- Joined
- Sep 16, 2009
- Messages
- 2,922
- Reaction score
- 343
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Conservative
In the UK, on the other hand, government contributes 50 percent. So when the Cameron/Clegg government announced that it may cut subsidies to the arts by as much as 25 percent, the howls were piercing. Alistair Spalding, artistic director of the Sadler's Wells dance theater in London, sorrowfully complained to the Washington Post that if forced to seek private donations, he might not be able to stage such groundbreaking work as last year's interpretative dance "in which the pope sexually abuses an altar boy..."
The 'Arts' was always a bloated and unnecessary white elephant. Subsidising opera and old paintings was bad enough but crap like turds in jam jars, or unmade beds, provide just more idiotic spending criteria.
An episode of tv comedy Yes Prime Minister actually suggested the answer - privatise the arts, with the likes of the National Theatre building upkeep being put to tender, so the theatre company would have to scale down lavish expenditure. Plus stage the kind of plays people other than snooty liberals would actually want to watch.
Other than some ring-fenced expenditure for old masters and such, galleries should be subjected to the same. And if we need laws forcing modern 'art' to be purchased at scrap value when being paid for through tax then so be it. Many artists admit their materials come from the junk yard anyway.
But by and large, there is a need to cut back and economise, what with the criminal largesse of the previous government. It's just the criteria which I question....
Our 'heir to Blair' PM, who calls himself a 'Liberal Conservative' and who made a point of paying tribute to New Labour on Number Ten's doorstep, has indeed delivered 'change'.
Along with his amoral cohort Nick Clegg, he's successfully managed to change the minds of most people who had any faith in him!
http://www.debatepolitics.com/europ...ty-itself-still-going-bad.html#post1059012121
Our oily new Prime Minister is obviously trying to set a record and become MORE than just the heir to Blair!
In just a few weeks the coalition government appear to have broken more promises than Labour in that time, encouraged more sleaze and immorality and been just as quick off the mark to starve even our kids and old folk through cuts and taxes.
They've even been more efficient at emptying our jails and surrendering what's left of our independence to the EU!
Last edited: