Book festival protests are ‘soft target’ – Patrick Harvie

Protests this year have seen hundreds of writers call on literary events to stop their funding links to Baillie Gifford.

Singer Charlotte Church and comedian Nish Kumar pulled out of appearing at the Hay festival in Wales, another event that later dropped involvement with the firm.

However a number of other writers criticised the Edinburgh festival’s decision, with nearly 70 authors signing an open letter calling the campaign against Baillie Gifford “deeply retrograde” and a “Pyrrhic victory”.

Mr Harvie added that he hoped there would be more investment companies with “ethical criteria” and that he would like to see increased government involvement in subsidising cultural events.

A proposed Green policy is for stadium gigs – such as Taylor Swift at Murrayfield or upcoming concerts by American singer P!nk at Hampden Park – to have a £1 levy per ticket.

That would then be reinvested into smaller, grassroots venues, a stance supported by campaigning charity the Music Venues Trust.