Suddenly, I had the impression that he was really outraged. My interlocutor, with whom I could otherwise spend hours in more than animated discussion about politics, politicians and the parties - "discussing" in the truest sense of the word, i.e. holding a discourse that was interesting for both of them. Not in the manner of a TV discussion, which is already set up by the moderator as a wrestling match and then usually degenerates into a mudslinging match. The variants of "mudslinging" depend on the respective station, the more public-law, the smaller the mudslinging and the more well-mannered the protests, the more in the direction of the tabloids shaped by Herbert Fellner, the larger the mud buckets and the clearer the choice of words - escalated only recently almost exemplarily (https://www.facebook.com/1187093343/videos/3115915212059378).

But back to the indignation of my interlocutor, to whom I indicated that the 1,000 euros per month per cultural worker is actually a joke. From 1,000 euro can nevertheless no humans the maintenance of family, dwelling, energy costs etc. to meet, or is one as politicians the opinion that culture-creative anyway on room Kuchl without cabinet dwell, like the legendary Ziegelböhm, the family, and indeed all, in a room, the bed of parents only by a curtain separated. Not much else could be done for the thousand. My interlocutor, with whom I am friends, was indignant about this view of mine. To this it must be added that he works in the office of a politician - more I do not betray, he knows anyway that he is meant and I do not want to betray him. But I was just amazed, because he, my friend and interlocutor, is culture-affine, likes to go to the cinema and theater, and conversations about music and books are just as entertaining with him as those about politics.

I still don't understand why he was outraged, but I also still don't understand why, decades ago, half of Austria was upset about a well-known actor when it became known that he was receiving unemployment benefits between two engagements. By the way, he is married to a prominent actress and at that time it was thought that the two of them were earning enough money and didn't need to enrich themselves with unemployment benefits. Every barkeeper, who has hacked away completely in the winter and earned stupidly with it, goes over the summer - except he mixes then in a vacation resort on a beach - into the unemployment, at it nobody finds what to criticize. Apart from the fact that the bartender has meanwhile lost the winter season, that was honest work. With the actor, on the other hand ...

The fact that during the pandemic Falkensteiner Hotels received 7.4 million euros and the Swedish textile company H & M 4.8 million (source: vienna.at) and the companies owned by Rene Benko Kika, Leiner and Signa Luxury Collection a total of 7.5 million euros (source: der Standard) in Corona aid from COFAG, no one is upset, except for the now very thin voice of the SPÖ and the union. Nor does the fact that AUA, which as is well known has long since become a subsidiary of the German Lufthansa and is no longer an Austrian company, is massively cutting jobs - even though it had received 450 million in subsidies or supported loans under the Corona title. Rene Benko has received Corona loans of almost 500 million euros in Germany for his companies there (source: der Standard).

For cultural workers, one had a thousand a month to spare, other aid was hard to come by, if at all. Also because the calculation mode of the Republic of Austria was aimed at a different business model than that of a cultural enterprise. One example: a film production company in Lower Austria (not mine) specialized in service production. Sometimes this turned into a co-production, such as for a classic Christmas movie shot in Vienna and broadcast on TV in the US. Such collaborations have ceased in the pandemic, would be a classic case of, here the replacement of the loss of sales takes effect. Theoretically, because that is examined over the value added tax to be paid (first theorem of superficial first consideration of economic characteristic data: larger payment with the value added tax assessment point to larger profits). Now, however, the colleague from America or from other European countries does not pay VAT (reverse charge according to §19 UStG) and the covid default money claimant wonders why he is "showered" with rather meager amounts of around 30,000.00 euros in the case of defaults in the six- and seven-digit range. Or was it just the tax advisor who was badly positioned?Let's look back: the increases for the 2021 culture budget did not turn out to be so high after all, although State Secretary for Culture Andrea Mayer is happy about the largest increase in the budget for a long time (which is repeated this year, by the way). The IG culture has however exactly recalculated, the increase around 30 million, from which 9 millions are already dedicated for the reorganization of the Festspielhäuser Salzburg and Bregenz, means an increase around 6%, less than all other budgets in the federal budget 2021. In relation to the total budget the portion of the culture of 0,6% sinks on 0,5%. Although a further 30 million increase has been announced for 2022, this is to be the end of the matter. The authors' union makes it clear that the cultural budget will not be an instrument for shaping the budget, but rather for managing shortages. So it will be the same as before. Continuation for the budget 2022, where the enthusiasm of the culture state secretary knows almost no borders (https://orf.at/stories/3232578/). Mayer speaks of a still the increase of the culture budget and as well as all medium reports of the country agree into the chorus with - how should they also differently, lack it most media meanwhile at personnel, in order to investigate the jubilation press releases after. But what the IG-Kultur has also done for this year's budget and the result is sobering (https://igkultur.at/politik/erhoehung-des-kulturbudgets-2022 ). Quote from the website: The culture budget 2022 increases by 12%. In total, that's 61 million euros. Of this, 51 million euros will go to state-owned enterprises or cultural heritage and building culture. But what happens to the remaining 10 million euros?" - end quote. What about the budget of the Film Institute? Here are the facts: https://filminstitut.at/institut/zahlen-und-fakten/jahresbudget, so niente, rien, nix, nix. In the sober language of statistics, the increase of the budget from 2020 to 2021, one remembers the ritual jubilation of cultural politics, is also exposed here as label fraud.

For those who want to agonize a bit more on this topic, the press release of the cultural spokeswoman of the Green Party, Eva Blimlinger, is warmly recommended. The formerly belligerent rector is almost unstoppable with enthusiasm about the cultural budget: https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20211013_OTS0200/blimlinger-so-geht-kunst-und-kulturbudget.

Also enlightening is the debate in the parliament's culture committee, reproduced in a press release of the parliament - pay attention to the only speech on the topic of film funding and the associated prioritization, it's worth reading - no one informs about associated disappointments and side effects, but you, clever reader, are explicitly warned against it: https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20211108_OTS0211/budgetausschuss-begruesst-erhoehung-des-budgets-fuer-kunst-und-kultur-2022-um-rund-61-mio

Why do we still call ourselves a cultural nation? Yes, funny, because if it were up to politics, we'd only be on the fringes anyway. So I can't spare myself a little anecdote, and politically nothing hurts the main actor of this farce: For the reopening, Chancellor Kurz, accompanied by the Vice Chancellor, the Minister of Tourism and the Secretary of State for Culture, met at the Schweizerhaus in Vienna's Prater at noon on May 19, 2021. According to the announcement of the appointment calendar of the then Chancellor, the next public appointment was at 17:00: in the Vienna State Opera - on the program "The Barber for Children" (no stupid joke from me). Photos and camera panning are possible, the official announcement of the dates said. The consumption of the admittedly legendary Stelze together with no less legendary Budweiser in the restaurant garden of the Schweizerhaus (is now, March 2022 after the winter break open again) was the ZIB 1 still worth a small report, the visit to the State Opera at 17:00 clock, at 17:00 once began the great Wagner operas, found no reflection there. "The barber for children", which according to the OTS broadcast was visited by the Chancellor, represents a real punch line that could not be invented better. How much he heard of the Frank Castorf production of "Faust", which began at 18:30 in the Haus am Ring, is unfortunately not known.