Charlotte Higgins outlines a profound truth in her stirring and timely call to save the arts (Culture is not trivial, it’s about who we are. That’s why Labour needs a plan to save the arts, 26 November). After 13 years of being a punchbag in culture wars or a punchline in sneers at the elite, cultural life and what it means for civic society and its contribution to the economy is in danger.
Incremental cuts to public investment have been bad enough, and at a scale which will be hard for a new government to reverse. But we are approaching a doom loop where less money, less certainty in future funding and a hostile environment to inquiring ideas leads to less risk-taking and new work. That in turn leads to declining new audiences, smaller box-office receipts and a less compelling cultural economy. At the same time, Brexit brakes on touring, inflation and the hangover of Covid closures are making it harder for arts organisations to plan for the future. The elimination of music and arts education in schools is depriving them of the next generation of talent and of potential.
