Member's statement: Creative Industries
Member's statement by Mr Colm Gildernew on .
- MLA
- Mr Colm Gildernew
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 11 November 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Creative Industries
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4667094
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This afternoon, I raise the issue of the arts sector here. Last week, Equity, the actors' union, addressed a number of MLAs in room 115. What was clear from the testimony of those artists and actors and the people who work with them was the lack of support that they receive and how difficult it is to be a full-time member of the creative industries here. We are all aware of the value and the worth of the creative industries across the island of Ireland. We, as a small island, punch well above our weight. We see the outworking of that at some of the big, global events, such as the Oscars, where Irish actors and Irish films are often featured at the top level of those industries. That all comes from the grassroots and from the people who take part in drama and writing, those who help to stage events, and musicians. All those people are fundamentally challenged in doing their job here. What was reflected to us the other day is the fact that many young artists, in particular, are now looking to move to other places. We should do everything that we can to prevent that. We should create an environment here where those artists are supported. While they are some of the best talents across the world, they do not get the best support on these islands. I call on the Minister for Communities to look at that situation. I know that he has done some work on it. The Committee is also doing work on it. We need to look at putting in place a support system that allows artists to create their work and supports them to do so. All of us will reap the many benefits of that, which go way beyond the arts. They reach into health and social cohesion and out into communities. I underline the plight of those artists.
319 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.83).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.83 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.78 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.20 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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