Demise of VVD culture spokesman during budget debate in St Nicholas mood, with surprise for PvdD

A little pity was in order during the debate on the culture budget in the Lower House. Thierry Aartsen, the VVD's brand-new culture spokesperson, still hadn't done his homework and therefore got terrible on his mitre from fellow culture spokesmen in the Lower House. And then also from the minister. Should he have had anything left of the bravado with which he had launched the populist VVD line in the Volkskrant on Friday 16 November around 11 a.m. on Monday 19 November, by 15:32 there was nothing left of it. All the points with which he had wanted to score on behalf of the prime minister's party turned out to be irrelevant, untrue, long since implemented or in the planning anyway.

The Chamber let him get away with a consolation prize. The Cultural Participation Fund, intended precisely for the Zundert carnival association for which Aartsen campaigned, will pay even more extra attention to 'popular culture' in subsidies for intangible heritage. They already did, but now even more so. Aartsen proud. When the minister called him on the carpet over his attack on the elite of the Concertgebouw, he backed down completely. She, also with Brabant roots, would gladly visit the carnival with him if he would come to the Concertgebouw with her. This was followed by a somewhat embarrassing joke about French wine from the VVD man, to which the minister grumpily bit back that she quite often met VVD people there.

Black pegida

The rookie culture spokesperson's deconfession was almost too painful to watch. In fact, it was only surpassed by the predictable display of PVV 'strategist' Martin Bosma. He masked his lack of knowledge of art matter in a tirade repeated a hundred times in favour of Zwarte Piet and Pegida, and against black people. Especially when the latter refused to put the Slavery Museum in the light of the Barbary pirates, who had galley slaves. His motion to erect a monument to the Dokkumer blockading Frisians failed to gain a majority and Bosma left the Groen van Prinstererzaal with tail between his legs.

Otherwise, the cosy get-together in the Tweedekamer building was mostly a kind of early St Nicholas celebration. There were wish lists that were not too complicated and there was even a little poem, spoken by Lodewijk Asscher. And there were presents.

For instance, there are now more work grants for short-term graduate makers. Instead of the 50 a year until now, 75 young makers can now apply for the pot that allows them to get a one-off contribution of 19,000 euros. If they succeed in becoming an established maker with this, they can qualify for a four-year grant of 38,000 euros. The maximum number of eligible people has also been increased by 25 to 125. But there is more, such as a master-apprentice scheme and a development track for urban artists.

Fair practice

What also became clear is that Minister van Engelshoven is serious about the code of fair practice. It is still her intention to include that code in grant conditions. At the current budget for the arts, this would mean a substantial reduction in the range of products on offer. Therefore, the minister is still waiting for advice from the Council for Culture and advocacy organisation Kunsten '92, both of which are working hard to limit the damage.

Biggest surprise was for the Party for the Animals. Their request to offer standard vegetarian food at government receptions from now on was embraced by the minister. From now on, at receptions of the Ministry of OCW, meat lovers will have to specifically ask for meat if they do not agree to vegetarian snacks.

Profiteering

What has not been honoured is the widely expressed desire by chamber to do something against usurious sales of festival and concert tickets. It was the SP that made the strongest case for this, but minister Ingrid van Engelshoven was unwilling to ban profiteering by law. According to her, national legislation makes no sense because the sellers often operate internationally. However, on twitter, where our report attracted a lot of interest - including in the chamber itself - people managed to tell us that international trade is precisely concentrated on the Netherlands. Indeed, the Netherlands is the only country that does not yet have a law prohibiting it.

Most of the motions submitted by the parties will be voted on soon. The recommendations and wishes will then become part of the package that Ingrid van Engelshoven will send to the Council for Culture in the so-called 'request for advice'. Then it will be exciting again in spring 2019. With most likely a new culture spokesperson from the VVD.