I’ve been watching Astrid et Raphaëlle. Still need the subtitles because my French is appalling, but I’m really enjoying it!

Native Denims is an Irish jeans brand. Bespoke, so kinda pricy, and their cotton is sourced internationally. But the actual jeans themselves are made right in Dublin.

On the one hand, funding local production is something I’m all in favour of. So much of our cultural consumption is US produced, and Ireland has a lot of talent not being used (as do all the other european nations).

But knowing how the Irish government treats all levies and taxes, this levy would just go in a big pot labelled ‘income’ and get spent subsidising an overcosted hospital or road project. Nothing in Ireland gets ringfenced for specific areas. Government’s need to show they actually are interested in supporting the arts first, or nobody will trust this kind of levy will go where they say it will.

Oh nooo, won’t someone think of poor America.