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halbe zijlstra

Bright spots: Toneelschuur kind of saved, less discount at schouwburg Hoorn, but Bollenstreekse Bieb gets more expensive.

Haarlem - Money new policy: national cuts softened (...) [theatre, film and production house] Toneelschuur Productions will lose its national subsidy from 2013. This threatens the disappearance of this unique production house. (...) Haarlem is economically heavily dependent on culture. The cuts will therefore not only lead to the impoverishment of our cultural climate, but also to fewer jobs and a blow to the creative economy in... 

Read More "Bright spots: Toneelschuur kind of saved, less discount at schouwburg Hoorn, but Bollenstreekse Bieb gets more expensive.

We are going Liveblogging again! Monday, November 21, to be exact.

On Monday 21 November, the chamber has one more chance to stop the desertification of Dutch culture. After all, the disproportionate attack on the budgets for music schools, orchestras, theatre groups and drawing lessons will be discussed by the chamber then. It all happens in the Groen van Prinstererzaal in the House of Representatives building, and it is of course broadcast on the... 

Read More "We are going Liveblogging again! Monday, November 21, to be exact.

Halbe Zijlstra wanted to know what quality was, and got back 22 pages of vagueness.

Quality. It is such a nice civil service-political magic word. Sounds good and nobody can be against it. So shout as a politician that you want more quality and all heads start nodding busily. State Secretary for Cultural Affairs Zijlstra also likes quality. Says he. For instance, when it comes to cultural education. In his memorandum More than quality, he says he wants to make work of the... 

Read More "Halbe Zijlstra wanted to know what quality was, and got back 22 pages of vagueness.

Even if they quit, Halbe Zijlstra is cracking down on culture clubs

Letters from Culture Secretary Zijlstra are dangerous, especially when they are about figures and schemes. And we haven't seen the latest one for now. So right now, it is about 'friction costs' for the cultural sector. These are the costs that subsidised institutions have to incur when their existence ends due to the subsidy freeze. Think redundancy payments, damages, flower arrangements for funerals of suicides and selling real estate at a loss.

Read More "Even if they quit, Halbe Zijlstra is cracking down on culture clubs

Libraries hope for more digitisation as well as more readers of collection, after TNO study

The joint public libraries in the Netherlands have asked TNO to research the size and costs of digital collections between 2012 and 2016. State Secretary for Culture Halbe Zijlstra is consulting with provinces and municipalities on amending library legislation. That law will also determine how much purchasing digital collection (e-books and music) costs. To... 

Read More "Libraries hope for more digitisation as well as more readers of collection, after TNO study

Arts colleges to cooperate more and get "partly or wholly" the same budget

On 5 July, the HBO Council came out with a sector plan for art education. Following the report of the Dijkgraaf committee and the Brinkman committee, it was concluded that the autonomous fine arts courses will reduce the intake of first-year students by 25%, the conservatoires with direction of classical and jazz by 10%, and the rest by 20%. This is to be achieved in a period... 

Read More "Arts colleges to cooperate more and get "partly or wholly" the same budget

Sports sponsor pays top price, culture sponsor sits front row for a pittance and expects no less

The smallest opera company in the Netherlands beats the biggest. Not in visitor numbers, not in subsidy received, but in bringing in sponsorship money. On closer inspection, however, it becomes painfully clear once again that there is no giving culture in the Netherlands and sponsorship is limited to a pittance. A rattling giving law will not change that.

Read More "Sports sponsor pays top price, culture sponsor sits front row for a pittance and expects no less

"Battle of the Orchestras" kicks off with name change Orchestra of the East Netherlands Symphony Orchestra

The Netherlands has a new orchestra: the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. At least, new in name. The Orkest van het Oosten does not seem to be waiting for possible forced mergers, and is already claiming its position as the national orchestra outside the Randstad by means of this striking name change that was announced today before the start of a concert with the Jussen brothers.

Read More ""Battle of the Orchestras" kicks off with name change Orchestra of the East Netherlands Symphony Orchestra

Reply Zijlstra (culture) to question on friction costs confirms chamber did not pay attention in June

It came as a shock that still hasn't quite worked out. Haf September, dozens of arts organisations received a letter from the State Secretary for Culture, informing them that they could start using the subsidy they thought they were getting for projects until 31 December 2012 for redundancy procedures, selling property at a loss and staff lawsuits against... 

Read More "Reply Zijlstra (culture) to question on friction costs confirms chamber did not pay attention in June

Weekers (finance): 'No reason yet to reverse VAT increase' despite dramatic start to season

The story continues. On 1 July the VAT increase came into effect, on 8 July NRC quoted Halbe Zijlstra as saying that "it was not the most mature scheme" of this cabinet, words he later nuanced during parliamentary questions. In late August, the Berenschot report came out with startling figures: the VAT increase would mainly cost the Netherlands money rather than generate it. Meanwhile, the Music... 

Read More "Weekers (finance): 'No reason yet to reverse VAT increase' despite dramatic start to season

Henk and Ingrid screwed again: Dutch tax advisers burn new Giving Act to the ground

The new Giving Act, the cultural palliative with which the Rutte Cabinet claims to be accommodating the art world, is flawed. We don't say this, because we only know about art, but this is what the Dutch tax consultants say. And they know a lot about your taxes, and little about art. Extremely reliable, in other words. And what virtues... 

Read More "Henk and Ingrid screwed again: Dutch tax advisers burn new Giving Act to the ground

Mayor Hoes provides proof: for the VVD, art is only about sport anymore

Anyone who was still left wondering what the vision of the governing VVD party on art is now out. For that vision is simple. Art is sport. According to the VVD. So said the alderman of Rotterdam, so said the spouse of top wrestler Albert Verlinde, the as mayor of Maastricht ancillary runner Onno Hoes. During the opening of the Dutch Dance Days, he gave... 

Read More "Mayor Hoes provides proof: for the VVD, art is only about sport anymore

Letter Zijlstra is just a request for information. But it does include a tickable invitation to suicide

Has state secretary Halbe Zijlstra the Lower House lied or misled in June when he stated that rushing through the culture cuts was necessary to absorb friction costs? Or does it just turn out to be improper governance?

Read More "Letter Zijlstra is just a request for information. But it does include a tickable invitation to suicide

"1 billion loss? There are other figures." Halbe Zijlstra refers Berenschot report to trash.

At the end of August came the figures. And what figures they were. Due to the stacking of extreme cuts by government, provinces and municipalities, the abolition of the successful Work and Income for Artists Act and the equally successful culture card, plus the VAT increase on the arts, the Netherlands' cultural sector would end up missing out on €1 billion in revenue. Berenschot had estimated that in... 

Read More ""1 billion loss? There are other figures." Halbe Zijlstra refers Berenschot report to trash.

New Culture Council president? 'Van Klink creates a crisis himself so he can then solve it'

Pim van Klink is his name. He has been popping up everywhere lately. Especially when the malicious subsidy orientation of the cultural sector needs to be pointed out, every medium calls Van Klink first. Last week, he once again threw his hobbyhorse into the henhouse in the NRC and was invited to join Buitenhof. And according to our trench-coat-clad... 

Read More "New Culture Council president? 'Van Klink creates a crisis himself so he can then solve it'

Kick off subsidy addiction requires greater government effort than Zijlstra wants

Arts organisations are subsidy-addicted and so we are withdrawing subsidies. The VVD's approach is clear. On the exact how, they appear to need to think longer about that, now that there is so much opposition from the country. Cold Turkey, the treatment proposed by tolerance partner (nice word in this context) PVV, could well result in deaths. To... 

Read More "Kick off subsidy addiction requires greater government effort than Zijlstra wants

Almost had Halbe Zijlstra praising a drummer as a figurehead of our literature

Nice, that secretary of state of hard rock and Tom Clancy. Mr Halbe Zijlstra-san has once again lived up to his change manager name in China. But in a slightly different way. In the land of eternally sealed mouths, he opened the Dutch stand at the book fair there, with a speech that once again rammed Dutch values into the Chinese. Anyway... 

Read More "Almost had Halbe Zijlstra praising a drummer as a figurehead of our literature

Finally answers pressing questions from theatre history

Ever known that 'The Wedding of Kloris and Roosje' was first performed in 1707, and that it is the forerunner of today's New Year's Eve conference? Thanks to the theatre encyclopaedia, which will be available online from 1 September, these and many more facts can be found. The Theaterinstituut Nederland (TIN) is the initiator and provides much of the content of... 

Read More "Finally answers pressing questions from theatre history

It's final: the format for arts subsidies until 2016 is with the chamber

We have another letter from the secretary of state for culture. Halbe Zijlstra has sent it to parliament, to make it official that from 2013 a very bleak wind is going to blow in arts land. That makes cuts of 200 million final, still excluding the probably 150 million in so-called friction costs that the ministry also has to get from somewhere (u... 

Read More "It's final: the format for arts subsidies until 2016 is with the chamber

Rutte cabinet answers chamber questions on 'unsupported' VAT measure

That's going to be fodder for chambers exegetes, though the question is whether it will make any difference. But Halbe Zijlstra says he did not say that the VAT measure "was not the most accomplished measure in the coalition agreement. Although that is what that interview with him in NRC Handelsblad of 8 July 2011. At the time, everyone thought that was a funny

Read More "Rutte cabinet answers chamber questions on 'unsupported' VAT measure

Theatre Institute Netherlands to continue as museum, perhaps in Arnhem

Clever, of course, but also perilous. Although - hanging over the abyss - there will be little else to do, but turn the TIN (Theatre Institute of the Netherlands) into a Performing Arts Museum. From 2013, because then the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science's money tap will close. In doing so, the institute will implement a rescue plan that will at least save the collection. Whether this will also save the... 

Read More "Theatre Institute Netherlands to continue as museum, perhaps in Arnhem

That was him then. The March of Civilisation. And so was the chamber's Culture Committee debate on Halbe Zijlstra's letter.

With a small break for much-needed sleep, we were active for over 27 hours with a liveblog on the March of Civilisation. Hard work, and at first we suffered from some start-up problems. After all: setting up such a liveblog requires some structure in the approach. We had introduced a few so-called #hashtags, such as #marsderbeschaving, which on twitter allow people to share their... 

Read More "That was him then. The March of Civilisation. And so was the chamber's Culture Committee debate on Halbe Zijlstra's letter.

Stage pollster provides useful figures on the performing arts

Gerard Marlet is becoming a veritable numbers guru for the Dutch arts sector. His latest publication concerns the "Podiumpeiler". We have embedded it for you. Worth reading, not only for number and art freaks. After all, many discussions about whether or not money goes to art, whether or not full theatres, they can now all be equally well based on the facts. Useful,... 

Read More "Stage pollster provides useful figures on the performing arts

Cultural policy Rutte cabinet advised against by patrons and entrepreneurs; PVV absent from hearing on future of Dutch culture

Actually, there was only one compliment for the cabinet, which is in the process of cutting an average 30% from a sector that employs tens of thousands of Dutch people. At the hearing convened by the second chamber on Monday 20 June, only cultural sociologist Arjo Klamer was positive about the decisiveness shown by State Secretary Zijlstra. That he did subsequently think that... 

Read More "Cultural policy Rutte cabinet advised against by patrons and entrepreneurs; PVV absent from hearing on future of Dutch culture

"We still spend hundreds of millions on culture"

Stronger than ever in recent years, the influence of spin doctors on politics has been noticeable. While at first it was only the PVV, in the person of Martin Bosma, who introduced the American methods of 'framing', it is now also standing Cabinet policy. We all know the Henk and Ingrids, the hardworking Dutch and the head rag tax. And now there is the... 

Read More ""We still spend hundreds of millions on culture"

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