by As we prepare to go to the polls, my brain has started to shut down. I am now exempt from certain phrases, such as “number one priority”; The NHS, immigration, the economy and housing promises to set more ringing in my ears. I might prefer if our political parties were crying out for popular support to solve the crisis in British arts and culture. But no leader has yet convinced me that they care.
I know what many readers will say: the arts are not the NHS, and no one will die if an arts center in north Hertfordshire suddenly faces closure. But, as I said before, this attitude is deaf. The arts affect everyone, and touch every corner of our lives, from education to health and well-being. If you prefer cold, hard facts, the creative industries added £126 billion to the economy in 2022, and employed 2.4 million people. So why is no politician banging this particular drum? And why, in the manifestos of the parties, is information about their cultural plans so scarce?
In the Conservative document, we don’t get to the creative sector until page 69, in the penultimate paragraph, and they have a vague promise of a dedicated apprenticeship scheme. While their promise to make the BBC more accountable is welcome, it feels like a lot is still missing. The labor fee is slightly better, since they are committed to children studying creative subjects until they are 16, and they are planning a National Music Education Network, which will inform courses for parents and children available. But their manifesto is light on detail.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats want to set up “creative enterprise zones”, which is painful. And as for Restoration, they don’t mention culture at all, which is an oversight. (Even the Animal Welfare Party has spoken out about the culture, with its leader Vanessa Hudson telling the Art Newspaper that the sector can “give people a better understanding of the challenges facing UK wildlife and the climate and ecological emergencies taking effect”.)
I’ve never wanted a career in politics – the long hours, the surgeries, the fruitless attempt to “make a difference” – but I’d like to make some suggestions on how to improve Britain’s cultural sector. After all, someone has to. Here are five.
Reform the Arts Council, but don’t dismantle it.
I have been extremely critical of the Arts Council of England in recent years, particularly because of their blatant disregard for the opera and classical music sector. (Note that the arts have also been hit with devastating cuts in Labour-ruled Wales.) A review, led by Baroness Archer, was halted because of the election, but this must be restarted, to canceling the ideologies within ACE. : their “Let’s Create” strategy, which promotes participation for excellence, did irreparable damage. We need ACE, but his view of culture needs to change.
Embrace philanthropy.
This always causes concern, especially from the left, and it is true that a transition to the American model, where the arts have to pay for themselves, is unthinkable. (Although Wigmore Hall has future-proofed itself against loss of subsidy, it has a fund of around £7 million that most other organizations can only dream of.) But in the absence major central funding, which no party is offering, the arts. patronage can help boost our creative industries. And on that score, the problem is a political one, with every major donor now raising concerns for left-wing activists. If we cannot find reputable sponsors, we must extend our concession to those who are not, within reason.
To promote international cooperation.
Admittedly, some parties have rejected the idea of working with the European Union on the travel that is so vital for those in the creative sector, such as musicians and visual artists – and which, since Brexit, has become a bureaucratic nightmare. However, we need to push harder and make bilateral agreements with other countries that would remove all such barriers.
Take advantage of Amazon and Netflix.
We all know that the creative sector is becoming more and more occupied and unwanted. At the height of the pandemic, director Sam Mendes called on the streaming giants to invest in Britain’s arts scene. I have seen very little evidence of this. If the Government were to share in the profits from successful shows made by streamers in the UK, we would have a new source of income, and it would allow those art forms that are suffering financially, such as theatre, to be seen further as the poor. relationship.
Review local authority funding.
Over the past year, we’ve seen many distressing news stories about cuts to local arts scenes, with councils from Birmingham and Nottingham to Suffolk facing financial ruin. The Arts Council – when reformed – needs to transfer money from the meaningless arts groups it loves too much. (This seems to involve a lot of very bad agit-prop theatre.) That money should then be redistributed to the local arts sector, where venues such as Birmingham City Symphony Orchestra and Nottingham Playhouse provide examples. artistic and civic significance.
The old logic around Britain’s two main parties is that the Tories are bold and Labor are good people, making generous promises to every artistic soul in the country. But there are no promises in the last Committee’s declaration that would give peace to those working in the sector, who have been left out by what has happened in recent years. If the musically gifted Starmer succeeds next week as our prime minister, he will have to do much better.
