Lotta Finstorp (M): "Landsortens museums are bleeding"

Lotta Finstorp is a cultural political spokesperson for the Moderates. She harshly criticizes free entrance to state museums.

- This is really a budget that benefits the Stockholmers at the expense of the countryside. It is not reasonable for rural taxpayers to stand for the bill. Then I mainly think of free admission to the state museum for adults and tourists as it has become in Stockholm, while the country's museums are bleeding, says Lotta Finstorp, and mainly refers to the county museums who had hoped for more money but were left without.

- In our budget, there will be no free admission to state museums. So much I know today, says Finstorp.

Why not?

- There are no clear incentives for more visitors. Adults must be able to pay for themselves when visiting museums.

But isn't the problem precisely that all adults may not be able to afford to go to museums?

- But then you have to put it against the fact that the rural people always have to pay for their museum visits, says Lotta Finstorp.

The Swedish Democrats' cultural-political spokesperson Aron Emilsson is also disappointed with what he perceives as a lack of investment in rural museums.

- In addition, the necessary national investment in the cultural environment and the museum system shines with its absence, while at the same time the education of the population is forced to solve the integration problems. It is a Stockholm-centered budget we see, writes Aron Emilsson (SD), in an email to the Cultural News and continues:

- I am surprised to see that the long-awaited and promised production rebates for Swedish films are not mentioned. It is under all criticism.

Lotta Finstorp (M) is also surprised at the missing production discounts.

- If you look at these big films like James Bond and Mission impossible and Game of thrones, they wanted to record them in Sweden, but have chosen other countries because we do not have production incentives. For example, James Bond is recorded in Norway and the movie Midsommar which is about Sweden, it is recorded in Hungary.

- You also know that there is a lot of money in film tourism, that is, people who travel around the world to visit places where films are recorded. So it also spills over to business if we get big movies here. I am very surprised that it is not included in the budget, says Lotta Finstorp.

The Left Party's cultural policy spokesperson Vasiliki Tsouplakis believes that the cultural budget's cultural initiatives are far too small and too few:

“It is obvious that the government has put all its energy into making C and L satisfied with various tax cuts. At the same time, many of the country's cultural institutions are facing cuts, including both county museums and county theaters. It is also lamentable that the youth organizations' support, which has not been listed for many years now, should instead be reduced, ”she writes in an email to the Cultural News.