On the 18th November the Arts Council held a State of the Arts debate at the South Bank, London to launch their publication “Create”, a journal of perspectives on the value of art and culture, at the Southbank Centre. The aim of the report was to start a “conversation” about the importance of public funding for arts […]
On the 17th October I wrote to the Arts Council drawing attention to the fact that their own statistics, reported in the PRS magazine for the summer of 2014, stated that jazz received just two percent of the available monies for music. Opera received a percentage increase of 22.5% which gave opera and music thatre […]
There was an article on the BBC Proms and Martin Kettle who looks for a critical angle for the proms each year and every year he fails (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/23/bbc-proms-2015-its-a-season-with-practically-everything ). Perhaps Martin Kettle, Alan Davey and the BBC live in a different universe to me. The BBC publicity states “While the Proms celebrates its 120th year in […]
On the 12th September 2015 The Guardian carried an article quoting Farage opining that a “Muslim fifth column fuels fear “. The cardinal rule of any right wing party is first, find your scape goat; in the case of UKIP it is Muslims. The second rule is to cloak the nastiness with a close substitute […]
There was more Rattlemania in the Guardian on the 4th March 2014, with coverage of Simon Rattle and the Leader column exclaiming “Simon Rattle’s return can be good for music, for London and the national status of the arts”. Rattlemania egged on by a self-interested cultural mafia has got out of hand. The problem with […]
February 26, 2015 – 9:39 PM
Charlotte Higgins wrote an article in The Guardian, 23rd February 2015, “Simon Rattle is waving his baton at the wrong cause”, which was right on target. The article dealt with Simon Rattle’s cry for a new concert hall for London, presumably so that he can conduct the LSO. What is needed is a level playing […]
February 26, 2015 – 9:23 PM
A fight at the opera:Arts Council gives English National Opera last chance to improve”. The Guardian 13th February 2015. This soap has been running for some time. “The Arts Council set strict criteria for awarding National Portfolio funding status, two of which are a competent business plan and sound governance. The Arts Council has blown the […]
February 10, 2015 – 5:11 PM
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 […]
January 29, 2015 – 5:39 PM
Over a year ago I helped a neighbour sort out their phone account with Virgin Media. The final action was a letter to Sir Richard Branson. The time it takes to sort out a simple problem leaves you losing the will to live. Eventually the matter was resolved – sort of. 31st October 2013 Dear […]
November 1, 2014 – 12:48 PM
Please see the attached document for my response to the BBC Trust’s consultation on Music Radio. Please click on: Response to BBC Trust Music Radio Consultation