New Weekly Basic Income for Artists

This country is not generous at all to its artistic community. The EU average for expenditure on the arts in 2016 was 0.6% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest rate of expenditure at 0.1% of GDP, a paltry amount, especially compared to Germany's 2.7%; which was the highest rate. Funding has improved somewhat, but is still far below the average. Ironic considering how much we like to wax lyrical about our artistic heritage, which is probably why you held a belief that we were a generous country.

not being funny, but studying fine arts was probably your first problem there

Did they say when their two other reports (is water wet and is the sun hot) would be available?

Apparently you can't put a price on happiness.

Why are artists special?

There should be a "bullshit artist: category

I am confident I would qualify for payment under that.

Im guessing they are a smaller group of people with precarious/low incomes is the main criteria used for their selection?

Might get more of an economic output return from them if even a small percentage actually achieve something significant?

People devoting their lives to something they love?! The cheek of them!

/sarc

Because it's hard to attribute a value to their efforts before their efforts are completed.

Art is important and UBI in the grand scheme of things is very cheap.

It's still a paltry income. You'd do much better pushing a button on a machine in a factory.

It's a worthwhile scheme and should be expanded, as we have a centuries worldwide reputation for artistic flair. Who knows what talent could emerge

Innovation is a young persons game.

What makes you say that?

This should only be available for a certain age range.

Why? And what would the cut off be?

Van Gogh, started painting at 27.

Edward Hopper, didn't sell his first painting til he was 31.

Alan Rickman didn't get his first film role til he was in his 40's.

Vera Wang didn't start designing til she was 40.

Henry Ford was 45 when the Model T came out.

Grandma Moses didn't start painting til she was 78.

Brendan Gleeson was a school teacher up to his 30's.

Also it should list the artists that get it and make public the criteria for choosing them.

Why?

No doubt there will be a diversity quota.

You say that like it's a bad thing?

And what now that AI can generate content itself, there is going to be way more content in future, meaning the value of artwork will fall because it will be every where and for free.

An expression I've read recently is, "I didn't believe in a human soul, until I saw the art that AI produces. AI by it's very nature cannot be innovative, it can only copy and merge.

Business innovation ideas would be better to invest in, IMO. As that could actually make a return for the tax payer.

Another expression to bear in mind is, "Be wary of the man who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing".

https://www.theredhandfiles.com/exciting-art-after-rehab/

"Art is the agent best equipped to bring light to the world. That is its purpose. That is its promise." Nick Cave

https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chat-gpt-what-do-you-think/

This is great in terms of AI and art

You're most definitely wrong on writers. The winner of the Booker last year was Irish. They're one of four since the early 90s that was Irish. I can think of numerous alive Irish authors that are internationally acclaimed. That's ignoring things like playwright's etc. And historically we've got that same reputation. Given our relatively small population, we punch well above our weight.

The report on the impact of the BIA after the first year of the scheme does not take into account the impact on the taxpayers who finance the scheme.

The report does not even mention the cost.

By my calculations, the cost on the taxpayer is 34m+.

Surely any Cost-Benefit analysis should consider the 34m+ costs?

If you are actually from Galway, you should be ashamed. Where would your city be if it wasn't for Macnas and Druid putting it on the map?

B*llocks. Medtronic, Boston Scientific…

They're not exactly synonymous with Galway, are they? If the tax incentives that keep them there dried up, you know they'd be gone. The clue is in what you posted.

Managing to get quite a few major companies

Means that they're not native to Galway if you had to "get" them in. And I can guarantee you, the arts was absolutely used in one way or another to bring them in. It always is. Whether it's a show to relax the potential investors, or some musicians over a gala dinner. The arts and culture are always used in this country to woo investors in. It's not just tax breaks, or they'd all be based in tax havens elsewhere.

Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself. Your county (If you're from there, you didn't confirm) could be the strongest county in Ireland for arts and culture. At the moment it's far from it. Galway city doesn't even have specific rehearsal spaces available for theatre!

I'm not saying we don't have great writers. I'm saying if you ask the random population in most countries around the world which country is known for art and writers nobody will say Ireland.