Wednesday 16 July 2008

Bring on the artistic dead rats

Labour's arts, culture and heritage policy is to make the poorest taxpayers pay for the 'art,' 'culture' and 'heritage' favoured by the middle classes. It's a form of middle class welfare that pays off in establishing an establishment that feels duty bound (mostly) to blow timely air kisses towards their paymasters.

So that's Labour's policy -- to make people pay for TV programmes they don't watch, artists they don't rate, symphony orchestras they don't listen to, and operas they don't attend (Lord knows I love going to the opera and the NZSO, but that's no reason to make other people pay for it). Now National has released their own arts, culture and heritage policy for Election '08, and like every other National policy for '08 it can be summarised in just two words:

"ME TOO."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Classic from Chris Finlayson:

"National's approach is for intelligent intervention rather than constant interference."

Anonymous said...

In other words blue socialism rather than red, huh sus?

Anonymous said...

Right there in black & white! :)

Elijah Lineberry said...

I have said this before, but, I am in two minds about the Libz policy of not funding the arts...

I shudder and vomit at the thought of Concert FM being...ummmmmm...eeeekkkkk...funded by advertising ...having your Bach interrupted by some grubby advertising jingle from The Warehouse..gosh..eeekkkk...(the end of civilisation as we know it!)

I am tempted to suggest we make this an "exception which proves the rule" ..and continue the worthwhile situation of having stupid, ignorant, working class, poor people continuing to fund institutions entirely foreign to them...I mean..gosh...it only costs $35 million per year.

It is not as if there is any harm in it, is there?

Anonymous said...

Elijah

Just buy the CDs and play those instead. The sound quality is better, as is the selection.

LGM

Libertyscott said...

Elijah, pay for it through voluntary donations. In the US National Public Radio is 90% funded that way and through sponsorship (the federal government gives the other 10%). It surely can happen in NZ, especially if you and other friends of Concert FM value it enough.

Anonymous said...

One way to fund Concert FM would be via a decoder box like Sky TV or via cable, for a monthly fee. But as LGM says, the CDs are probably better quality!

Peter Cresswell said...

CDs. Just play CDs.

Or use internet radio. Plenty of choice there.

Or, as Scott and Richard suggest, there are plenty of other ways to pay for your own favourite things without them sucking off the taxpayer tit.

Another way is the 'subscriber radio' concept used by bFM, and used very well.