Arts and culture for all

Artistic practice should be available to the whole of society regardless of income, location or social background. We call for the following measures:

• Create a National Cultural Fund to increase state funding of the arts to the European average of 0.6 percent of GDP.

• Fund access to arts participation in disadvantaged areas for adults and children and those with disabilities.

• Open schools and colleges for after-school artistic activities for children and teenagers.

• Open public spaces for use by local arts organisations.

• Support live music. Live music venues are a vital part of our cultural life. We will cut rates on pubs that have regular live music.

• Support performances and exhibitions in public spaces.

• Create arts participation programmes in prisons, schools, care homes and hospitals.

• Remove the requirement of ‘availability for work’ for artists on Jobseeker’s Allowance.

• Create a ‘new deal’ programme for artists in the public sector. This would create well-paid jobs and increase access to the arts throughout society.

 

Media

• Support public broadcasting as a vital part of a creative and critical society.

• Cut the salaries of top RTÉ performers and use a tax on digital media companies, such as Facebook, to fund public broadcasting.

• End Independent News Media’s existing monopoly over many media outlets.