SINN FÉIN IS to launch the party’s new policy for the arts sector next week, with some of the key ideas in the document to include a bursary scheme for journalists, recognising fashion design as an art form, tackling rip-off ticket prices and exploring tax relief for theatres.
The plan, seen by The Journal, also includes a pledge to devise a strategy for the gaming and virtual reality sector, a re-activation of the policy that 1% of public infrastructure funding go towards the arts, as well as opening up new art spaces for artists and performers.
In terms of RTÉ funding, under a Sinn Féín-led government, the party would abolish the “regressive licence fee with immediate effect”, instead providing public funding for RTÉ entirely from the Exchequer.
A multi-annual allocation would be provided from a Media Fund for all public service media, which the party says would give RTÉ and producers more funding certainty and an ability to plan.
The party also wants to end geo-blocking, stating that Sinn Féin opposes the “continued deliberate exclusion of six county audiences from programming, from online player content, from audience competitions, and in some cases from graphic representations of Ireland”.
In addition, the party wants to hear more Irish music on radio, with Sinn Féin committing to defining in law what counts as ‘Irish music’ in order to facilitate increased airtime on radio and representation in film.
“We will work with radio stations and film producers with a view to increasing the visibility of Irish music and music in the Irish language, including exploring options for minimum airtime requirements on radio and including the use of Irish compositions as a new ground for obtaining the cultural certificate required for Section 481 film tax relief.
“We would also examine how to address the power imbalance within the music industry by examining how the audiovisual services levy provided for in law could be adjusted for music streaming services to fund opportunities for Irish musicians and radio content showcasing Irish talent.
“We would also establish the long-awaited dedicated Irish language youth radio station,” states the document.
The party also wants to open up access and showcase the State Art Collection nationwide.
The state’s visual art collection is divided between different state agencies and cultural institutions, but Sinn Féin commits to working with these institutions and reviewing the management of the collection with a view to expanding public access.
Repatriation of artefacts is also a priority, with the party stating that Sinn Féin would place Ireland firmly within the camp of nations seeking restoration of artistic heritage, by requiring Ireland’s State-funded museums and galleries to cooperate with requests from other states for the repatriation of art and artefacts. It would also oblige our Culture Minister to demand that foreign institutions and governments return heritage stolen or unjustly taken from Ireland.
The document also includes plans to enact the Public Art Mural Bill which would exempt certain categories of public art murals from planning permission where such work has artistic or cultural merit.
The plan was drafted by the party’s arts spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh after Sinn Féín carried out a survey of over 1,100 artists, which found that a large cohort of the arts community in Ireland were considering emigration.
The policy also plans to tackle rip-off ticket prices, something Fianna Fáil senators have also put forward this week.
On Friday, the consumer watchdog launched an investigation into Ticketmaster and the company’s handling of the sale of Oasis tickets last weekend.
Sinn Féin states that a major barrier to audiences engaging with the performing arts in Ireland is the cost of tickets, adding that legislation intended to put a stop to ticket touting in 2021 has not yet led to prosecutions.
Sinn Féin said it will examine ways to better enforce existing anti-tout legislation, to bring dynamic pricing under control, and to develop a platform to distribute tickets so that no seat is left empty.
The arts survey carried out by the party identified that almost three quarters of respondents were unsatisfied with the local arts facilities and spaces in their area. It noted the threat private developers pose to established hubs for culture, from pubs like The Cobblestone to the temporary homes of struggling arts companies.
The plan states that it will empower local authorities to protect existing centres of intangible cultural heritage in planning law, and examining measures for making space for art in development plans and using minimum visual art requirements for the public realm.
Sinn Féin proposes to develop a dedicated Arts Spaces Capital Programme to build and redevelop arts workspaces and venues across the state.
There’s also a plan to reform the 45-year-old Per Cent for Art scheme which allows for the public funding of works of art.
In terms of tax relief, Sinn Féin states that it would explore how a dedicated tax relief could support live theatre, “which could usher in a new renaissance for Irish theatre”.
Along with recognising fashion design as an official art form, the party states that it is “fundamentally unfair” that stand-up, sketch, and improv comedy are explicitly excluded from Arts Council funding.
Ó Snodaigh states his Arts (Recognition of Comedy) (Amendment) Bill 2024 would stop comedians losing out from funding and resources by explicitly including comedy in the Arts Act 2003. The party also plans to ensure musical theatre will be recognised as a distinct artform.
Another idea of note in the document, the party pledges to “invest” in journalism, with the plan stating that “fostering a thriving and high-quality journalism sector is vital to securing a healthy democracy as well as for providing Irish writers with work opportunities to sustain their livelihoods and help hone their skills”.
In recent times the party has been criticised for the number of legal actions taken against media outlets, with Tánaiste Micheál Martin stating that Sinn Féin’s actions could have “a chilling effect” on media and journalists.
The Sinn Féin policy states that, if in government, it would establish a journalism bursary for local and community media in every county and provide increased funding to TG4 to develop quality journalism and current affairs in the Irish language.
The party has also been accused of flip-flopping on hate speech legislation over the last number of months. In the arts document, the party states that it wants to “protect freedom of expression”, stating:
“Ireland’s reputation as home to some of the world’s greatest writers stands in contrast to the hostility shown by the 26-County state for most of its history towards many of our greatest writers, free-thinkers, socialists, and republicans, including Sinn Féin as recently as 1994, through censorship and social ostracisation that saw many leave our shores.”
The document also pledges that Sinn Féin “will stand up for freedom of expression against attacks by government or by the far-right, which stifle the freedom of both writers and readers.”
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