Weekly email 26th March 2009

Here is this week’s news:

Arts and Heritage

A New Deal of the Mind?

This week there was a reception at Number 11 Downing street, hosted by the Chancellor’s wife, to challenge the Government to come up with more imaginative approaches to the recession, inspired by Roosevelt’s Works and Progress Administration (WPA) and the BBC’s Marshall Plan of the Mind launched after the fall of the Berlin wall. Ed was there, more HERE. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5955621.ece and HERE http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/arts-new-deal-needs-a-sharper-focus/ Although some say it’s a Liberal conspiracy, which raises the question: is Ed part of it, or an interloper? HERE http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2009/03/24/new-deal-of-the-mind-launches-today/

Libraries

Rachel Cooke, a long time commentator on libraries has written about her concerns recently in the Observer. We broadly share her worries, though we regret that it seems to have escaped her attention that Ed set out our policy in this area recently. More HERE http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/mar/22/saving-british-libraries and HERE

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/mar/20/local-libraries-cut-budget

British Museum

David Cameron opened the glorious new Medieval Gallery at the British Museum on Tuesday more HERE http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article5961492.ece

Peer Review

It’s back. The DCMS have published the results of the pilot programme of a new system of self assessment for maintained museums, tested at the NPG, NHM and Tyne and Wear. More HERE http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/5946.aspx and HERE http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5934.aspx. We hope that the Arts Council looks at the outcomes of this pilot as they plan to reintroduce peer review to their assessments.

Taking part in the Arts

New research from the Arts Council shows that being encourage to engage in the arts when growing up has a significant impact on the chances of being an active arts consumer as an adult, and suggests that parents may be as important as the education system in determining whether children grown up to be interested in and engaged with the arts. More HERE http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/aboutus/project_detail.php?sid=13&id=373&page=2

Visas

The National Campaign for the Arts gave evident to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s enquiry into the new Points Based Immigration System earlier this month and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said he is willing to meet with the sector to discuss their concerns. More HEREhttp://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=3740  Sir Tony Hall has been penning his thoughts in this issue in the Telegraph, HERE http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/5036345/Terrorism-law-cuts-to-the-heart-of-the-arts.html While we understand the need for a secure visa system, we think that when developing the new scheme the Government should have thought harder about the contribution the vibrant cultural life of the UK makes to our international reputation, and urge it to resolve the issues as soon as possible.

Sydney Opera House

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd does not see the restoration of the iconic building as a high priority, believing the money could be better spent elsewhere. ‘I’m not a big fan of this one. When I look at the AUS$15billion or so we are about to pump into about seven-and-a-half-thousand primary schools across Australia, and a large number of secondary schools, my overwhelming priority is to build those schools and provide those jobs for tradies right across the country.’ More HERE http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25226501-5013871,00.html. With Mervin Kind questioning whether the Government can afford to spend any more money at all yesterday, the cultural sector here will have to work hard to demonstrate that investment in cultural spending has benefits in comparison to spending in other key areas such as education and health.

Gold!

Spandau Ballet are reforming, ending a twenty year royalty feud. We always believed in their soul. More HERE http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aObdQJnYzRxw&refer=muse

Interesting pieces from here and across the pond

Do we need a Cultural Olympiad? HERE http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/03/do_we_need_a_cultural_olympiad.html How Kindle (a reading machine) will change the world, HERE http://www.slate.com/id/2214243/pagenum/all/ A new collaboration between the J Paul Getty Museum and the National Archaeological Museum of Florence points to a way that disputes over ownership of antiquities could have a silver lining more HERE http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/03/gettys-brand-se.html

Creative Industries

Local and Regional News debate

This was discussed in a topical debate last Thursday. Ed spoke, and highlighted that the local and regional press find themselves in a perfect storm, with business models changing radically in the face of the internet and the toughest recession this country has experienced in our lifetime. He called for a dramatic look at the regulations governing ownership and competition, in order to save local news organisations, highlighting that Nancy Pelosi, Democrat leader of Congress, has written to the American Attorney-General making a similar point. More HERE http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7953778.stm and read the debate HERE http://pubs1.tso.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090319/debtext/90319-0011.htm

Executives at struggling Johnston Press could teach those in the city and thing or two about corporate responsibility as they decline to take bonuses in the face of a year on year drop in revenue of 12.4% more HERE http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/25/johnston-press-johnstonpress

Digital Britain round-up

BBC

The BBC has submitted its response, with the Trust of the view that a partnership approach holds the best potential to create new value for audiences. More HERE http://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/pdf/digital_britain_exec.pdf and HERE http://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/pdf/digital_britain_trust.pdf

C4/ Worldwide

However, there is also a warning that the BBC does not believe that a Channel 4 / BBC Worldwide deal will fulfil the government’s ambition of creating a viable public service broadcast alternative to the BBC itself. More HERE http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/25/bbc-worldwide-channel-4-psb

ITV

Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum this week, Stewart Purvis, partner for content and standards at Ofcom advocated the creation of a new funding model in order to enable ITV to continue to provide regional news.

Five

Does not have a sustainable future in the UK without a merger with ITV or Channel 4, says Bertelsmann, controller of channel Five. More HERE http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/25/bertelsmann-channel-five-merger

Architecture

CABE and ACE have published a guide, Building Excellence in the Arts, for anyone procuring arts buildings, from minor remodelling projects through to entirely new buildings. If only those procuring The Public had read such a thing before they started… More HERE http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/building-excellence-in-the-arts

Video Games sales rise while music and DVD sales fall

Revenue from video games sold in the UK rose 21% last year despite the collapse of Woolworths and Zavvi in the final quarter. They are still growing in 2009, albeit at a lower rate of 7% in the first quarter. Total music sales were down 7% while DVD sales fell 2.5% in 2008. Combined sales of music, games and videos for the year averaged just under 20 units per household. More HERE http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSLM33546620090323

Fashion

Fashion retailers faced their toughest quarterly rent day for 18 years this week said the British Retail Consortium more HERE http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/retailers-on-the-brink-as-painful-rent-day-looms-1653456.html the previous two quarterly rent days have seen well known names such as Miss Sixty, Morgan and USC Clothing go into receivership. More HERE http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/4045534/440-retailers-to-go-bust-in-first-four-months-of-the-year-analysts-predict.html However, Selfridges is reporting a year on year sales increase of 40% in designer bags, suggesting that consumers are looking to invest in quality. More HERE http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/090325-selfridges-luxury-bag-sales-increas.aspx

Democratic freedom and the internet

Some interesting stories this week highlight how the internet continues to reshape our world. In China, the Government has started blocking YouTube, possibly because there are videos available showing Chinese soldiers beating monks and other Tibetans. More HERE http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7961069.stm. And in the UK, the Home Office has defended moves to monitor activity on networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. More HERE http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/25/social-networking-sites-monitored. You might very well think that there are some parallels between the command and control mindset of the Chinese Government and one G Brown, we couldn’t possibly comment.

In Parliament

Written Parliamentary Questions

EDMs

Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen

SAVE, PEN, ALCS, South Bank, British Art Market Federation, Ingenious Media, The Boat that Rocked, A New Deal of the Mind launch, Enders Analysis, faith buildings at St Martins in the Fields, opening of the Medieval Galleries at the British Museum, TIGA, RIBA, the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University Library, Cambridge County Council and the being built Huntingdon Library, Cambridge City Council, Xbox, the APPG Music, APPG World Heritage Sites, English Heritage, BSAC Annual Film Conference 2009, NUJ.

Ed Vaizey

Shadow Arts Minister

Jeremy Hunt

Shadow Culture Secretary