as no surprise that last week’s debate was all about London. The conversation was limited to which London organisations should have their funds protected. The Greens challenge the current inbalance in distribution of arts funding that currently sees London being allocated over six times the arts budget given to the rest of the county. I’m looking forward to hearing the concerns of Artists at the Chelsea Art School Hustings and feel they will expose other areas that need attention.“
Liverpool is no stranger to initiatives lead by the creative community. Mike Stubbs Artistic Director at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) said
“The importance of new media production, tech start-ups, training and showcasing for Liverpool and the North West of England is immeasurable. It is vital for central and local government to appreciate this activity outside the capital which produces significant earnings for the UK. We are looking to political leadership that understands the need for structural, financial and educational support for one of our fastest growing areas of innovation.”