Ministers come and go

The typical political hype that caused the last UK culture minister to announce that 'Britain was on the verge of a "new Renaissance"' as a justification for a proposed shift in subsidy policy has gone off like a damp squib. A move in policy from 'arts judgement' to 'arts measurement' was advocated. Criteria are to be rewound like an ailing cuckoo clock. In fact, this is the basis for shifting funding decisions from metrics to seat-of-the-pants intuition. This knee-jerk liberality would, it is claimed, then spawn just such a British Renaissance in time for the Olympics 2012. In all this gobbledygook, politicians can run amok with the arts, and artists fly. Will Boris be the better advocate for the arts here on Thameside, and will Ken's great contribution, the 'bendy bus', be withdrawn? Routemasters come back! Jowell is awaiting at the stop.