Charlotte Higgins in her article “Opera’s malaise does not stop at the Coliseum” (2.2.2014) fails to get to grips with the problem of opera “reinventing itself as a crucial part of our national cultural fabric”. The problem is there is no policy for the arts in England. Arts funding is now run like a fifth rate hedge fund that every three years selects a National Portfolio of arts organisations and then three years later un-bundles them. In an age of austerity the Royal Opera House and English National Opera exist cheek by jowl and in 2015 will receive public funding of circa £37 million. If two Accident and Emergency units existed side by side, one would be closed or relocated immediately. A national policy for the arts would ensure equitable distribution of funding across art forms and regions
Published The Guardian Wednesday 4th February 2015