EUAN McCOLM: The SNP have made wasting taxpayers’ money into a fine art… but Goodlad’s grand designs are detached from reality
SNP minister for public finance Hannah Mary Goodlad is advertising for an artist-in-residence, offering £11,000 in public money for a fixed-term role from November to February. The article argues that the post would help shape the MSP’s policy messaging and criticises the use of taxpayers’ money for this purpose.
The advert says the artist could work in any discipline and engage with the Shetland community on policy priorities. Goodlad has defended the role as necessary to make politics more accessible, while opposition politicians have criticised it and the article reports that some SNP colleagues also consider the plan misguided. Shetland residents face fuel and energy costs more than 20 per cent above mainland levels.
- Hannah Mary Goodlad is offering £11,000 for an artist-in-residence.
- The four-month role would focus on community engagement and policy priorities.
- The appointment has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and SNP colleagues.
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The SNP is Scotland’s governing party, and its ministers oversee public services and spending. Hannah Mary Goodlad is the minister for public finance and represents Shetland, a group of islands north of mainland Scotland.
The proposed artist-in-residence would receive £11,000 in public money for a short-term role, working with people in Shetland and exploring how the arts might connect with government policy. Goodlad says the role could make politics more accessible; critics question whether it is an appropriate use of public funds.
The debate comes as Shetland residents face higher fuel and energy costs than people on the mainland. That local context helps explain why the role’s purpose and cost have drawn attention.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
An artist-in-residence could help translate policy into forms that engage people who feel excluded from conventional political communication, while bringing local voices and experience into the process. At £11,000 for a fixed-term role, supporters may see this as a limited, practical investment in making government more accessible and responsive to Shetland.
The case against
Public money should be directed towards pressing needs, especially in a community facing unusually high fuel and energy costs, and the role’s value may be difficult to demonstrate. Critics may also argue that a minister’s policy messaging is a core government responsibility and that an artist’s involvement risks appearing more like political presentation than a necessary public service.