Re:
So many red herrings to gut, it's hard to know where to start.
1) Lots of people on the AVV site are not asking to hike up the price or for a subsidy, but rather asking to be able to organise their own version of the event, perhaps on a smaller scale and with volunteers.
The costs of these events seems to creep up when more and more extraneous crap is added that most people don't even want.
And it's quite possible to start out small. The real Eroica grew from a small, Critical Mass type protest with just a 100 or so people - no need for a subsidy there. Once it was realised they had a point, they were able to attract public and private sponsors.
Pendle Witches shows it's possible to organise a retro event with volunteers in the UK.
2) The idea that "spending public money" is just chucking cash into a hole with no hope of a return is just wrong. AVV attracted 3500 participants and 20000 visitors in 2014. If they had a 1000000 euro subsidy, each person would have to contribute a whopping, er, 5 euros to recoup the subsidy. They can do that by spending their cash in the local area: the VAT on a 25 Euro restaurant dinner is 5 Euro in France, so the government recoups its subsidy and the rest is turnover for local businesses.
Admittedly, it's a relatively complicated argument, which I suppose is sadly why simplistic bleating about "wasting taxpayers' money" is so politically influential.
Again, I think the argument is more likely to succeed of you start out with something that's not too ambitious, like the real Eroica. The problem in a large area like Loire is that any one business might only see a small benefit, even if the aggregate benefit is quite large. So it can be hard to convince people.
3) Like you, I think most people want to pay their way. But peoples' ability to do so varies. So, one way or another, keep the price of these events low so everyone can afford it. If people want a load of extra crap, they can pay extra for it.
I don't think the commercial model is the only one to follow in the UK - Pendle Witches proves that. The idea that the commercial model is an attractive one to follow in other countries is just silly. I'd rather have the Belgian sportive scene any day, thanks.
So many red herrings to gut, it's hard to know where to start.
1) Lots of people on the AVV site are not asking to hike up the price or for a subsidy, but rather asking to be able to organise their own version of the event, perhaps on a smaller scale and with volunteers.
The costs of these events seems to creep up when more and more extraneous crap is added that most people don't even want.
And it's quite possible to start out small. The real Eroica grew from a small, Critical Mass type protest with just a 100 or so people - no need for a subsidy there. Once it was realised they had a point, they were able to attract public and private sponsors.
Pendle Witches shows it's possible to organise a retro event with volunteers in the UK.
2) The idea that "spending public money" is just chucking cash into a hole with no hope of a return is just wrong. AVV attracted 3500 participants and 20000 visitors in 2014. If they had a 1000000 euro subsidy, each person would have to contribute a whopping, er, 5 euros to recoup the subsidy. They can do that by spending their cash in the local area: the VAT on a 25 Euro restaurant dinner is 5 Euro in France, so the government recoups its subsidy and the rest is turnover for local businesses.
Admittedly, it's a relatively complicated argument, which I suppose is sadly why simplistic bleating about "wasting taxpayers' money" is so politically influential.
Again, I think the argument is more likely to succeed of you start out with something that's not too ambitious, like the real Eroica. The problem in a large area like Loire is that any one business might only see a small benefit, even if the aggregate benefit is quite large. So it can be hard to convince people.
3) Like you, I think most people want to pay their way. But peoples' ability to do so varies. So, one way or another, keep the price of these events low so everyone can afford it. If people want a load of extra crap, they can pay extra for it.
I don't think the commercial model is the only one to follow in the UK - Pendle Witches proves that. The idea that the commercial model is an attractive one to follow in other countries is just silly. I'd rather have the Belgian sportive scene any day, thanks.
