Ignoring The Arts In The Halls Of Power

The man charged with relaunching London’s South Bank Arts Centre is furious with the city’s political establishment, declaring “I don’t know any other country in the world where politicians don’t actually want to come along to arts events.” According to Michael Lynch, the long-overdue overhaul of South Bank has been an example of the disengagement of UK politicians from the arts. “He suspects that politicians fear they will be categorised by the public as highbrow, but he is concerned because when those in positions of power do not see arts events for themselves, securing funding becomes more difficult.”