What’s the best argument you can put forward for not cutting the arts?
It makes sense on an economic level. Britain doesn’t have much to export but the creative industries are a huge export industry. I don’t want to sound too economical but that is the only language this government seems to understand.
What would you cut instead?
I think this is a question of taxation. The world in the last 20 years has been remodelled to favour private wealth. Unless that changes cuts to public services will be made. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing but I find building a deficit also irresponsible. We have to either cut or raise taxes and these days taxing the rich is a taboo Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
In the last 20 years we have seen that if you create opportunities for people to engage in the arts the response is overwhelming. Cut deep into the arts and you deny people the opportunities to enrich their lives.
What would you cut instead?
We are talking about £500m, which represents 25% of the overall arts budget. You can cut 10% but go to 25% and its a different story Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Because we won't know what we've lost until it happens.
What should we cut instead?
No comment Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Because if art is left to the commercial galleries it will limit the market and will not allow for strange things.
What would you cut instead?
The military Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Because we all own Picassos, Vermeers, Tracey Emins, even Bob and Roberta Smiths, and we should have access to them and be proud of our culture and show it to our kids.
What should we cut instead?
Trident Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
This country is so focused on capitalism, so full of money-suckers, cut the budget and this will be a horrible place to live.
What would you cut instead? The property market. There could be lots of money to be made out of controlled rents Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument you can put forward for not cutting the arts?
Financially it represents a drop in the ocean of the deficit; really it’s a no-brainer.
What would you cut instead?
Nuclear submarines floating around our little island. Who are we expecting to invade us: the vandals or the Vikings?
Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts?
There are about 8m arguments, from culture to tourism to widening horizons to pushing intellectual thought rather than killing it.
What should we cut instead?
Trident Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
It wouldn’t make a tangible difference to the government’s finances but it would make an enormous difference to the cultural landscape of the UK Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Obrist: I am Swiss and I’ve always been amazed how the Englist art world is so productive with much less state support than other European countries. To cut that even further would be a disaster for generations to come.
Peyton-Jones: My concern is that there is no sign that private donations will cover the short fall left by the withdrawal of public finance. We need to be seen as a country that is robust, developing and flowering creatively. To cut the budget would damage us.
Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Chetwynd: Tjalling thinks it should be cut because it would make artists suffer more, but in reaction to that, I went to the Jarman film award recently and saw an amazing film by Ben Rivers that I know could never have been made without arts funding, so for that reason, and for the sensitivity of art, I wouldn't cut the arts. Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts?
It's hard to give a good argument when everything else is being cut.
What would you cut instead?
The military. Not that I don't think we should protect people who are fighting. Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What’s the best argument you can put forward for not cutting the arts?
A 25% cut to the arts funding will cost the country many times that in its devastating impact on one of our great success stories of the past decade.
What would you cut instead?
By keeping arts funding cuts to 10% we could continue to generate at least £2 if not more for every £1 of public money reducing the needs for cuts elsewhere Photograph: Graeme Robertson
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts? Because the arts budget is Britain's marketing budget and no company has spent so little on their marketing. What should be cut instead? We are all in this together so I'm looking for exciting proposals from artists to help us get through it. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/guardian.co.uk
What's the best argument for not cutting the arts?
Its a false economy. Most public arts organisations are paired to the bone already.
What would you cut instead?
I think these cuts are to do with ideaology personally. The arts budget is 1% of the NHS budget. We have to see this in the light of the richness of experience that the arts bring to this country. The arts have been the real success story of the last 20 years. Photograph: guardian.co.uk
.png?w=600)
