'It's like starving a child... they're going to die' - DUP arts minister Gordon Lyons rejects 'odd' analogy by creatives' union chief
Stormont’s arts and culture minister has defended the funding his department has given to the arts sector in Northern Ireland as local “creatives” demanded his resignation.
However, the DUP minister said that nobody from the protest had asked to meet with him, so he decided to walk down to the event to speak to protestors waving placards and demanding more public funding for the industry.
Protestors had gathered outside Stormont on Tuesday morning to highlight the “failure” of the Minister to produce an arts policy and the underinvestment in the arts across Northern Ireland.
Marina Hampton from the Equity union handed the minister a letter calling for his resignation – and said the sector was getting half the money it needed to survive.
“It’s like starving a child, if they don’t get exactly what they need – they’re going to die. Even if they’re only getting half – it’s not enough”, she told the minister.
Speaking to the News Letter, Minister Lyons described the comment as “odd” – given the “life and death” decisions being made over public funding in Northern Ireland.
“They're saying that they need to have an increase in the arts funding, and and that's something I agree with. But at a time of a constrained budget, I have actually increased arts funding in Northern Ireland, both in resource and capital terms, since I came into office.
“They also say they want the delivery of an arts policy. I'm delivering that right now. I've got for the first time ever an arts policy in Northern Ireland.
“So I thought it was important that I set out that I haven't cut funding for the arts as minister, and that they're calling for a policy – there's a policy in place, and it's going to be delivered next year”, he said.
Local entertainers such as the playwright Roisin Gallagher and ex-BBC radio presenter Lynette Fay were billed as among those gathered on the steps of Parliament Buildings.
Equity, the union organising the protest, said those gathered were dancers, visual artists, actors, theatre producers, stage managers, musicians, directors, writers, and circus practitioners.
Alice Adams Lemon, Equity Northern Ireland Official, said: “The arts in Northern Ireland is being badly let down with underinvestment for years, and with job losses and a loss of arts activities; our communities are losing important opportunities to enjoy, gather, create, inspire and be inspired.
“Gordon Lyons has failed in his promise to bring forwards an arts policy and failed in his duty to support the creative industries. Artists and arts-workers are angry and will make their voices heard in Stormont on Tuesday".