The booing during her opening speech at the Gothenburg Film Festival (24/1) was, in the eyes of the Minister of Culture, a natural part of a democracy.
I talked politics and told about the government's and my film policy. And then it was received in different ways, I think it's completely natural, she says.
After that, the film inquiry's proposals have instead been met with cheers (4/3). But Liljestrand doesn't want to say anything about what can actually become a reality. She hasn't even discussed the proposal for reduced bio-moms with the Ministry of Finance.
That's not how we work. It's not until we get a report that we have something to take a stand on, now we have it, she says.
"Dismantling"
The alarms about the shrinking cultural resources are coming thick and fast – some talk about a dismantling of what binds people together. The Cultural Council wants to see 30 million more next year – then 60 million kronor more – for regional culture and an additional 30 million per year for the free performing arts: "Cultural life is in a difficult economic situation", writes the authority.
The Minister of Culture wants to increase private cultural financing but has also repeated that the public sector shouldn't back down.
At the same time, the public sector has already done so when it comes to, for example, grants to regional culture and performing arts institutions that have been cut and don't even get adjustments for increased costs and inflation.
Parisa Liljestrand responds with classic Moderate Party politics:
Our main focus in economic policy has been to turn around inflation and ensure that people get to keep more when they receive both wages and grants, regardless of whether you're a private person or an institution.
In Gothenburg, she said that it's not "the task of politics to demand more and more tax money from citizens".
I don't think that the best way is always to increase grants to everything. Instead of talking about the money that doesn't exist, I think it would be very good if we could start talking about all the money that actually exists in the systems, are we using it in the best way?
"Defense"
Despite this year's increase of 232 million, the cultural budget's share of the state budget is now down to 0.65 percent, which is lower than in over 20 years, according to Magasin K. Other areas have increased more. Isn't it possible to prioritize culture more?
That may be. But I think that there are many people in Sweden today who see the society we live in, who understand the need for security-creating measures, the need for a strong police, the need for a strong judiciary – and not least a strong defense.
...whether investments in defense are more important than investments in culture?
It's not possible to pit values against each other in that way, there are values in society that are extremely important to defend, regardless of whether they are soft values or hard, they balance a democracy together. Without culture, there is no identity, and what do we then have to defend?
With that said, it must be the task of politics to consider how our common resources – the tax money we take in from hardworking citizens in Sweden – are used in the wisest way. It can be different from year to year.
...the dismantling of grassroots culture, such as the closure of music houses and rehearsal rooms due to cut grants to study associations:
It's clear that it's a loss, but one must also see the strong civil society that exists, where there are also opportunities to build in other ways, says Liljestrand.
Here, there are also other things that the government does, for example, the development grant to cultural schools.
...her role:
I'm not a Social Democratic minister with a smaller wallet. I'm a Moderate Culture Minister who will prioritize and stand for those priorities.
