When the Deputy Mayor of London for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, posted on LinkedIn a link to a London Evening Standard article she had written about why there are no votes in culture, she echoed something I have been saying for some time. I commented on the post:
“I so agree. It’s a no-brainer that culture is one of the few things that make humanity worth the bother, frankly. Also, that culture is basically a lot of businesses under another name, ones that enabled Abba to out-turnover Saab once upon a time, and SIX the Musical to become a worldwide export and money spinner in, what? five years? Then there is tourism. The list is long and deep, and Prime Ministers bang on about how important it is that school maths study is prolonged (not my subject!) and how tech is everything. And to cap it all a politician I know – I know quite a few, by the way – said to me privately that ‘there are no votes in the arts’. That is no excuse for being so short-sighted.”
Justine said, “You would think that even the most hard-nosed Treasury official would find it difficult to ignore an industry worth £108 billion to the UK economy.” As an ex-Civil Servant, a former writer of papers to ministers that tried carried to carry balanced arguments to decision-makers, I doubt that the problem is necessarily officials, unless there is an ingrained culture dismissing the arts in Whitehall, which is possible. It is, however, likelier to be politicians. Ones who don’t get the magnificent economic value of the arts and just how good we in the UK are at them. Ones that in so doing aren’t following former US President Bill Clinton’s mantra, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
We have worked in the arts and culture a good deal – with numerous music acts from the UK and overseas, Bromley Arts Festival, and more. We have promoted live music and burlesque performers. It is some of the most joyous PR that anyone can do. Money that really does make people feel good. And deserves votes.
Darren Weale, Founder, In Tune PR
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