Buddy can you spare a dime?
In a more colloquial context, this would, of course, be: "have you got any spare change, mate?"
Yes, it's that time of year, when the more 'cultured' of our number start the rounds of begging to be bailed out again.
I had been wondering for some time just how long it would take before the Wales Millenium Centre came looking for more public handouts. I didn't have to wait that long, did I?
I find that it is quite incongruous that we have a situation of schools being closed, elderly people being unable to find suitable accomodation for their old age, hospitals creaking along, massive Council Tax increases, inadequate transport infrastructure and yet there seems to be a general feeling that the Assembly and its occupants appear to be so remote from 'real life'.
The current situation of the WMC being £13.5 million in debt and demanding an extra £4 million a year in extra subsidy is a sad indictment on Wales as a whole. Of course, our esteemed Culture Minister will sternly 'wag his finger' at the WMC, but will, nevertheless, bail them out in the name of 'culture' and the 'arts'.
Of course, the usual suspects are trotting out the same old guff about the 'iconic' staus of the WMC, when in reality the only 'iconic' status is that of another 'white elephant'. Then of course we have that old chestnut of the 'culture' issue, which they would seek to support at any cost.
This 'culture ' has little support from the general public as it appears that many of these 'cultural' events are out of reach of many and are unwanted by even more.
The Welsh National Opera, for instance, seems to have taken over much of the facility of the WMC and continues to be an unnecessary drain on the public purse, yet is supported by few.
Just how much more of this waste of public money must Wales endure in order to satisfy the elitist cravings of many of its patrons.
It appears to me that this so-called 'culture' is going to be a significant drain on our resources for some time to come.
A quick look around the WMC website shows that it clearly encourages this elitism by offering all sorts of 'extras' that are clearly designed to attract just a certain 'type' of patron.
Just what is it about 'Arts Centres', that our politicians seem to believe that they are a panacea for all ills. Huw Lewis' blog seeks to suggest that in Merthyr, for instance, the first step towards the regeneration of the town is yet another subsidised Arts Centre. In fact he states:
"If you know of a multi-million pound Arts Centre that has been built without creating new jobs and without attracting more visitors and boosting the local economy, then please post me a link"
Here you are Huw, try this one. http://www.wmc.org.uk/ It's currently boosting the local and national economy by minus £13.5 million plus minus £4 million per annum for the foreseeable future.
Your plebeian yet proletarian pal.
johnny.
Labels: WMC public subsidy elitism
posted by johnny foreigner @ 22:19
12 Comments
12 Comments:
merthyr closed down an excellent community led and used arts centre -the reason its up keep ,which was actually not very much as it was almost self sustaining. It wasnt in a posh building or in a huge building - it suited its purpose, was not threatening to ordinary people, costs to use it were low etc
Big message for any politician - if they listen ......... Buildings do not lead regeneration ......... its people, Try investing in them
Now come on Mam.
It's obvious to Huw Lewis that the previously well used Arts Centre didn't quite fit in with his vision of the future of Merthyr.
The good people of Merthyr are obviously crying out for a 'proper' Arts Centre. You know, just like the one in Cardiff where the debts are mounting and the proletariat are effectively discouraged from involvement by virtue of cost.
The previous "community led" centre probably closed because of that very fact. You know that this 'nanny state' just can't tolerate people thinking for themselves.
Your placable pal.
johnny.
You've got a real bee in your bonnet about this one. There's a community-led arts centre in Merthyr Tydfil that's been given a hefty grant from the Assembly only recently - it was announced by Alun Pugh back when the other Arts Centre, which you hate the idea of so much, was also given the ok.
People in Merthyr get more investment in them - per head - than any other local authority in Wales. Its just wrong to say the fabric of a town - ie its buildings, don't matter to regeneration schemes. Its not just wrong, its counterintuitive.
Politicians should listen, but only to good advice.
anon ok where is that - cos I live there and I have no idea what you are talking about.
The people in Merthyr get listened to yeh and the Pope is agnostic
Health Changes - No
Arts center -No
open cast -No
tesco taking over -No
Its just wrong to say the fabric of a town - ie its buildings, don't matter to regeneration schemes. Its not just wrong, its counterintuitive.
Buildings dont regenerate anything.
people and giving them jobs and hope is the main factor anon.Old defunked buildings -what good are they. Look how much has been wasted on Dowlais blast engine house.That money shared into purpose built would have provided four times the provsion for less money.
Are you a Labour supporter perchance
This is just one of the bees in my bonnet.
Valleys Mam states that the "community led" arts centre has been closed due to lack of upkeep. Presumably this is despite the grant that you say has come from the Assembly.
Surely another 'arts centre' on the lines of the white elephant in Cardiff Bay would be quite low on the list of priorities for the people of Merthyr.
As the closed down centre was apparently well used by the community, surely the community should have been consulted.
As you say, "politicians should listen, but only to good advice".
Where should that advice come from? Unfortunately, in my experience, politicians seldom listem to their constituents and merely make pronouncements from on high . They seem to think that the public purse is bottomless and that 'arts centres' are a primary need in terms of regeneration of an area.
Surely Merthyr needs many more important schemes than an arts centre.
You state that:
"People in Merthyr get more investment in them - per head - than any other local authority in Wales."
I wonder why? Could this be because their need is greater than elsewhere? Could it be that the area has suffered from a lack of funding over a number of years?
Could it even be that Merthyr suffers from poor quality of representatives who fail to listen to their constituents.
Your puzzled pal.
johnny.
Merthyr could do with some good representatives you are right Johnny.
Labour Council - waste of space
Labour AM - not resident most of the time and rarely available.
Labour MP - plays soldiers most of the time not sure what he does apart from that.
May be the other parties need to step up their visibility and actions.
Merthyr is poorly served and poorly listened too.
Merthyr is quietly moving forward in its surroundings, but people need jobs -interesting well paid ones. The Retail Park – most jobs part time and low paid; the Assembly office brought its senior people with it.
Where are the forward looking industries? Techniums etc. Not up here.
People are on benefit for a reason. May be if the causes rather than the symptoms were treated, things would improve.
Communities First - that’s a plaster to cover a cut, not a sustainable solution.
So many questions, insinuations, and indeed lies, and not enough time. To declare an interest VM, yes I am a Labour supporter. Why am I a Labour supporter - I've lived in Merthyr all my life, and I've seen what both the Tories and so-called "independents" do for the area. Exactly that, they try and do for us. And, given a choice, I'd go for Tories ahead of the independents who have the ugliest track record in the Valleys.
I work with councillors regularly and it is unfair to dismiss them all as rubbish. By the way, if you feel they are not up to scratch, why not run yourself rather than hide on blogs denigrating people all day? There's elections in May. Be the change you want to happen.
To answer some of the points: the new arts centre is coming from the arts council. That money has been given to the Arts Council to spend somewhere in Wales. Clearly you would rather it went elsewhere? Where, as Merthyr residents, would you rather see Arts cash spent? Monmouth? Caernarfon? Risca? Now I see why you don't run for office. "Vote for me I'll get public funding siphoned away from your home town!"
There is no point saying you could buy jobs with this money in a different sector because it has already been given to the Arts Council. If you want to argue that Arts & Culture in Wales gets too much money, fine. But that is a different argument.
There is still a community-led arts centre in Merthyr that gets funding from the Assembly, clearly its not the same one VM claims has closed. I doubt that if it was successful that one would have closed either.
johnny - have you noticed the multi-million pound Heads of the Valleys programme designed to regenerate the area, which is the brain child of one of our rubbish elected representatives? Or has that passed you by?
And I re-iterate the point that is bonkers to claim that the fabric of the town has nothing to do with regeneration. If you were looking to set up a business would you do it a) in a town where building stock is falling down; or b) a town where new buildings are cropping up, and old buildings are being restored? Its a no-brainer. The built environment not only has a massive impact on the the economic potential of a town, it impacts on people's frame of mind who live there - I should know - but there is a wealth of research on all this, you don't have to take my word.
Finally, the problem both VM and JF seem to suffer from is the assumption that everything is a zero sum game. Merthyr is having an Arts Centre therefore everything else gets less funding, it doesn't work like that. I could not agree more that Merthyr deserves the level of funding it gets per head (greatest in Wales), but you fail to acknoweldge the fact that this is a good thing (the Heads of the Valleys programme comes extra to even this level of funding) - and this level of funding has happened due to years of campaigning by your "rubbish" Labour reps, often against a cosy Cardiff consensus from all other parties.
anon, if its the same person, then Valleys Mam has more know how about regeneration than all 60 of our AM's and our 40 MP's put together.
Our politicians and civilc servants in Wales are so backward looking on these issues they actually have an expert born in Wales, who has worked in Wales and knows the needs and is ignored because the ideas put forward are according to one Minister 'to bold for Wales'.
Instead of this Valley Mam has been asked to advise both the UK Government, English Local Government and the European Union on regeneration and how you make sustainable regeneration work for the benefit of all the communities, now with that sort of expertise you think she would be welcome with open arms in Merthyr?
On a wider point we have a number of immensely talented people across the board in all aspects of Welsh Life who actually know the patch and can help, i ask where is the will and desire from the Assembly Government to actually bring the people inside the tent for all our benefits.
Anon
Not everyone ants to be in politics I would hate it
Its rich when you hide behind an anon name that you challenge others to step out.
Many people because of who they are dare not be know - why because in Wales there would be consequences for organisations they work for.
I have no idea who Valleysmam is or what she does. But she and Johnny are just as entitled to their opinion as you are. You think your councillors are good they don’t that’s fair. I don’t see them decrying you in the same way you seem to bleat.
Zero sum game what the hell does that bubblegum mean - I see that they are not saying that Merthyr should be disadvantaged, quite the opposite, what I see them saying is be democratic about it, give people in Merthyr a choice You seem very hung up on this Arts Centre, surely stopping the opencast would be a better drum to bang or may be looking to bring some good jobs to Merthyr. I have heard of the Valleys Scheme, I would like to know how many jobs has that produced to date, apart that is from public sector. I am not a member of any party, I see them all in the same light I suppose, funny you a Labour man/woman would vote Tory now that is an enigma.
You seem very angry in your posts, may I suggest to you that you read what people actually write, you would find that they are actually being very positive about a town that you live in
"Vote for me I'll get public funding siphoned away from your home town"
What the hell use is an Arts Centre that is going to drain money from the town.What happens if it isnt self sustaining,will the Assembly pay for its up keep,no way it will be MTCBC and that equals me or people like me who pay Council Tax and who will never use the bloody thing.
Yes anon bring it on -I just hope you have a plan to make sure it pays for itself
I watched the debate in the Assembly on the Millenium Centre bail out on TV recently. Many AM's from different parties asked the Plaid Culture Minister perfectly valid questions regarding the state of this venture. During the hours debate, he failed to answer ONE question. What an utter waste of public money.
I have spent all my life on the commercial side of entertainment, never had a grant for anything and had to rely on 'bums on seats'to make a crust. Would Theatre survive without grants, probably not in it's current state. But it would adapt and other forms of entertainment would emerge. Mainly that which the public do want to pay to see. I agree with JF that this project will always be in the red. Figures show in London's West End that it has to play to 70% capacity to break even. I can't see the MC doing that.
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