So, he's invited to the awards and he hasn't got his mate Chris Bishop with him this time. Bishop didn’t go after what happened with Don McGlashan last year.
Paul Goldsmith’s not invited to speak—apparently no one is—which means that when Lynda Topp gets up and starts speaking and tells him off, he’s got no right of reply.
Here's what she had to say: “Paul, if you listen up for a minute, I’d like you to take a message back to Wellington. I did a speed read on the Budget this afternoon—there doesn’t appear to be any money for music. But in big, big letters: $2.1 billion for defence. What the f***?”
Now, I think we have to cut Lynda a bit of slack. She’s only lost her twin in the past week and she’s entitled, of course, to say exactly what she likes. She didn’t say anything particularly rude and it’s a fair opinion that she holds. But it is becoming a bit of a pattern, isn’t it?
Ministers turning up to the Music Awards and having to sit through that night’s chosen form of protest about whatever the issue of the year is. Last year it was the Treaty Principles Bill; this year it’s the Budget.
In Paul Goldsmith’s defence—given that he wasn’t able to mount one—yes, there was no money in the Budget for the arts. There was also no money in the Budget for anything. Most of us looked at it and found nothing for ourselves. That’s how it should be in difficult times. The country is not flush.
And yes, there is money for defence—a lot of money for defence. That is also how it should be right now. If you were to listen to some, we may be only tens of months away from China potentially taking Taiwan. We have no real conception of what chain of events that could trigger in our region.
Even though the drones and the frigate upgrades in this Budget won’t protect the entire coastline of New Zealand—that’s a fair criticism—we are still expected by our allies and partners to at least try to do our bit. Just try.
So, hands up—which minister wants to go to the awards next year?
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
12 comments:
It seems the entire music industry of New Zealand has been consumed by Woke.
It's surely not mandatory for any minister to attend or our government to fund this particular event.
I wish Goldsmith would get on a do his real job instead of supporting an event that does not need or value him being present except as an open target. Defence is like insurance, when the muck hits the fan you might be rather grateful for it but there is a cost! Art on the other hand should be self sustaining, not propped up by the taxpayer. As for Goldsmith, there are many things we need him to focus upon but he sadly appears to be gazing elsewhere and helping the grifters dip into our pockets.
“There was also no money in the Budget for anything.”
That’s quite wrong, of course, otherwise the country would grind to a halt
There’s money for healthcare, education, welfare, defense, corrections, police, transport and all the rest
Self-entitled Lynda Jools seems to have no realisation that if a person doesn't have a real job because of a commitment to their art, then starving in a freezing garret is a self-imposed fate.
It's no more the Government's job to throw money at itinerant guitar strummers (or ballet dancers or rugby clubs for that matter), than picking winners in other types of business. The Government has rather more important things to do with taxpayers' money.
That well known protester Bob Dylan seemed to do very well without Government money. Did the drug-glorifying Beatles ever get a hand-out? Like every successful performer or composer, their success came from hard work, good management, a lot of luck, but above all, an ability to keep the customer satisfied.
The only time a government hand-out will achieve that is when the government controls the market and tells the public what it is allowed to watch, read and listen to. And we all know how well that works.
That little extra for Defence will do very nicely to upgrade the quality of waiata and karakia that the troops will be spouting. And there must be a lot needed to tidy up the various Marae on the various bases, not to mention the language training for the new recruits and the older NCOs who might have been subtly fighting the maorification processes. Yep, more cash desperately needed to upgrade. Well done the Nats.
What would our "creative" community do if a Russian submarine pops up in the Waitemata Harbour and say " for you the war is over" ?
Ditto the radical Maori elite ?
Think what would have happened if the French had arrived in NZ before the Brits -it was a close run ?
Our democratic society was very hard won with thousands of Kiwi lives lost or destroyed in WW2.
You don't deter an enemy by singing songs, or showing them your best kapahapa group, or carved sticks.
Who says this annual fest of pop/rock/country music is actually Art? .... At best its entertainment for the masses. ART [of the Fine Art, educated Music, ballet kind, live theatre] rarely gets much gummint support these days - and its a miracle it continues. It makes its own money...Ticket prices are for the Elite. Note the $$$ put into "music" drum kits etc for edjicashin this year. Peasant stuff.
Hang on a minute "The Jones Boy" - you forgot or forget that Auntie Helen Clark 'threw' some money at the Royal NZ Ballet in early days as PM.
The past is a different country Anon 4.12. But we can always mine the past for lessons that might be useful in the here-and-now.
Yes, you are right. In 2000 the Clark Government did throw some money at the Royal New Zealand Ballet as part of a much wider funding boost for Arts and Culture. This was promoted as being intended to allow the whole sector to "flourish and create jobs and growth in the industry".
So let's have a look at what really happened. There was a one-off cash injection of $760,000 to the RNZB to "stabilise its financial position". This was explained as necessary to alleviate the need for expensive overdraft facilities and making RNZB less exposed to the "financial failure of a single season".
So there we have it. They couldn't pay the bills, needed a bailout for past losses, and still expected the taxpayer to underwrite their future losses. And that was in spite of RNZB’s annual baseline funding of $3.195 million through Vote Heritage and Culture.
If RNZB were a company, the directors would be prosecuted for trading while insolvent and the auditors would be proclaiming it was not a going concern. Instead they got a taxpayer bail-out and were let loose to do it all over again. By 2016 they were back looking for more taxpayer money, and this time got a further $1.157 million.
But what about those extra jobs. The 32 dancers employed in 2000 increased to 36. So far so good. Except in 2021 Stuff was reporting only about half that number were actually New Zealanders. So where are those new jobs Kiwis were promised for splashing the taxpayer cash? Doesn't seem to have happened.
And isn't that just typical of so many Government interventions that start full of good intentions but which wind up paving that proverbial road to hell? Like the sort Lynda Topp is still demanding. So heed the warnings from the past.
In the past the arts were funded by rich patrons. Sweet talk some millionaire into spending so cash on your dreams.
Today the artists are political and spend half their time pouring vitriol over the rich for being rich. Them moan like children that no one is willing to support them.
Jonesy - thanks for the "input" on RNZB, I like the comment re number of dancers 'employed', but it is an "occupation" that when trained, you "ship out" to another Ballet Co, as the opportunity to dance in NZ is limited - just look at how many times the RNZB tour, so when it comes to that time - guess what - the number of ballet dancers who have "come" to NZ or been enticed - just to "boost numbers on the stage".
It is an occupation that sadly has major injury issues, this then has an effect on moving forward, it is also an Art that has a dying legacy - not many children/teenagers pursue said domain today, if they do, then they are a minority, compared to yesteryear..
From Anon - 30 May @ 4:12PM
One wonders why we spend any money on "Defence" at all since resistance would be futile against any invader except perhaps Niue or the Cook Islands. No "Ally" would help us unless it was in their own interests. as the Americans in 1942 needed a base here and came to set it up and not to protect us from the Japanese as many myth-inventors have it.
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