Culture for everyone

Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Madam Speaker! When I am really stressed and my brain is overheated and is like a popcorn pot without a lid, there is a method that works for me, and that is to sit at a piano and play Bach's inventions, preludes, or fugues. Then there is order. I am incredibly grateful that I have found music in my life.

Madam Speaker! Most Swedes have culture in their lives and in their everyday lives. I have just read statistics on how it looks in Sweden: 95 percent of Swedes listen to music, 80 percent have read books in the last year, 90 percent have seen films, the number of visitors to cultural festivals is increasing sharply and more than half have visited a prehistoric site in the last year. People, therefore, have culture in their lives.

We may choose different cultural expressions, but most people in Sweden truly use culture. We use it when we are going to celebrate, when we want to be happy, but also as comfort or relaxation or perhaps as encouragement when we want to cheer up a bit. Some use art and culture when they want to express or convey something.

But culture is actually much more than that. Culture has an incredibly important place in our society. We know, for example, that children in school who play instruments, sing in a choir, or dance between theoretical lessons perform better in the other subjects. We know that people on sick leave, at least with certain illnesses, recover faster with the help of different forms of culture – not to mention GDP, growth, and exports in Sweden. Our music industry, our artists, together with sports profiles, do more for Sweden's growth and our exports than many other agencies can do.

We do not speak so often about all the good that culture brings to a society, and lately we have fallen into a discussion about culture at a boring level. There are many questions we should discuss. We need, for example, to consider how we can address the competence shortage in the culture school across Sweden where there is a lack of trained educators. We need to discuss how we should get more children to crack the reading code so that even more children can find the pleasure of disappearing into the world of books.

What shall we do with all our orchestras? More and more of the instrumentalists in the orchestras are educated in a country other than Sweden. How do we protect Sweden's cultural heritage in the event that we should face a war? What impact will AI have on the cultural industry? What do we need to legislate in the chamber to ensure the cultural industry's survival and handle problems with copyright that will come in a completely new era with the entry of AI?

Madam Speaker! There are many things we should talk about that are necessary to achieve a flourishing culture in Sweden. What is pleasing about today's motion report is that there are many in the Riksdag who are engaged in cultural issues. This applies to individual members and parties. In today's report, we have dealt with 80 motions, and they concern everything from opera houses, wind instruments, and libraries to minority languages.

Madam Speaker! In the report, the committee proposes that the motions be dismissed. This is almost always because we often agree, but most of the issues raised in the motions are such that they have either already been decided, are in progress, or are under investigation. In many issues, we have a common commitment and agree. While I move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision, I hope that we can continue the debate and together move forward the issues that are so important for the cultural industry and culture in Sweden, instead of falling into an unworthy level of debate that does the cultural industry a disservice.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! I thank Kristina Axén Olin for her speech. I share the view that there is a broad commitment in the chamber and in the Culture Committee for many of the issues that the report addresses. We will return to many of the questions in the chamber. We cannot discuss all of them now.

I would like to ask a question regarding a matter that many parties and governments have handled over the years – I believe we would benefit from a broad discussion – namely the renovation of the Royal Opera. It is a difficult question.

The initiative was taken by a Moderate Minister for Culture. Both Alice Bah Kuhnke and I, during my time as Minister, continued to work on the issue. Several investigations have been submitted, and now the government has taken another step and requested an additional assessment. This is reasonable in itself given the inflation and the cost calculation from the old proposal, called NOiO. It aimed to carry out the urgent renovations, create a better working environment at the Opera, and make certain expansions so that the Opera can achieve better operations, for example a second stage, which should be postponed for a national stage, better opportunities for children's and youth activities, as well as better opportunities for the ballet, and so on.

I have written in my specific statement about the assignment to Statens fastighetsverk to produce a new design or a new proposal, which I am a bit concerned about. How narrow is the assignment? Are there conditions to seriously consider the Opera's long-term development activities? There has been talk of a minor expansion and renovation. It is here I wonder how the Moderaterna intend to proceed. Is there room during the process to secure an opera operation that can develop and where the working environment does not suffer because the premises will continue to be too small?

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Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank Amanda Lind for the questions.

The question of the Opera is incredibly protracted. Already when I was city councilor in the late 90s in the City Hall, we began to approach the then government regarding the need for a renovation of the Opera. It is certainly not a new issue, and many culture ministers, governments, and members of parliament have come and gone since then.

As it is now, Parisa Liljestrand, our current Minister for Culture, has taken a new step in the matter and given a mandate to Statens fastighetsverk to, together with Operan, try to find a solution that can be implemented.

This is complicated. It concerns an old house that requires renovation, if it is even possible at all, and furthermore, the possibilities to expand the areas are limited given that it is a K-marked area, there are other houses nearby and so on. I still hope that the investigation shows a feasible way forward. It will not become a perfect opera house, as I believe many of us in here would wish, which would meet all modern requirements for how an opera should be designed, but it is still our opera house, and we must try to make the best of the situation.

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Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! I thank Kristina Axén Olin for the answer.

It is positive that the member says that this is a process that should take place in dialogue between Fastighetsverket and Operan. I also do not hear the member rule out that it could become an expansion. If there is to be a second stage, if the ballet is to be given reasonable opportunities to rehearse, and if the children's and youth activities are to be developed, it may be required that these questions are looked at. It does not have to be exactly like the proposal in NOiO, but perhaps there is a variant where one still accommodates the possibilities of creating a modern opera.

I am asking my question again. The investigation has not ruled this out. I hear somewhat mixed signals; on one hand, Parisa Liljestrand says that there should be conditions for a modern opera operation of world-class standard, which is pleasing, on the other hand, it is said that one has left NOiO behind. How much room is there to take a modern opera house into consideration?

Kristina Axén Olin emphasized in her speech that this is an issue with broad engagement among everyone. I believe there may be a point in talking across the block boundaries, and there is such a motion in the committee report. Exactly what form it takes is up to the Minister for Culture, but I wonder if the Moderaterna see that there is a value. Even if initiatives are taken now, it may take several years until the project is completed, and there may come situations where it could be good to have cross-block dialogue.

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Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Madam Speaker! I am smiling a little here because during the previous parliamentary term, I proposed parliamentary talks regarding the opera house for the Social Democratic majority government, and I was told that what I said was heard. Nothing more ever came of it.

I am in favor of broad conversations about important issues for the future, and I know that the opera house engages many. I gladly take with me that many are engaged to the Ministry of Culture.

It is tricky with the opera house, and we can talk about details for a long time. The house was built when, for example, people's average height was 150-160 centimeters, so the seats in the auditorium are not adapted to people who are 175, like me, or even taller.

Then we have the stage. The current stage does not have the width that scenographies in modern operas have, so modern scenographies do not fit. This means that one even limits the range of performances that work. There is, therefore, very much to do. The opera house consists today of over 1,000 rooms. One thinks that is completely crazy when one sees the house. There is, therefore, an enormous complexity in this. Furthermore, it rains in, and stones and other things fall down.

I am calm and reassured because the opera house itself and the CEO of the Opera, together with Fastighetsverket, are now looking at what must be done and what can be done. I truly trust the professionalism in this case. I am convinced that they will do as much as it is actually possible to do within the existing site and with the existing building.

Hopefully we can return to this later. They should be finished with the investigation quite soon, so I believe we will receive a proposal before the summer.

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Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! Last week, the World Summit on Arts and Culture took place here in Stockholm. It is an international summit focusing on how the freedom of art and culture can be strengthened. The initiative for this summit to take place here in Sweden was taken during my time as Minister for Culture. I am pleased that subsequent governments have chosen to both complete the planning and carry out this summit.

With approximately 400 participants from all over the world, experiences were shared about how artistic freedom is restricted in different ways around the world and what can be done, regardless of where one lives and regardless of the country's conditions, to protect and strengthen artistic freedom.

It was, Madam Speaker, deeply moving to hear stories of attacks on free culture and on the free academy, of the experiences of persecuted and imprisoned authors and artists, and of restrictive censorship. These were stories from Hungary, from Bangladesh, from Afghanistan, and even from the USA.

Madam Speaker! The summit began with the presentation of the Almapriset. The youth and children's book author Laurie Halse Anderson gave a powerful speech about how the books she is now being honored for in Sweden are banned in several parts of the USA. In Laurie Halse Anderson's home country, the USA, attempts are currently underway to silence many youth book authors. It is conservative politicians who do not want young people to take part in books that deal with activism, racism, and LGBTQI issues. Several of Anderson's own books have now been banned in public libraries and school libraries. There are examples of "don't say gay" laws and bans on LGBTQI education in schools. This is, therefore, in the USA.

Madam Speaker! This is a development that we, unfortunately, are not vaccinated against even in Sweden. In recent months, we have repeatedly witnessed how the Sweden Democrats both attack free culture and question the principle of arm's length distance. Furthermore, they engage in an distasteful suspicion of both popular fairy tales and LGBTQ+ persons. This is not harmless. On the contrary, it has led to large amounts of threats and hate directed at these persons. It is a suspicion that is unworthy of Sweden.

Gradually, the tone has sharpened from the government parties towards the coalition partner. It has gone from a deafening silence to the Minister for Culture being surprised a few weeks ago by the Sweden Democrats' preoccupation regarding drag queens, and most recently she was disappointed. And no one has escaped the Liberals' party leader and party secretary who have been active in both Agenda debates and on Twitter.

This is good, but it is not enough. It is not reassuring that an arm's-length distance is enshrined in the Tidö Agreement, not as long as the Sweden Democrats do not accept its definition and not until high-ranking SD representatives make it clear that this is a fight they intend to take on with force.

Madam Speaker! Arm's length distance is not just about something not being prohibited, but it is about society being able to support free creation. A diversity of expressions should be able to emerge, even those that provoke and that do not follow the norm or are not the most popular or commercially viable at the moment. All of this should also be able to take place in public contexts - this, of course, regardless of what politicians of different colors think about the content.

Madam Speaker! Miljöpartiet has submitted a number of proposals, which are addressed in this motion report, to strengthen the freedom of art and the arm's-length principle. Measures have already been taken following the Agency for Cultural Analysis report "How free is art?" and with the introduction of the Museum Act, and this work must continue.

We have a proposal that the library act could be tightened with provisions regarding the principle of arm's length distance, just like the museum act.

The new investigation into the cultural cooperation model has presented several exciting proposals. It is an investigation that will be released this summer, which speaks about imposing requirements to safeguard the principle of arm's length when it comes to regional cultural activities. That is good. It is, in fact, part of the so-called Mykar report. "So free is art" has not been discussed very much. How can we support municipalities and regions in terms of drawing these boundaries and safeguarding this principle?

We mean that the effects of the adjustments that have been made in regulatory letters and by responsible authorities need to be followed up and evaluated in order to simply see if further steps need to be taken to secure artistic freedom.

The work with board appointments at the state cultural institutions should also continue to be focused on separating politics from decisions on art and culture support. These are steps that were taken during my time as Minister for Culture.

But this is not enough. We need to do more to strengthen free culture and free creation, and that is where the funding issues and the general conditions for artists come in.

We mean that one should take an initiative and seriously look at whether it is possible to broaden the financing of cultural life, for example through better opportunities for sponsorship of culture. Private financing could absolutely increase. But we have also said – and it is very important – that it should not happen at the expense of publicly funded culture. It is so, Madam Speaker, that art and culture must be able to stand strong and independent in relation to meddlesome politicians and short-term commercial conditions.

We want to see a breadth and a diversity, and that even the niche can find its place. Therefore, the defense of strong public funding is also a protection for artistic diversity, breadth, and artistic freedom in practice.

Miljöpartiet wants to see that a mandate is given to an appropriate authority in the cultural field to be responsible for knowledge dissemination and advice within the area of artistic freedom and arm's length distance. Granting authorities could, naturally, in dialogue with one another, strengthen knowledge development. But it is also about municipalities and regions, which often lack knowledge in the rather difficult and complex issues that it actually concerns.

Madam Speaker! For real artistic freedom, reasonable conditions are required for those who create art and culture. We have several hyper-important investigations that have just landed or will soon land on the government's table.

The investigation into the income basis for sickness benefit was highly anticipated - it was something that was pushed for in the Restart Investigation. We in the red-green government commissioned it, and it will submit its proposals later this year.

We have investigations regarding the unemployment insurance fund and regarding the social insurance.

We know that all these investigations constitute pieces of the puzzle when it comes to an artist being able to have greater security in being able to take parental leave, being able to be ill, and being able to receive a sensible pension. Naturally, it is also about our desire that a wide range of people should dare to seek out the profession of artist. It should not only be those who have a financial safety net or security at home who should dare to throw themselves into the often uncertain world that it entails to be an artist, freelancer, or multi-hyphenate.

Naturally, even more measures are needed. The scholarship system should be reviewed and developed. The system of artist alliances is another way to enable secure working conditions for many. It is important that the MU agreement is followed up, and we need to continue to direct measures against threats and hate against artists. It is about measures here in Sweden but also about continuing to develop the asylum system that has enabled us to receive many persecuted artists and cultural creators from around the world. They have been able to contribute to a debate here in Sweden that broadens our perspectives and which I believe is also beneficial for artistic freedom at its core.

Madam Speaker! I naturally stand behind all of the Environment Party's reservations, but for the sake of time, I move for the approval of only my reservation 2.

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Amanda Lind, for your speech!

The discussion on artistic freedom has been heated lately, just as Amanda Lind says. It is a discussion that I think is good. It puts the discussion of artistic freedom on the agenda in a way that I think is sound for a democracy to be able to discuss.

There are some problematic conditions when it comes to the principle of arm's-length distance. It is not because the principle per se, as it was established in the 50s, is in any way ambiguous.

It is rather that it is about our right in Sweden to use our freedom of speech and to be allowed to express our opinions. This applies as citizens but not least as artists. It is a right that most of us cherish until death. It is very central, and it is very important.

In 1974, when the Social Democrats submitted the culture bill to the Swedish Riksdag, they chose to challenge commercial art. Commercial art is also free art in many ways. There, you are not dependent on anyone in the same way as when one receives funds for tax-financed art.

There we have the fundamental problem. When one paints it in a large picture, much larger than the debate that has occurred recently, one sees very clearly that we have an art that is not free.

There are clear directives, clear goals and frameworks from politics that govern much of the artistic content. It is problematic. That discussion is very interesting to take.

It is not only I who says it. Even when listening to experts who have deeply familiarized themselves with this, one hears that they mean it is clear that there are gray areas. It is an important issue to discuss.

As Amanda Lind also said, we have a history there where Miljöpartiet itself has been involved in driving a management of the arts. That is my answer to the question and the demand.

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Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! It was I who ordered the report *Så fri är konsten*. We have taken measures based on its recommendations. I must nevertheless ask Alexander Christiansson if the member has read the report.

It speaks of deficiencies and risks in the state governance. Something individual overstepping has occurred, which has since been corrected. It speaks of a cultural policy governance that is primarily reasonable. But ambiguities and uncertainties have crept into the governance from several governments since a long time ago.

It is about things that we have agreed upon here in the chamber. But it has contributed to ambiguities that have led to very negative results, unacceptable results. It should never be so - and I want to be clear here in the chamber - that any artist or cultural creator refrains from applying for support because they believe something is expected in the content from what the Sverigedemokraterna or Miljöpartiet think is positive. Of course it is. We have also taken measures after that.

But one uses the report to somehow legitimize the own governance one wants to carry out from the Sverigedemokraterna. One throws the principle of arm's length distance over the fence. One stands on TV and says that popular fairy tale moments do not belong in our libraries because it is harmful to children. It is remarkable. We deserve a better debate on the freedom of art than that.

In my speech, I tried to point out the breadth of measures that are required. There is no one here who is against commercially funded culture. On the contrary, Miljöpartiet believes that we should take initiatives in that area. But to say that it is only the commercial culture that is free is a remarkable opinion from Sverigedemokraterna.

I must ask the question back: Do the Sweden Democrats intend to proceed with the proposal from the Mykar Report to give a state institution a mandate to support municipalities and regions? It is often there that the overstepping occurs, not least by the Sweden Democrats.

Can Alexander Christiansson promise that the proposal will move forward and that he will help with the important grey zone discussions?

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam Speaker! In extension of what I said earlier, it is about the ideological direction that has been set, not least on cultural policy in Sweden. That is where the political governance has emerged.

It concerns in particular Amanda Lind's former colleague, the then Minister for Culture Alice Bah Kuhnke. She had a text in embroidery, I believe, behind her during some interview at her office. There it said: Of course we need a new cultural revolution.

Regardless of whether Amanda Lind will stand behind a cultural revolution - which I am very skeptical about, and I do not believe that Amanda Lind wants - it ultimately reflects the ideology that lies behind it. I find that to be problematic. I will then discuss that further in my speech. That is where many of the problems lie.

It matters regardless of whether we have politicians at the regional or municipal level who have opinions on tax-funded art, which is also a discussion that is worth having. If one has governed for a very long time, one has been able to appoint different positions and places in different delegations that are to do different things.

Art should be allowed to provoke. That is not a problem. But when art always provokes in one direction, one can begin to discuss: What is it that lies behind it, really? What is it that makes us have a structure that is a problem within arts policy?

I find that reasoning very difficult to accept. It is strange that Amanda Lind and other politicians from the left side cannot see it. I think it is strange. I object to the description that just because one stands for a different ideological direction, one is authoritarian or has a certain agenda.

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Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! It is once again evident that the Sweden Democrats have not understood what the principle of arm's length distance is. It should not matter what ideological orientation I have, which themes I think are important, and what type of art that I, or for that matter the Green Party, think is important. There must be a freedom, and there must be an arm's length distance, to provoke against what I stand for. It must not seep into the content.

Here, the Sweden Democrats mean somewhere that one has an image of how something has been. It is supposed to legitimize their own policy. It is perfectly okay that the Sweden Democrats want to ban popular fairy tale moments, criticize a public artwork in the square, or in different ways assert that the principle of arm's length distance should no longer apply. We should have an opinion on everything that is tax-funded.

It is a major change in Swedish cultural policy. There you stand alone here in the Swedish Riksdag.

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Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! I move for the rejection of all motions.

I want to highlight the cultural canon and how we Christian Democrats view it. Furthermore, I shall say something about the arm's length distance.

The cultural canon is included in the Tidö Agreement, so it will be realized. A mandate shall be given to appoint independent expert committees with the aim of developing proposals for a Swedish cultural canon within separate cultural forms. The appointment of members to the expert committees shall be based on artistic competence within the respective area.

In addition to valuable and significant literary and cultural works that can awaken renewed interest in literature, it is about other cultural expressions, such as film, music and performing arts.

Madam Speaker! We in the Christian Democrats have long asserted that a cultural canon can be an inclusive tool for education and that a cultural canon can also increase the sense of community among children and young people. The problem today is not that children and adults participate in cultural activities too often, but too little.

A cultural canon can make us talk more about culture. Too little is said about culture, not too much. Hopefully, the development of a cultural canon will lead to a discussion. So come on, the opposition: Join in instead of being so negative!

It will be a challenge for everyone, not least for teachers, to have a cultural canon to start from. And what is life without challenges? I have worked as a teacher for many years and know that I have a considerable amount of power when it comes to producing suitable material for my students - such as material that sparks interest. If we can get a cultural canon into the curriculum, it will become an important inclusive tool for education.

Madam Speaker! I shall say something about arm's length distance, which has become a hot potato lately. In the Tidö Agreement it states clearly: "Cultural policy shall safeguard the independence of cultural life." It also states that "the principle of arm's length distance shall be upheld." I could actually end here. Politicians should not go in and tinker with schedules or program content, but rather create the conditions.

Then anyone can have opinions about anything - and people do. Parents can, for example, react to cultural expressions that one perceives as questionable for their children. They have the right to do that, and I am convinced that it is also done. Parents could be even more vigilant when it comes to the reaction to what happens both in cultural life and elsewhere.

But has art and culture been so free before? Reports have been mentioned in the debate. There is one from MUCF, that is, the Agency for Youth and Civil Society. There is also a report from the Agency for Cultural Analysis called How Free is Art. It appears there that art has not been as free as we may have thought. I take the liberty of using the report in the debate here. Applications to receive public grants have often been steered through application documents where it is required that one meets certain criteria to receive a grant. This is serious. A large number of cultural workers have refrained from applying for grants because there have been requirements for different criteria, for example that the applicant must paint femininistically.

Madam Speaker! We Christian Democrats safeguard artistic freedom and the independence of cultural life.

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Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! I took the bait on Roland Utbult's appeal: Come on, the opposition! That was how he expressed himself, so I took the bait and want to have a discussion about a cultural canon.

I do not agree with the hopes that Roland Utbult and the Kristdemokraterna have for the project with the cultural canon. I do not believe that it will produce the effects you hope for. I believe rather that it takes focus away from other, important, discussions we should have about culture, about culture's role in society and about how children should get access to culture. I do not believe in the leveling effects that is hoped for.

We know that the Ministry of Culture has it quite tough and does not have much room. They have many large issues to be handled during this mandate period, for example the Opera, which we heard about here earlier. It is also about the artists' conditions and social insurance issues. These are big issues.

I am concerned that the cannon fire will take up both media space, which will cause other cultural issues to fall outside, and strength from the department.

It would be one thing if it were only about fun lists that we could tip each other off about and say: Here are tips on good films, and here is good literature that one can read! But the next step, as Roland Utbult expresses here, is that one is to go into the schools and that one is to make lists for the teachers. It is there that I think it begins to become a bit more problematic and not just a waste of time.

It is already stated in the curricula that one should take part in the history of literature and that one should read about different important literary works. This already exists, and it is done in schools today. But here, they want to go in and steer more concretely what should be read, and I do not believe that it will turn out well for the students and the teachers in the school.

I would instead like to ask: When will we get an initiative on school cinema so that children can go and watch films? When will we get a change in the Education Act so that all children get staffed school libraries and can access literature?

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Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Vasiliki Tsouplaki, for the question! Let me say this: There is certainly room even to discuss the cultural canon. It would be poor if we could not include that as well.

But there is a serious aspect that I would like to take up, and that is the class issue. The Left Party should be quite aware of this. What is it that could make Vasiliki Tsouplaki not want to give the keys to all those children who do not have Selma Lagerlöf at home, who do not read literature and who do not watch sensible films, or how one should put it? Why do you not want to give the keys to them? Are they to be kept out?

We live in a world of culture, but there are so many who do not. My question is: Why do you not want to give them the keys to this wonderful world that we others are in?

I truly believe in getting a cultural canon into the curriculum so that it is taken seriously. One teacher viewed this positively and said: It would be good to have something to start from when, for example, discussing literature in Swedish.

Let us assume that we have room for a cultural canon. But I think it would be interesting to know how you view the class issue.

When it comes to school cinemas and staffed school libraries, I have no answer to that question at this time.

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Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Roland Utbult, for the answer! That is what I am worried about: that the focus is on symbolic issues instead of actually investing in implementing concrete changes that would give all children opportunities.

As Roland Utbult points out, the class perspective is very important for us in Vänsterpartiet. We see that children who come from homes where there is no reading habit and no books at home are dependent on being able to take part in literature and receive guidance in school, for example through the teaching of Swedish but also by meeting qualified school librarians.

That is the catch here. I think that the focus is on the wrong things. If you want children to engage with literature, it is not about lists that an expert committee should draw up. It is about better conditions for the teachers and about better school libraries. Above all, it is about a change that ensures we have staffed school libraries. Today, very few of the country's students have access to literature in their school. It is remarkable.

Many schools also have difficulty purchasing books because they do not have room for it in their budget. That is how reality looks. There is no great demand for literature lists from any expert committee.

There is knowledge already today. The Swedish teachers have extensive education. They have read literary history, and there are also requirements in the curricula that it should be addressed in their teaching. There are anthologies with a selection of our important historical literary works. They are collected there, and the children get to take part in them.

I believe the shoe is pinching somewhere else. I think, for example, that we should have a national cultural guarantee and a cultural boost for the school where we guarantee all children culture in their everyday life in school. That way we can meet all children, and then it doesn't matter if one has parents who have a thick wallet and cultural habits that make them take the children to theaters and museums. It is the school that should have the important role.

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Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! I wonder what the member Vasiliki Tsouplaki means by that the shoe pinches somewhere else. I do not recognize that at all. A literary canon exists in Denmark and in other places. We do not have any strange thoughts about this, rather it is a question of education. We want education to increase.

The committee chair says that there is no demand. Excuse me, but what does Vasiliki Tsouplaki know about this demand? Now the cultural canon is not in place, and it could be that this becomes absolutely excellent. That is also what we believe.

One does not have to exclude the other. I hear that the member has a number of good suggestions that are also important, but that does not exclude the possibility that cultural canon can become something very exciting for education and for community. Community is important for us Christian Democrats, and we believe that this can also contribute to that.

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Catarina Deremar (C)

Madam Speaker! Just like the previous speaker, I got a bit worked up when Roland Utbult challenged us in the opposition.

The cultural canon has come onto the agenda – but very little and in the margins, we must still say. We know very little. Now we received some answers in your statement: It is about literature, it is about film and it is about music. If I missed any point, you may correct me. But the rest? How do we know that it will stop here? How has it gone in other countries, for example Denmark, which you mentioned? Is industrial design included? Should I be familiar with architectural works? Where will it end?

It may be that it is the journey that is worth the effort, that we discuss what this would mean and what it would do, rather than the list itself. When it comes to literature, it is more important to me that children read than what they read. And what is it that says that a list from an expert group is right and correct? I believe that teachers and librarians are good at determining in what way I can develop my reading, and that must be the important thing.

How have you reasoned when you arrived at these three areas? And what is it going to mean in the big picture?

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Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Catarina Deremar for the question.

It doesn't really stop there. I can add that it concerns performing arts and architecture. There are, in any case, thoughts that it should be able to be included.

According to the member, there is nothing that says experts could not provide something good here. What is it that says they could not actually produce the best we have? Take literature, for example. We politicians should not interfere and start talking about what should be included. But experts, truly knowledgeable people in literature, should be able to be involved and say that it is good if children read this.

As the member says, it is very important that children read more, absolutely. I agree with that, and I see the cultural canon as an excellent opportunity for teachers to start from. As I have said, I have been a teacher for quite many years and know that we have a certain power when it comes to producing materials, so for me, the cultural canon is something to start from.

I have drafted the underlying material that exists. My hope, as I have said, is that the opposition will participate in this. You do not need to be so negative. You think so much and try to find small negative things, but participate instead! There is room for this as well in the large debate.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Catarina Deremar (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Roland Utbult!

The members of the committee must not misunderstand me in any way. I absolutely do not want politicians to be involved in developing these lists. That it should be an expert group is perhaps the only thing I can consider positive in what I have been made clear about. I do, however, think that both librarians and teachers are being excluded from the steps students can take to enter this world. Consequently, I believe the risk is great that they will become bestseller lists: These are the books that should be at home on the bookshelf. Do we know if the Danes read more because they have a cultural canon? I am not sure about that, but perhaps there are more books at home on the bookshelf that are of the "right" character.

I do not believe in a cultural canon. I am amazed that people want to spend money on producing these lists. I also wonder what the budget is for this. And how static is a cultural canon? It must be constantly replenished. Cultural canon is what we usually use, what we use and what we watch. How does Member Utbult see this? When should it start? Does it run out? How is this going to work?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is wonderful that we in the Cultural Committee can discuss such very important issues, and I am very grateful for both exchanges of remarks.

It may not be entirely correct to the decimal, but one is now betting 40 million on producing this – in a startup, I should say. One might think it is a lot of money or that it is not that much money; it depends on how one views the value of the cultural canon.

There will naturally be updates. It is to be an ongoing work.

The cultural canon has not exactly been the hottest issue. It is hot, but for the government perhaps it is not exactly the hottest right now, as I have perceived it. It may lie a bit further ahead. I have no timetable, but when it does come, I believe it will mean a lot.

There is an expression in a motion that I have reacted to. I am a bit unsure if the Center Party is on board with it, but it is expressed as that this addresses "non-existent problems." One does not see the value of those who do not have the literature with them getting a share of it. One simply does not give the keys to the many who do not get to take part in the culture. "Non-existent problems" I think is a troublesome expression. There are absolutely problems, and I believe that the cultural canon can be part of the solution.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Madam Speaker! I recently read an article by the Norwegian war correspondent Per Kristian Aale. He describes a statue of a Ukrainian poet standing in the center of Moscow where Russians stop every day to lay flowers while the police try to stop them. The Russians constantly come up with new ways to show their solidarity with Ukrainians and their opposition to the war. But all criticism of the war is seen as treason with long prison sentences as a consequence, so one has to be creative.

The fish has become a symbol. It comes from a woman in Siberia who stood trial for having written "No to k..g" on a building. During the trial, she said that the word was not vojna, which means war, but vobla, which is a type of fish. I hate fish; I can't stand the smell of it, she said. She was acquitted. This spread like wildfire on social media, and now one sees fish with a red cross over them all over Russia, as a symbol for "No to war".

Even Leo Tolstoy's famous novel War and Peace is used as a quiet protest. The front cover of the book is displayed with the new title Special Operation and Peace. These creative protests give me hope, despite everything.

At the same time, we must not be naive. What is happening in our neighboring country can be and is on its way to happening here in Sweden. Let us collectively ensure that our population does not have to resort to symbols and house walls to express their opinions or protests.

Art is not what you see but what you make others see, said Edgar Degas.

Madam Speaker! Those who hold political power should not be able to use public funds to influence people's worldview and form political opinion. Let us safeguard free artistic expression, that is, respect the principle of arm's length distance within all culture, whether tax-funded or not.

Alexander Christiansson from Sverigedemokraterna says that the principle must be redefined. It became even clearer in the exchange earlier with Amanda. On one hand, it must be protected, but on the other hand, politicians should be allowed to stop what is inappropriate. Sverigedemokraterna's party leader Jimmie Åkesson is equally clear when he says: "Politicians should be allowed to have more control over tax-funded culture."

According to the report, we know how it turned out in Sölvesborg; from the union for culture, communication and the creative sector, DIK, 70 percent of the members believe that public trust in openness and democracy is decreasing. In the report, a contemporary era is described with grasping politicians, contempt for knowledge, a highly polarizing public, as well as concern over not being able to perform their work based on professional ethical principles.

Measures must be taken to strengthen the working situation of public servants, especially when they are affected by politicians' shifting boundaries. Politicians and authorities must support and promote the culture in various ways but at the same time respect the culture's independence and autonomy.

Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand from Moderaterna has several times stood her ground and clarified that what is stated in the Tidö Agreement applies, that the principle is not threatened and that artistic freedom prevails.

Madam Speaker! Honestly and sincerely, I trust the Minister for Culture's ambition that the principle of arm's length distance shall apply, but I do not trust the higher hierarchies.

The Authority for Cultural Analysis proposed in the report *Så fri är konsten* a number of measures that the Social Democratic-led government implemented. But there are further proposals on what needs to be done to facilitate the work at both regional and municipal levels. It concerns educational initiatives, the authorities' possibilities to assist regions and municipalities in the work, how state support via the cultural cooperation model can promote the principle of arm's length distance, as well as a strengthened policy for the role of independent civil servants.

The conditions for cultural creators shall also be strengthened. We shall ensure that the social security system is secured for everyone, including artists.

The alliance idea, which was created to increase social and economic security, was appreciated. Today, we have alliances within theater, dance, and music that secure the working conditions for many. We wish to broaden this to more cultural areas. Cultural workers shall receive reasonable compensation for their work and the opportunity to make a living from their art. That is not the case everywhere today. The current levels of compensation and support mean that free cultural life is negatively affected.

Culture is an important part of society and affects people's lives and well-being in many ways. The government must ensure that this work continues so that culture can continue to flourish on its own terms. It is as they say back home in Exhärad: Te mål e tavvel ä ett arbet. Men te få hänn såld ä e könst.

Madam Speaker! I stand behind all of our reservations and special statements, but to save time, I move for approval only of reservation 18 regarding artists' conditions.

Håkan Hellström, Monica Zetterlund, Benjamin Ingrosso, Molly Sandén, Ultima Thule and Rufus Wainwright during the Nobel Party are a selection of famous artists who have sung Värmlandsvisan. We must not forget the most acclaimed version with the opera and court singer Jussi Björling. The question is: Why just Ack Värmeland, you beauty? You do not need to worry; I shall spare you my singing.

Now that we are on the subject of opera, I want to tell you about an unforgettable day for me at the Royal Opera a few weeks ago. One of the highlights was the visit to the rehearsal of the ballet Manon, in which a marginalized person's morals are put to the test. It was brilliantly conducted by the ballet director Nicolas le Riche, who has been the head of one of the world's oldest ballet companies.

After lunch, I was able to attend the rehearsal of Hört ä smörgåsa or Var är smörgåsen, a new production by Unga på Operan. There, Ellen Lamm demonstrated how important it is to let children and young people engage in culture while simultaneously attracting new, young people to the Opera, as they constitute an important part of the audience and future practitioners.

At the costume atelier, I met, among others, Monica Svartvik, who told about the fun, challenging and innovative work tasks at the ladies' tailoring where they manufacture and adapt suits, dresses and not least shoe covers.

During the first act of tonight's performance, I sat in the production booth together with Mauro Tarantino. He coordinates the entire performance, ensures that the show runs smoothly, and creates a safe and secure working environment.

Madam Speaker! The feeling of sitting in the cockpit was striking, but the big difference was the proximity to all the world-class soloists.

During the second act, I got to sit at the very back with Emma to set the lights and create different atmospheres on the stage.

During the third and final act, the day concluded in the best possible way, in the orchestra pit together with the Royal Court Orchestra, the conductor Fredrik Söhngen and some people from Värmland, of course. To sit under the stage and hear the notes of Puccini's E lucevan le stelle in Tosca was magical.

I will never forget the pride that permeated this day and the professionalism, creativity, and commitment in the execution of everyone's work to achieve the very highest result.

I did not hear a single complaint about the operational needs, which we all know and which Kristina also clarified here. It is about sloping floors on the main stage, the work environment, leaks from the roof, substandard toilets, ventilation needs, cramped premises and rehearsal spaces. I could read out anything.

Madam Speaker! The Royal Opera is one of our greatest shop windows to the world, but we politicians want to throw a tarpaulin over it for seven to ten years. How then is our profession—a politician's profession—reflected? We cannot even sit down at the same table to achieve the best results in a creative way. There should be a broad cross-bloc consensus in such a prominent and important issue as the Opera's future. Instead, it feels as if we are rowing into the future but with our eyes turned backward during the great jubilee year 2023.

Madam Speaker! Nessun dorma - no one shall sleep.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Lars Mejern Larsson, for a creative speech with a bit of singing! We have understood since earlier that this can happen in the cultural committee, and it is indeed pleasant.

Just to make this very clear and distinct: When it comes to cultural freedom, the Sweden Democrats' committee motions are clear. We want the cultural policy goals and the political steering within the framework of the culture grants to be blurred out. We do not want any political steering of culture in Sweden. It is that simple. There are no proposals in our committee motions or in the policy we drive regarding how we should steer the arts. It is that simple.

The problem, and what we have challenged the Social Democrats and the Green Party about because their policies have shaped Swedish cultural policy for many, many years, is precisely the political steering, the goals and the criteria that those parties have introduced into the policy. This is also stated very clearly in the report that has been referred to. That is the starting point.

The Sweden Democrats have no proposals that want to control any art. There is one proposal within film policy where we have said that we want to allocate certain grants to cultural history when it comes to film production, but it does not mean that one must live up to any cultural-historical perspectives or criteria to receive the grants, but just that we allocate a part of the budget – a small amount shall go to that. That is the only thing. There are no other proposals. It is therefore not true that the Sweden Democrats want to control art.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Madam Speaker! I know that we have different views on this, but the Sweden Democrats are actually a very large part of the government base. If your representatives say, as Björn Söder does, that culture grants should not go to what is inappropriate, I can only interpret that in one way. Who decides what is appropriate?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam Speaker! There we are again. The principle of arm's length distance was fundamentally, as it was applied in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and when it became a principle in Sweden, intended to protect cultural creators against authoritarian ideologies that want to steer art for their own purposes. That we are in complete agreement on.

The problem is that in the culture bill that the Social Democrats pushed through the Riksdag in 1974, they explicitly wanted to challenge commercial art and hijack tax-funded art. Then they appointed various agencies, delegations, and officials who pursued a certain form of politics. Thus, they positioned themselves and embraced the politics, held out an arm and said that it is an arm's length distance that applies. It is a problem that we often see within social democracy, and it is because Sweden is a country that is very much characterized by the social democratic ideology. It is a problem. Therefore, we will challenge it. It is that simple.

I am grateful to comment on what Björn Söder has said. It is something that he must take responsibility for. What I am talking about is an ideology that underlies this, and I am happy to elaborate on it in the debate and the conversations that can be had in an open, democratic environment – or should be able to be had, at least.

Unfortunately, it is difficult in Sweden to have certain forms of debate precisely because they are so stigmatizing. One is called all sorts of things as soon as one raises certain issues. But as I said in the previous exchange of remarks, I think the debate is healthy and clear. I think we should be able to have this type of debate in a democracy without it needing to mean that everything that happens is incredibly dangerous.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Madam Speaker! I definitely think we should have a debate, but I am afraid of the development when politicians control the cultural content. It will soon lead to critical voices against sitting regimes being silenced and our freedom being restricted.

We have seen it before. Bertolt Brecht, the playwright who wrote The Threepenny Opera, the Chilean singer and poet Víctor Jara, the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis – none of them were allowed to practice their culture because those who held political power were dissatisfied with the content. And now we see the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, whose members are known feminists and cultural workers, who have for a long time openly protested against Putin and defended freedom of speech through their music.

I thought I would surely get the question, so I wanted to listen to and ask it to AI: What does "arm's length" actually mean when it comes to artistic freedom? I received the answer that the principle of arm's length, in summary, means that artistic freedom and artistic independence are important for a living democracy and that artists and cultural institutions need protection from political steering and censorship in order to be able to continue exploring and expressing their new ideas and perspectives.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam Speaker! I would first like to move for approval of reservation 23 in the report.

Today we are debating the Culture Committee's report Culture for All. It is very broad and extensive. It highlights the breadth of issues that we members of the Culture Committee handle in various forms. These include, among other things, brass music, literature and reading, the culture of national minorities, and the independence of culture, which have naturally become part of this debate so far.

Culture binds the people together. It can also divide the people - we see this, not least now during the war in Ukraine, where Russia deliberately targets the culture in Ukraine precisely because it has such an incredible power. It is a power that is good and healthy when used in the right way.

We have a rich cultural life in this country. We have an extremely large number of fantastic cultural creators within various art forms and a cultural life that we must safeguard and cherish. We have left marks all around the world - not least our artistic talents within film and music. It is fantastic and something that we all feel great pride in.

It is also important to preserve and safeguard a rich cultural life throughout the country. It is central to the politics we pursue, not only because it is important that as many as possible should be able to take part in culture. That one takes part in culture also ultimately means that an interest is created to oneself become a culture creator.

That is also why it is good and important that we allocate funds to the cooperation model in order to strengthen culture across the country, not least in rural municipalities. It is also good that the cultural cooperation model is being investigated at this moment to make it more efficient and better, so that the tax money is not stopped by various bureaucratic hurdles. The money should reach out to where it does good, out in the country.

It is also important that the art is accurate, and that what the municipalities are offered is what they request. My hope is that the new investigation will address the municipalities' involvement in the cultural cooperation model. We, the Sweden Democrats, believe this is important.

For national minorities, the right to culture, language, and identity is fundamental in a democracy. Regardless of whether the individual identifies with only the national minority's culture, the majority population's culture, or both cultures, the right to them is fundamental. We believe that it is important to safeguard the individual's freedom to choose their own affiliation. In this regard, we believe that the possibilities to further make cultural heritage belonging to the national minorities accessible should be investigated.

Madam Speaker! We live in a changing world where digital and technological development is moving fast. We heard, for example, a draft from AI being read in the speaker's chair just now. It is the first time I have heard it, and it was interesting. AI is something that is being discussed continuously now. People are talking all the time about how AI will affect us as a nation in different ways within the various political areas. Many advantages and many opportunities come with AI.

But there are also some challenges and problems with the development, not least for something we have touched upon earlier during the debate: young people's reading. I saw some investigation that showed that young people today read an average of one A4 page per day. That is very little, and that includes reading in school. This is a concern. How we are to deal with it is, of course, something that is discussed continuously. There is great competition today from screens and phones. As a father of four sons, I know what that means. It is difficult to compete with that. That discussion must continue all the time.

As part of this, we have discussed with the government and reached a conclusion that we shall work together with a cultural canon. A cultural canon alone absolutely does not solve the problem, but it is part of the school's role when it comes to the Swedish cultural heritage and Swedish literature. It touches upon a significantly broader area but is an important part that, with the right tools, will put reading on the agenda. We believe that it is important.

Madam Speaker! The independence of the arts was just up for discussion in an exchange of remarks. As I mentioned then, the big picture is that we live with a problematic legacy from a policy that was pursued for a very long time when the Social Democrats in various constellations governed Sweden and left their ideological imprint on many of the things we have in our country, not least the cultural policy. I say it again: in the cultural bill from 1974, one is very clear about wanting to see a stronger tax-financed art. I think it is problematic, because I am fundamentally a market liberal person. I have a completely different ideological starting point.

I was myself raised in a family of cultural creators and have seen how my parents had to struggle with their creations. Because they did not have the right political color, they were rejected when they applied for cultural grants and other things. This is a problem that I often run into when I meet cultural creators. I have grown up with cultural creators from different sectors around me.

We need a freer art in Sweden. We must create foundations and conditions that make cultural creators freer. We can then look at our Nordic neighboring countries, for example Denmark. There, there are currently incentives for cultural creators. One can receive sponsorship or financial support from private individuals or companies. I think that is interesting and something that we should look closer at.

The situation of cultural creators as entrepreneurs also needs to be strengthened. Although there are many cultural creators today who are dependent on public support, there are actually also small business owners who are not. By taking political measures that enable more cultural creators to stand on their own feet and become self-sufficient in their art, we can free culture from political involvement. It is not only I and Sverigedemokraterna who say this. It is a number of experts who say that it is problematic when we have subsidies in the way we have in Sweden within art and culture. There will always be some politician who sets the framework, and that is problematic.

The Social Democrats have an ideology that consists of collecting large taxes and then distributing money in various ways. This speech is not actually about film policy, but I want to take a good example from our committee motion regarding film policy. We raise the question of replacing the film support that exists today with production discounts, which hit more broadly. Then it will no longer be: If you meet these criteria within film policy, you will receive support. Instead, it will be: Do you want to make a film? Good, then we offer discounts! Such a change liberates art and filmmaking in a very simple way.

There is an ongoing investigation regarding the SGI which we are currently waiting to receive. The conditions for small businesses are something I am passionate about as a former spokesperson for small business policy for the Sverigedemokraterna. Sole traders today have major problems with their SGI. It is very unbalanced how the SGI is calculated for sole traders. A large part of the cultural creators are precisely sole traders. We are waiting for the result of that investigation. The more we simplify and the safer and easier we make it for people to run small private businesses within the cultural sector and the creative industries, the freer art will become. I think that is important.

Madam Speaker! We will always need some subsidy of the arts - not least to preserve the cultural heritage, for it does not sustain itself. It is that simple. But if one creates modern art, challenges, and wants ideology in one's artistic creation, one will also have to tolerate that one's opinions are questioned. As a politician, I have thoughts regarding what my voters' tax money is used for. Among my voters are hard-working people who get up at six in the morning, run their small businesses or go to work and struggle and toil to pay money into our state treasury. They expect answers from me as a politician on where their funds go. It is nothing controversial, I mean.

(Applause)

In this speech, Runar Filper (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! There is truly a wide range of issues being handled in this report. From my party, Vänsterpartiet, alone, there are proposals concerning Sami languages, Sami culture, libraries, literary support, as well as culture and sports for persons with disabilities. I naturally stand behind all our proposals but move for approval only to reservation 5.

Madam Speaker! The oppression of national minorities and the policy of forced assimilation is a dark and in many ways still unprocessed part of Sweden's history that lives on and has consequences even in our time. People have been rendered invisible and mapped in discriminatory ways solely because they belonged to minorities. The goal was assimilation. The policy resulted in people having to deny their origins and stop speaking their language in order not to be excluded from the majority society.

Through international agreements, Sweden has committed itself to protecting and strengthening the rights of the Sámi, Tornevians, Swedish-Finns, Roma, and Jews to identity, language, cultural heritage, and religion. But much remains to be done. Vänsterpartiet has submitted a comprehensive motion to strengthen the rights of the national minorities. Today, I will focus on the parts concerning Sámi culture and the Sámi languages.

The situation for the Sami languages in Sweden is very serious. Despite efforts for revitalization, that is, the revival of the languages over the last decades, the five Sami languages North Sami, Lule Sami, Pite Sami, Ume Sami and South Sami are classified as endangered languages by the UN's organization for education, science and culture, that is Unesco. Centuries of assimilation policy have meant that many Sami have never or only insufficiently been able to learn their own language. This has effects on people's self-esteem, identity formation, sense of belonging and cultural understanding.

The Sametinget is today responsible for leading the Sami language work and has developed an action plan. The need for various language-supporting, strengthening, advisory, and information-enhancing measures is enormous both among the Sami and in society at large. Among other things, they want to start more language centers to cover all five Sami language variations, as the differences between North and South Sami are as large as those between Swedish and Icelandic.

To be able to make a difference in everyday life, proximity to preschool, child care center, school and other municipal and regional activities is important. One can organize language cafés, provide materials and support association initiatives much more easily if one is present in more places in Sápmi.

We in Vänsterpartiet want the Sametinget to be given a further strengthened position and that the work with the Sami languages should be given even more weight.

Sweden has special obligations as the Sámi are an indigenous people, and as part of increased self-determination for the Sámi people, a specific Sámi language act was needed. Therefore, we propose in the report that the government appoint an inquiry with the aim of, in close cooperation with the Sámi Parliament and the Sámi community, produce a proposal for a Sámi language act.

Madam Speaker! This is, therefore, a task to be carried out in a very large geographical area, not infrequently with collaborations across borders within Sápmi, and the resources are far from sufficient. The Sámi library, which is a resource for the entire country, has only one part-time position to do all this work. At least, that was the case when our motion was written in the autumn.

We in Vänsterpartiet therefore propose in our budget motion for 2023 an investment of an additional 30 million to give the Sametinget more resources to work with language issues. We see that that investment could also benefit the Sami library.

One effect of so few having received instruction in the Sami languages is that book publishing is quite meager. It is a big step to start writing books if one does not feel completely confident with a language. In Norway, for example, significantly more titles are published in Sami compared to the publishing in Sweden.

There is a risk of a negative spiral if today's children and young people do not get hold of interesting children's and youth books in their Sami language, so in addition to encouraging more people to write books in Sami, we need to make the literature that already exists available today.

An additional opportunity to increase the supply of books would be to deepen the cooperation regarding the lending of books between libraries in different countries. Even in this area, we propose an investigation so that it will be possible to borrow books in the various Sami languages from other Nordic countries.

The third proposal in our reservation that I want to highlight concerns a Sámi national stage, as creating a national stage for theater is also a way to strengthen Sámi culture.

Giron Sámi Teáhter - you will have to excuse me if the pronunciation was not correct - is based in Kiruna with its own stage, its own premises, and its own administration. In addition to being the Sami people's theater, it is also a knowledge bank for language and culture for the entire Sami area. A pilot and development project was underway during the previous parliamentary term, 2017-2020, with the mandate to investigate and clarify how Giron Sámi Teáhter can be developed into a Sami national stage. A preliminary study has, as we understand it, been submitted to the government. It was the Ministry of Culture but also the Sami Parliament that during the previous parliamentary term were given access to it. At that time, at least the M were positive towards the proposal.

Vänsterpartiet considers that a national stage for Sápmi should be established. We would like to hear what the government parties think, as today they say no to our motion on this. I unfortunately see no representative from the government parties here in the chamber right now, but I hope that we can return to the question in the future.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Catarina Deremar (C)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by moving for approval of reservation 1 under point 1 regarding the independent position of culture.

"Culture for all" is, with its only three words, a short but important heading. Rarely has such a short heading had such broad content as this. What do we put into this heading? For me, it is freedom, accessibility, and variety. But it is also all our headings in the report.

How do we secure cultural freedom? Many speakers before me have touched upon this. I will also devote a brief moment to this. For me and the Center Party, it is of the utmost importance that we secure artistic freedom and that we maintain an arm's length distance.

Here I would like to take the opportunity to thank Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand for her clear repetition of the importance of politics maintaining an arm's length distance from the content of culture. It is significant, and I will continue to listen with sharp ears to ensure that the message from the Ministry of Culture continues to be this.

Culture is a bridge builder from past to future, and the future cannot be stopped. There must be variation, and there must be options. Culture also creates encounters with and between other people and sometimes with ourselves. If met with an open mind and curiosity, culture develops both individuals and societies.

Madam Speaker! A decentralized cultural policy contributes to a cultural life that takes its starting point in regional wishes and conditions and in this way can develop more freely in relation to the state cultural policy.

There is reason to review the legal protection for a free culture. It could, for example, involve establishing foundations for certain cultural activities. In this way, culture can stand more free from political influence.

I think it is of great importance that culture is open to everyone. We shall do everything to lower the thresholds so that more people can take part in the culture that is offered, both as spectators and as practitioners.

Here we have a special responsibility for the children, Madam Speaker. Children must be given the opportunity early on to encounter culture and professional cultural creators in order to be inspired to explore further into the multifaceted world of culture. Here, the culture school and Skapande skola obviously have an immensely important role.

Culture must exist throughout the entire country and be accessible to everyone. New groups must be given access to culture. Different actors must seriously open up for and reach new groups. Cultural exclusion cannot be accepted. An accessible and present culture makes a society hold together and allows a region or a village to develop. The task of politics is to promote culture on all levels and remove obstacles to the greatest extent possible.

When it comes to our cultural creators, we must improve their conditions. As has been said, there are many points where we are actually in very much agreement. This too has been highlighted by several speakers today. Improving cultural creators' conditions is about securing their opportunities to continue their artistry. Here, the art alliances play a large and important role.

Measures are needed to provide better and more just conditions for cultural and creative industries as well as the free cultural life. There is a need to investigate parts of the cultural policy.

To facilitate cultural workers becoming entrepreneurs, training in entrepreneurship should be offered at the artistic colleges and the folk high schools.

Finally, Madam Speaker, everyone, regardless of place of residence, background, disability, or life situation, shall have the opportunity to participate in cultural life, which encompasses both professionally produced culture and the creations of amateurs. Culture strengthens self-confidence and ensures that more people take advantage of freedom of expression. This, in turn, strengthens participation and democracy in our society. A broad cultural life throughout the country makes it easier for everyone to take part in it. A large part of culture is carried by our languages, and the linguistic diversity in the country needs to be taken advantage of; among other things, the position of the national minority languages needs to be strengthened.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ewa Pihl Krabbe (S)

Madam Speaker! Initially, I support all of our motions, but for the sake of time, I move for approval of only reservation 9.

Reading is of great importance for all parts of life and is ultimately a question of participation in society, i.e., a democracy and rights issue. That our children should learn to read in school is a matter of course and a prerequisite for them to be able to acquire education in almost all subjects.

The Swedish Arts Council's investigation shows that approximately 20 percent of 15-year-olds in Sweden do not reach the basic level in reading comprehension. One can also see that of all those over 16, it is 34 percent who have not read any books at all in the last year. This naturally has repercussions on children's and young people's reading and learning. It is also noted that children and young people in socioeconomically weak areas are in need of strengthened interventions, as are children with multilingualism or disabilities.

Promoting reading is part of cultural policy, but what does it mean? Yes, it means removing barriers to reading and opening paths to literature, contributing to people being able to develop all their languages, as well as strengthening self-confidence and reading identity. It is also about the artistic experience.

Madam Speaker! I can state that the government is not presenting any proposals to promote literacy. An important proposal is the one that the investigation School Libraries for Education and Training came up with, namely to establish that all schools shall have access to trained school librarians and staffed libraries. As it stands now, it is very unequal in the country but also within the municipalities.

Let me give some examples of how one can stimulate the interest in reading and promote reading.

At Vegalyckan, an F-3 school in Lund, 15 different languages are spoken, and there is active work to ensure that every child succeeds with their reading learning. There, they have "book baths," as they call it, and have book exchange days. They actively seek contact with booksellers and book publishers, who are then kind and donate books. Recently, all children in the school received a bag with seven different new books – much appreciated, of course. Rädda Barnen and student volunteers help the children who have a need for extra language training and reading learning during their free time. They naturally also use play to stimulate reading.

I also recently visited Båstad municipality in Skåne, where the main library and the upper secondary school are housed in the same building but are located on different floors. There, they have established a fantasy room with appropriate literature – also a good example of how one can stimulate young people's interest in reading with literature that many young people enjoy.

The final example comes from the Swedish Academy. Recently, they published a book of poetry, which was distributed to all six-year-olds in the country. The book contains about sixty older and newer poems with illustrations created by some of our leading children's book illustrators. Along with each poem, there are also tips for adults on how to talk to the children about the poems. This was a good initiative to promote reading by the Academy, which wanted to encourage adults to read together with their children.

I have given some good examples of how one can promote reading. Now there is a proposal from the Tidö parties' side regarding the development of a cultural canon. In what way would a cultural canon, in this case therefore a literary canon, contribute to a reading-promoting environment?

During the question period this week, I asked the Minister for Culture how a cultural canon would promote children's and young people's reading, and I was told in response that it could be a tool. A literary canon can, I believe, in no way replace reading promotion initiatives. But once one reads well and has a great interest in reading, one can also tackle the slightly heavier works. Reading is, after all, a prerequisite for education.

We have spoken about the Danish attempt with the cultural canon here in the chamber before; it includes a literary canon. Denmark is, moreover, the only Nordic country that has established such a canon. The attempt has not been particularly successful. I want to emphasize that no formal evaluation of the cultural canon has been made in Denmark. There are, however, a number of different evaluations which show that the canon has had a small effect. Currently, no updates are being made at all of the cultural canon in Denmark.

With this, I want to say that an open debate about books and the value of books is always welcome. But I want to assert that we already have a fantastic literary canon in the form of the hundreds of thousands of book titles that already exist in all our libraries in the country.

There is still very little information about what the plans for a cultural canon look like, even though we have become a bit wiser today. I believe that one must first ensure that our children and youth receive help and stimulation to educate themselves, and those efforts must be made on different levels. But of immense importance is, as I have said before, that all schools receive resources in the form of school librarians and functioning school libraries.

Madam Speaker! A reading-friendly country requires a first-class infrastructure for reading. Libraries are the cornerstone of that structure. Libraries are so much more than just a source for free access to books and information retrieval. Libraries are also meeting places – this has all the librarians I have met in the last half-year testified to, and it cannot be emphasized enough. The meeting place is immensely important.

The strengthened library grant has been very successful during the years it has existed, but it will cease in its current form at the end of this year. Will the government continue to support and strengthen the libraries in order to develop the library system?

Culture for all

Over the last ten years, approximately ten libraries have disappeared every year, which is alarming. Initiatives have been made: the Library Act has been added, and a national library strategy has been discussed. But where is the vision for Swedish libraries that actually stands in parity with the many beautiful words about the importance of reading that I believe we all agree on? The death of libraries is a threat to the vision of a reading-friendly country.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 24 May.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)