Archive for March, 2009
Our EDM on video games
We put down an early day motion recently praising British developers that won BAFTAs, and it has been covered on the blogs below and one other, with some fairly positive comments.
We feel that he British video games industry is enormously successful – the fifth largest producer of games world wide, in a market that is worth ten times the DVD market. It is a sector that perhaps feels unloved and unacknowledged. We’d like them to know that we love them!
BAFTA Games Acknowledged In Parliament
Escapist Magazine – Durham,NC,USA
Conservative MP and Shadow Minister for Culture Edward Vaizey introduced an early motion last week to recognise the developers of BAFTA award winning and …
UK MP Congratulates BAFTA Winners | Edge Online
By Rob Crossley
Edward Vaizey is, of course, absolutely right to back the UK games industry. It’s one the few remaining high-tech industries that this country still has a decent stake in and it would be a catastrophic shame if talented developers …
Edge Online – Interactive Entertainme… – http://www.edge-online.com/
UK Politician Praises Fable 2, GRID and LittleBig Planet : BeefJack
By Travis Barbour
Conservative MP, Edward Vaizey, sings the praises of Fable 2 GRID and LittleBig Planet.
BeefJack – http://www.beefjack.com/
VG247 » Blog Archive » UK MP wants recognition for BAFTA winners
By Patrick Garratt
Conservative MP Edward Vaizey has introduced an early day motion to recognize BAFTA nominees and winners, including LittleBigPlanet, Fable II and Race Driver: GRID, as you can see on the House of Commons site. What is says: …
VG247 – http://www.vg247.com/
29th January 2009
Weekly email from the Conservative Culture and Creative Industries Team 29th January 2009
Here is this week’s news, brought to you, naturally, in digital format:
Creative Industries
Get Carter
The Government launched its interim report on Digital Britain today find it HERE. We are extremely disappointed by the report, which is the ninth report published so far in this area by the Government. The report says little of substance, and indeed spawns a further eight reports itself. Read Jeremy’s speech in response HERE. The next Conservative government will make it a major priority to ensure that more than half the population have access to high speed broadband within 5 years, providing a platform for thousands of new businesses and jobs
British Library
The British Library has launched an important campaign to get the Government to focus on a strategy to preserve digital archives, such as web sites this one HERE. We strongly support this campaign and will make it a priority after the election.
Film 4
…has twelve Oscar nominations. Count ’em, twelve… Well done
McGonigal Blog
Dominic McGonigal from PPL has started a blog to cover the on-going debate on copyright term HERE.
Video Games
Great piece in the New York Times on how video games are now mainstream because the original players are middle-aged. They even play them in the White House. Read it HERE.
Arts and Heritage
Philanthropy
Arts & Business have published the latest figures on arts philanthropy. The total figure for private sector investment in culture reached a record high in 07/08, climbing 12% (above inflation) to £686 million in the UK. However, investment from business declined, falling 7% from the previous year. Business investment now stands at £163 million and accounts for 24% of the overall contribution from the private sector. In 07/08, investment from Individuals reached £382 million, a 25% increase that continues the trend of fast-paced growth that began to accelerate in 05/06. The amount of support from Trusts & Foundations also continued to increase, reaching £141 million, experiencing a 7% increase from last year and accounting for 21% of the total private investment in the cultural sector. More on this HERE.
Tired of Hanging Around
The Audit Commission has published a report on using sport and leisure (i.e. the arts) activities to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people. The report finds that these projects do help but that they struggle with a funding system that is ‘wasteful, inefficient and bureaucratic.’ The report highlights that youth workers can spend a third of their time managing budgets and chasing funding, and that it costs four times as much to put a young person through the criminal justice system as it does to keep them out of it. Full report HERE.
Launch of Industry and Parliament Trust’s Creative and Cultural Fellowship
Who says you can’t do anything in opposition? Following the recommendation in the arts task force that Parliament establish a work experience programme for MPs to find out what it is like to work in the arts, Ed approached the Industry and Parliament Trust to see if the idea grabbed them – and it did. So Ed and David Puttnam launched the scheme this week, and Ed will be one of the first fellows. He is starting his work experience at the Arts Council. More on the fellowships HERE.
BBC and Arts, Music and Culture
The BBC have announced a deeper commitment to arts and music on the BBC, including creating a new Arts Editor role for BBC News, a BBC arts board to generate great content ideas, build stronger partnerships that capitalise on the digital world, and deliver ‘big bold content ideas’ for example the pan-BBC Poetry season. We applaud this initiative wholeheartedly and particularly welcome the tie-up with the Public Catalogue Foundation, which will see all 200,000 paintings in public collections digitised for viewing on the web, 80 per cent of which are not currently on view. More HERE.
Record year for London Theatre
Great news this week that London commercial theatre enjoyed a record-breaking 2008 in terms of audiences and box office receipts. Both attendances and box office revenues reached new levels as the sector proved resilient in challenging economic conditions. Over 13 million theatregoers attended a London performance in 2008, up 1% on the previous record set in 2007, while box office revenue was over £480 million, up 3% on 2007’s record figure, generating record VAT receipts for the Treasury. Musical attendances rose 1%, while plays dropped 1%, though enjoyed a strong final quarter. It proved a good year too for dance, opera, performances and entertainments which collectively rose more than 5% year-on-year. More on this HERE.
The Public/ Pink Elephant West Brom
The Arts Council claims to have pulled the plug on The Public in West Bromwich, when in fact it is giving them an additional £3 million, which will raise eyebrows among those arts organisations savagely cut by the Arts Council last year. More HERE. Ed has condemned the money wasted on The Public as the biggest public arts scandal in the last decade.
Opera on TV
The ENO is broadcasting live on the first night on Sky Arts 2, Sky Arts HD with all the backstage action on Sky Arts 1 next week (2nd February 2009). They have several other broadcasting and media projects including shorts from Sam Taylor Wood and Werner Herzog. View highlights HERE and HERE.
National Dance Awards
Were announced this week. Congratulations to all the winners, full list HERE.
On Board
Having said farewell to President Bush, Ed has joined the board of the Bush Theatre. Seamless.
Interesting Pieces from across the Pond
Great piece in Time on publishing HERE; the ongoing debate on whether Obama needs a Culture Secretary continues HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE; an interview with Michael Conforti the new president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) HERE; Gustavo Dudamel’s first season in LA HERE (book those plane tickets, the first concert is free).
OFFICIAL: DCMS is Potty
Clearly word of the recession is yet to hit the DCMS as it was revealed at the weekend that the department has spent £65,000 on pot plants in the last three years. More HERE
In Parliament
Parliamentary Questions
On the day that Digital Britain reports, it’s worth remembering that most of the issues covered in Lord Carter’s report have been dealt with by now fewer than 8 stakeholders’ groups, working groups, think tanks and reviews in the last three years at a total cost of £2.1 million. HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE
The government has confirmed that the recession hit the creative industries as far back as 2006. HERE
The DCMS met just four of the 20 Public Service targets set for it in 2004. These related to increasing participation in the sports and cultural world, visits to museums and galleries etc. Andy Burnham’s explanation? “We always knew these would be very challenging targets“. HERE
The Arts Council website costs £6,787 per year and welcomed 1.2 million unique visitors last year. HERE and HERE
Grants for the Arts Funding fell by more than half last year. HERE
Per capita funding of Regularly Funded Organisations is highest in London and the West Midlands and lowest in the East and South East. HERE
Church buildings account for 45% of all Grade I Listed buildings. HERE
The numbers of children attending free educational visits to English Heritage properties has fallen by 16.5% since 1997. In the North East the figure has almost halved. In the west midlands 33% less children are benefiting from these visits. HERE
The amount of funding the Heritage Lottery Fund can provide for the preservation of historic churches has fallen by £2 million since last year. HERE Government’s explanation HERE
The MLA is working towards the development of national occupation standards for the heritage sector. HERE
The DCMS and the Arts Council provided £10 million for the Liverpool Capital of Culture project. HERE
The government cite last year’s Creative Britain report as the means by which it will support the advertising industry through this difficult time. HERE
The government’s £6 million Quality and Innovation Fund for the cultural sector, announced a month before the last general election, was completely junked. HERE
DCMS has listed the artworks that the Government Art Collection has lost. HERE
DCMS staff have spent £96,500 on taxis over the last three years. HERE
EDMs
BBC and the DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal HERE
Media Freedom HERE
BBC’s Persian TV service HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
Princess Anne opening Didcot’s new arts centre; launch of the Industry and Parliament Trust’s Creative Fellowships, London Children’s Ballet, UK Music, Historic Houses Association, HLF, Norwich Theatre, Reform dinner on the future of the media, Equity, National Portrait Gallery, Ofcom, BBC Trust, and RIBA.
22nd January 2009
Weekly email from the Conservatives Culture and Creative Industries Team
Here is this week’s news:
Arts and Heritage
Arts need urgent reassurance of funding in credit crunch.
Leading arts industry names have written a joint letter to Andy Burnham seeking a meeting as a ‘matter of urgency’ to discuss the challenges facing the sector in the year ahead, following Andy Burnham’s recent comments in the press which suggest cuts are all but inevitable. More on this HERE.
Recession hits the art market
Both the size and estimated value of forthcoming sales at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phllips de Pury has halved. More HERE.
New Egyptian Room at British Museum
This opens today, giving a new home to one of the museums best-loved works, the paintings from the tomb-chapel of Nebamum. More HERE.
Obama took oath on Oxford University Press Bible
President-Elect Obama was sworn in (the first time) on the Lincoln Inaugural Bible – the same one upon which Abraham Lincoln swore March 4, 1861, to uphold the Constitution. It was published in 1853 by the Oxford University Press. More on this HERE.
Slough’s Town Hall is poised for Grade II listing
It has been recommended by English Heritage, that government’s adviser on the historic environment. Unfortunate, then that the Labour controlled Slough Borough Council is attempting to discredit the opinion of English Heritage, prevent the listing and then continue with their plan to abolish it. More on this HERE
Libraries and reading
Library campaigners are urging protestors against the library closures in Wirral to ask the Secretary of State to investigate as a previous Secretary of State did in Derbyshire. More the campaign HERE Ed is adding his support to this and is writing to urge Andy Burnham to intervene.
Meanwhile, from Seattle, news that libraries are needed more than ever in a recession with reports of a ‘surge’ in membership and 21% increase in books borrowed in the past few months. It will be interesting to see if there are similar increases in Britain. More on this HERE.
Music
A few months ago a project based on the Venezulan Sistema scheme was launched in Scotland. We think it is an interesting idea, and enjoyed this piece on its progress HERE We will continue to follow its development closely.
Awards season: Oscar and Brit nominees, South Bank Show winners
The 2009 Oscar nominees have just been announced, with a great showing across the categories for British film talent, including Frost / Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader all being nominated for Best Picture. Congratulations to all the nominees, full list HERE.
Congratulations to this year’s nominees for Brit Awards including David Cameron’s favourite, Radiohead. Full list HERE.
Congratulations to the winners of South Bank Awards, which show the strength and depth of talent across British arts and culture. Full list of winners HERE.
Creative Industries
The Future of Broadcasting
Following the publication of Ofcom’s public service broadcasting review, Ed has set out the Conservative Party’s position on broadcasting today at the Oxford Media Convention. We believe that Ofcom has rightly recognised that viewers want competition and choice in public service broadcasting. It is now up to the broadcasters to play ball. The BBC needs to stop playing the role of the friendly monopolist and Channel 4 must be much more creative in reinventing their business model. Read the full speech HERE.
Andy Burnham and Ed Richards also spoke today. Read Ed Richard’s article HERE and the full Ofcom report HERE.
In the run up, the chief executives of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and RCL, parent company of Five, have all been penning their thoughts. HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, respectively.
Film
The UK Film Council has issued a report on British film in 2008. The report paints a “mixed picture”. While UK box office receipts reached a record high, film production spend in the UK was down compared with the previous year. Cinema-going continues to be one of the nation’s favourite activities with box office takings for the UK and Republic of Ireland hitting £949.5 million, up 5% on 2007’s £904 million, and the highest since records began in 1989. British films also accounted for 31% of cinema takings, the second highest in a decade.
Film production statistics paint a more complex picture with spend totalling over £0.5 billion in 2008 – but still down 23% on 2007. The outlook for independent British films in 2009 is expected to be tough with the economic downturn starting to take effect. Co-production activity is not expected to rise in 2009 given that the tax break incentivises spend inside the UK and therefore not production outside the UK. Full report HERE.
Design
Ten twentieth century British design classics feature on the Royal Mail’s first set of stamps for 2009, including Mary Quant’s daring mini skirt, Harry Beck’s map of the London Underground, the Spitfire and Sir Giles Gilber Scott’s telephone box. More on this HERE.
Burnham dinner party update
Newspapers picked up on the story you read first in last week’s email about the extravagant £62,000 dinner party hosted by Andy Burnham to launch C&binet. More HERE and HERE
In Parliament
Ed spoke at the future of local press debate in Westminster Hall. We believe more can be done to support local media companies by relaxing rules on ownership across more than one media platform. Read the full debate HERE Ed’s comments start HERE.
Oral Questions
This week we had Culture, Media and Sport oral questions.
Ed asked if the government could rescue the Heritage Protection Bill (and might have called Andy Burnham a “Loser” in the process).
Shadow Tourism Minister Tobias Ellwood asked Barbara Follett about the government’s lack of action on the visitor centre at Stonehenge
Jeremy asked Andy Burnham if it was wise to hold a £3,000 per head dinner party for the great and the good to discuss the impact of the recession on the creative industries as part of the C&binet initiative (weekly emails, passim). He said it was… we think.
You can read our questions and ministers’ answers HERE
Written Parliamentary Questions
13 Creative Britain apprenticeships have been created so far. The government expects 5,000 per year by 2013. HERE
£7.6 million in Ofcom fines was passed to the Treasury in the first 9 months of 2008/9. HERE
Five and a half members of DCMS staff worked on the now superseded Convergence Thinktank. HERE
The Creative Britain review cost £158,000. HERE
Two members of DCMS staff provided administrative support for the Byron Review. HERE
The now superseded Digital Radio Working Group cost £98,000. HERE
Government technology experts estimate that placing broadband technology in digital TV set-top boxes would cost £40-80 extra per box. HERE
The DCMS has received ‘a number of representations’ from TV, radio and press sectors on falling advertising revenues and employment. HERE
£67.6 million of the TV Licence fee will be spent on the Digital Switchover Help Scheme in 2008/9. HERE
EDMs
New Statesman and the NUJ. HERE
Broadband speeds. HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
Film meeting hosted by De Lane Lea; dinner hosted by David Mellor for the arts; Artswork; Royal Shakespeare Company, Universal Music, Westfield and Slumdog Millionaire.
Plug of the week
Ed’s new researcher Helen has an exhibition opening at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS this Thursday 22 January. It runs until March 21st. If you prefer your photography in the evening, with drinks, join her at the private view on 25th February, or, if you really want to butter her up, the talk on 28th February. More HERE and HERE.
15 January 2009
Here is this week’s news….
Tory Stuff
Super-fast broadband
Jeremy made a key note speech at Microsoft setting out in detail our proposals to push forward super-fast broadband. In particular, we will provide access to alternative providers to BT’s network between the cabinet and the home in order to increase take up.
Read the full speech HERE.
To highlight the urgent need for leadership in this area, Ofcom has published new research on broadband speeds which shows UK consumers receive an average broadband speed of just 3.6 megabits per second (Mbit/s). Among consumers on the most popular ‘up to 8Mbit/s package’ – to which over 60% of UK broadband customers subscribe – one in five receives an average speed of less than 2Mbit/s. The research showed on average the actual speed received by consumers is 45% of the advertised headline speed. Given that speed is the most commonly cited cause of broadband users’ dissatisfaction, we think that broadband providers should stop inaccurately marketing their products.
More on Ofcom’s report HERE
Ed’s Article in The Stage
Ed has an article in the Stage this week, responding to Andy Burnham’s interview last week HERE
We apologise for underestimating the colossal waste of the C&binet initiative. Ed said it was only £50k, when we now know that they have spent £150,000 on a website and that in addition to the £47,600 spent on the champagne-fulled dinner party to discuss the agenda at next year’s inaugural meeting (details on this HERE) the DCMS forked out £11,415 on travel and £3,257 on overnight expenses for the 20 guests. So that’s more than £62,000 in total. Recession? What recession?
Arts and Heritage
Capital of Culture
In a speech last week to mark the end of Liverpool’s year as European City of Culture, Andy Burnham put forward proposals to have a British capital of culture every four years. We think the proposal is interesting and would pursue it after the next election, but we also have to take note of Simon Tait’s caveat from his Arts Diary this week: “…we’ve been here before. The last British European Capital of Culture was Glasgow in 1990, and that was a resounding success too. So the Arts Council decided it would have a cultural capital every year, each one with a different discipline – dance, literature, opera etc. There were ten and with probably one exception they were all unmitigated disasters, costing ACE around £2.5m and a great many red faces”. Worth bearing in mind.
Read Andy Burnham’s speech HERE.
Libraries and reading
The Reading Agency has been evaluating the National Year of Reading as it draws to a close and found that across all age ranges reading initiatives in libraries are successful at getting more people reading more, improving literacy levels and improving participants’ confidence and skills. More on this HERE.
In the States, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has found that literary reading among adult Americans has gone up 3.5% over the last six years. More on this HERE.
Archives
The Society of Archives, National Council on Archives and the Association of Chief Archivists in Local Government are planning to merge into a single body. We welcome the move, as we did when Music UK was created from several organisations, as it is much easier to discuss policy with one body speaking with one voice, especially at a time when archives are becoming more and more popular, witness the huge success of the 1911 census launched this week. More on this HERE.
Now do we just need the library, video games and dance sectors each to create a single unified body?
Sadler’s Wells
Sadler’s Wells is profiled in The New York Times this week. Dance is our fastest growing art form in terms of audiences, and we love Sadler’s Wells, so it’s great this leading dance house, and its director, Alistair Spalding, are attracting international attention. Read the full article HERE.
National Theatre
The National Theatre’s new programme and especially its casting looks great. In particular their plans to broadcast Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren to 50 UK ciniemas and then 100 more around the globe in June. More on this HERE and the full programme HERE. Having just been to three plays at the National, we are in love with it at the moment.
Theatres Trust
Congratulations to Rob Dickins CBE who will succeed Rupert Rhymes as chairman of the Theatres Trust. He’s a former chairman of Warner Records, founder trustee of Youth Music, trustee of the V&A and all round good egg. We look forward to working (and lunching) with him. More on this HERE.
Visual Arts
The Prado Gallery, Madrid and Google Earth are pioneering armchair gallery visiting, using the same mapping technology to allow art lovers to view masterworks in incredible detail. More on this HERE
Heritage Across the Pond
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is calling on President-elect Obama to renew investment in historic and older public buildings, invest in Main Street (that’s American for high street), tax credits to restore old buildings and create jobs, help repair flood damage to historic buildings in Iowa and Texas and invest in land to preserve forests and parks, create jobs and protect the environment. HERE
Creative Industries
Golden Globes
Congratulations to the many British winners and nominees at this week’s Golden Globes: Film4’s Slumdog Millionaire and its producer, Christian Colson, winner of Best motion picture, director Danny Boyle, winner of best director, writer Simon Beaufoy winner of Best screenplay and composer AR Rahman winner of Best original score; British actress Kate Winslet who won two Golden Globes for Revolutionary Road and The Reader; British actress Sally Hawkins, who won an award for Film4’s Happy Go Lucky; actor Colin Farrell who won an award for Film4’s In Bruges and British actor Tom Wilkinson who won a Golden Globe for John Adams; other British nominees included Frost / Nixon; The Reader; Revolutionary Road; BBC’s Cranford; Emma Thompson; Stephen Daldry; Ron Howard; Sam Mendes; Ralph Fiennes; David Hare; Peter Morgan; Hugh Laurie; and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Full list of winners HERE
Our bandwagon jumping Early Day Motion, tabled in Parliament yesterday HERE
BAFTAs nominees out today too… HERE
Oona King joins Channel 4
Oona King has joined Channel 4, not as a CBB contestant, but as the Head of Diversity. This new role was one of the initiatives they announced as part of Next on 4 last year and Oona will play a key role in championing diversity across all Channel 4’s activities both on and off screen. She will also support Channel 4’s work with the Cultural Diversity Network, which Andy Duncan is chairing this year.
We like Oona King, and it’s nice to see that Channel 4’s financial troubles are clearly not as dire as has been made out, given that they are making such high-profile hirings. More on this HERE.
Video Games
Sales of videogames hit an all-time high in 2008, according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association). Total sales of all videogame software and hardware amounted to more than £4 billion, with growth of 23 percent on figures for 2007. The market has now more than doubled over the last five years.
We are strong supporters of our video games industry (Ed played Wii over Christmas, which is real progress), and wish the Government would act to reverse its decline.
Broadcasting
Mark Thompson has called on the government to help its commercial rivals service the economic downturn so that their content might help inspire the population to adopt high-speed broadband technologies. He also said that he supports a merger of Channel 4 and Five. More on this HERE.
Ahead of the forthcoming government report on Digital Britain, Andy Duncan gave a speech on this topic at NESTA this week, suggesting, amongst other things, that Britain will be selling ideas, creativity and imagination long after the oil has run out. More on this HERE.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has published its preliminary view to recommend that ITV’s Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) Undertakings are relaxed. This follows the OFT’s in-depth review into CRR, conducted with the assistance of Ofcom. More on this HERE and you can see the full review HERE Jeremy commented on this HERE
The BBC and ITV are discussing sharing regional news resources. More on this HERE.
Design
Design is more important in a downturn, and more than half UK businesses agree with them. More on this HERE
Creative Industries Report
The DCMS belatedly released a worrying report this week on the value of the creative industries to the UK economy. The Creative Industries Economic Estimates analysed data from 2005/6 but suggests that the recession currently engulfing the whole economy was being felt by the creative sector in 2006. The -3% growth was influenced mainly by shrinking architectural, software, publishing and advertising industries. The report is available HERE
In Parliament
Arts Council England has distributed £2.4 billion in National Lottery funds since the Lottery was established in 1994. HERE
… More than £600 million of that money has gone towards theatre projects. HERE
Regularly funded theatres will receive £102 million from the Arts Council in 2008/9. HERE
The percentage of adults attending arts events during the last three years has remained static but the number participating in arts events has fallen. HERE
The percentage of adults visiting museums and galleries since 2005/6 has increased from 42% to 44%. HERE
The MLA monitor the media for the term ‘obituaries’ while the Arts Council spent £119,000 last year on scanning the media for references to ‘Andy Burnham’, ‘Big Lottery Fund’ and ‘Theatre’. HERE
Early Day Motions
Libraries HERE
BBC World Service HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
JAMES, Film 4, The Reading Agency, RADA, Gethsemane at the National, Santu Mofokeng at Rivington Place gallery, The Cesarians at 93 Feet East, PACT, ITV, BBC, Channel 4, Discovery Communications, Revolutionary Road.
8 January 2009
Weekly Email from the Conservative Cultural and Creative Industries Team
Welcome back. We hope you had a good break and would like to wish you all a happy new year. It’s been busy, busy, busy despite the holiday. Jeremy Hunt got engaged, and Ed Vaizey’s mum got a CBE. And a lot else has been happening…
Tory Stuff
Super-Fast Broadband and creative industries
David Cameron has announced our plans to facilitate the roll-out of superfast broadband over the next few years. He also announced the creation of a creative industries task force to look at the creative industries in the round and formulate Tory policy. If you want to be involved just reply to this email. Read the speech HERE and look for the heading “Fibre-Optic Broadband”.
Lottery Freedom Day
We’ve worked out that it takes until March 24th for any money to go to the four good causes from the Lottery, what we call Lottery freedom day. This is because £300 million is spent on administration by the lottery awarding bodies, and so much money has been diverted to the Olympics. Read the story HEREl
Buildings at Risk
Over Christmas we published a heritage report looking at Labour’s treatment of the heritage sector since 1997. You can view or download ‘History of Neglect’ HERE The biggest concern is that more new buildings are going on to the At Risk Register than are coming off it, because of Labour’s cuts to heritage funding. Read the story HERE and HERE
Other Stuff
New Year Honours
In amongst all those athletes and civil servants, there were some honours for people from the cultural world.
Proving there’s nothing like a Dame, our congratulations go to Dame Jenny Abramsky at the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dame Rosalind Savill at the Wallace Collection. While it was Knight fever for author Sir Terry Pratchett and NESTA Chairman Sir Chris Powell.
James Hervey-Bathurst (Historic Houses Association), Ian McKenzie-Smith (artist), Paul Potts (Press Association), Jeremy Thomas (film producer), Cilla Snowball (AMV Group) and Mother Vaizey all received CBEs.
There were OBEs for Thomas Thomson (Royal Scottish National Orchestra), Hilary Riva (Fashion Council), Katrina Mitchell (Theatre Director), Lakhbir Kaur (broadcaster), Fergus Early (Artistic Director and founder of Green Candle Dance Company), Peter Rankin (Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust), Paul Morrell (ex-Cabe and RIBA) and Nicola Milican (Artistic Director of New Moves International).
You can read the full list of all honours HERE , but we’ve taken the trouble to pull out the main arts and creative industries ones and put them on the attached word document, for your ease. Congratulations to one and all!
Creative Industries
Andy Burnham interview
Andy Burnham gave a wide-ranging interview in The Daily Telegraph at Christmas HERE, in which he suggested that cinema-style ratings could be given to web sites. The proposal is condemned by the Telegraph in its editorial HERE and also questioned by The Guardian this week HERE. We think there is some merit in giving ISPs a greater role in providing clear guidance for parents about internet content and how to make the internet as safe as possible. We also see merit in publishing take down times for individual providers. Where Burnham is silent is the need to review all regulation in the light of convergence, particularly the need to lighten broadcast regulation to allow commercial television and radio broadcasters to compete effectively.
Burnham also indicates in his interview that he is likely to rule out top-slicing the licence fee to provide money to Channel 4, instead giving it a share of revenue from BBC Worldwide.
Digital Radio Report
The Digital Radio Working Group published its report at the end of the year HERE. The report sets out a clear path from analogue to digital, with the possibility of a date for switchover being set by 2017. We welcome the report, and believe Government now needs to give clear leadership for switchover, as well as make important regulatory changes to help make commercial radio more competitive.
Jeremy Interview
Speaking on Radio 4’s Media Show, Jeremy set out his latest thinking on the debate on public service broadcasting. He talked about the independence of the BBC Trust, the future of Channel 4 and Ofcom’s forthcoming public service broadcasting report. You can read a summary of the interview HERE
Artist’s Resale Right Derogation
After a deal of dithering, the Government has at last applied to the European Commission for an extension on its derogation from the artist’s resale right. We welcome the move, which we believe will allow the British art market to compete more effectively against America. HERE
Another review, this time on Copyright
The Government has launched yet another review, one of a series to give the appearance of action where there is none, this time on copyright. HERE We think that there should be a clear copyright framework, with clarity about where responsibility lies within Government, clear rules and rigorous enforcement. It’s not rocket science, so why another review after Gowers?
Sundance film festival
Twelve British films have been selected for the Sundance film festival this month HERE We wish them luck, and note that three of them benefited from the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund.
Architecture, the year in review
Ed contributed to Building Design’s survey of leading figures, who were asked to comment on the most significant architectural events of the last year. As you will see, Ed spectacularly missed the point and talked about which parties he went to, while others took a somewhat, err, broader view. HERE
Culture
Library Cuts in the Wirrall
The Lib Dem/Labour coalition in the Wirrall has voted to close 13 libraries HERE – despite strong protests from local people, and despite the warning from Andrew Motion, the chairman of the MLA, against short-sighted cuts by local authorities HERE. Wirral Conservatives have opposed the closures, described by the Campaign for the Book as “cost-led vandalism”, and we will be giving them our full support. Wirral’s actions contrast with those of councils like Conservative-controlled Hillingdon, which is busy refurbishing all its libraries and doubling attendance in the process.
British Embassies Losing Art
Lots of art has gone missing from British Embassies abroad HERE Jeremy has said that there needs to be better security to protect these works.
Stage lists top people in Theatre…and Neil McGregor is the Times’ top Brit
The Stage has published its list if top 100 theatre people HERE. Suitably controversial.
The Times has made Neil McGregor its Brit of the year HERE, prompting blogger Lee Rosenbaum from America HERE to envy us and comment that “culture must be King in Britain”. Congratulations to Neil, you’re our top Brit too (after David Cameron) even if we are not in a position to canonise you. We hope that the British Council will now continue to promote the arts effectively abroad.
British Council
Following the to-ing and fro-ing last year (to put it mildly) the British Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the arts and appointed a new director, Rebecca Walton HERE.
Harvard Report
Harvard University has issued an interesting report, calling for the arts to be put at the centre of the university’s life, alongside the humanities and sciences HERE. We don’t know what that means in practice, but it sounds like good news.
Henry Moore and Harold Pinter
Ed has discovered the world’s largest Henry Moore in his constituency HERE and called for Harold Pinter to be memorialised in Poets’ Corner HERE
Interesting Pieces
From across the Pond, Newsday on what Obama’s arts policy could look like HERE; William Ferris on why Obama should appoint a Culture Secretary to his Cabinet HERE (take Ed, he’s a US Citizen).
Where We’ve Been and Who We’ve Seen
Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover at the Bush; Warhorse and August: Osage County at the National; Rothko at the Tate; The Prince’s Charities at Kensington Palace, Hamlet at the Novello Theatre and Turnadot at the Royal Opera House.
18 December 2008
Weekly email from the Conservative Culture and Creative Industries Team 18 December 2008
We’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Unfortunately, because of the credit crunch, we’re not sure whether or not it will be a Happy New Year for the arts. We’re also not sure if this will be the last e-mail before the New Year, we’ll have to see how we’re feeling…
Arts and Heritage
Andy Burnham on Newsnight Review
We very much enjoyed the Newsnight Review special on “culture after a crash” discussing whether the downturn will give rise to great art, what it means for funding and whether we as a society would take refuge in ‘mushy TV and musicals’. Andy Burnham also put in an appearance, acknowledging that the treasury has asked for 1.5% savings in the third year of the current spending round, and saying that, like all departments ‘[DCMS] will have to do our part’. Watch the whole show on BBC iPlayer until this Friday HERE. The report featuring Andy Burnham’s comments starts about 12 minutes in.
We are concerned that the Government is planning to cut arts funding, and we have heard that 5% cuts for the year 2009-10 may be on their way.
New Chair of Arts Council England
Dame Liz Forgan has been appointed as the new chairman of the Arts Council. We know her well and are delighted. We look forward to being dealt with robustly by her, as we were when she was at HLF. More on this HERE.
Free Theatre Tickets
Arts Council England has also announced that 99 applicants to the free theatre ticket scheme have been successful. These applicants represent over 200 venues across the country and should see 618,000 free tickets given away to under 26 year olds in the two year pilot. You can see more about this HERE.
We wish those who were successful well and think that anything that gets more young people into theatres around the country is good news. Jeremy has pointed out though that only two months ago Andy Burnham promised the scheme would involve 1 million free tickets. He seems obsessed with spinning his announcements to get the best headlines and then letting others pick up the pieces. Jeremy’s full response can be seen HERE.
Cultural learning Report
A report calling for a new approach to culture and learning in England has been published by the Culture and Learning Consortium, representing Arts Council England, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation, Esmée Fairbarn Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums, Libraries & Archives Council, Northern Rock Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The report, Culture and Learning: A new agenda for advocacy and action, makes ten recommendations, calling on central government, local authorities, regional agencies, schools and cultural organisations to work together to shape a new agenda for cultural learning to meet the needs, aspirations and talents of all learners. Specifically, the report recommends that the learning and cultural sectors should come together to form a Cultural Learning Alliance, for an initial period of three years, to develop and advocate for a coherent national strategy for cultural learning drawing on this report’s recommendations. The Alliance would work alongside the main cultural and learning bodies, the relevant government departments and their national agencies, and regional and local government agencies. Read the report HERE.
We welcome what we have seen of the report, as we strongly believe there needs to be both coherence and critical mass for cultural learning at local government level to make an impact on children and schools.
David Cameron and family go to the ballet
Our Leader, David Cameron, went to see the English National Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty last week. He says: ‘I think it is wonderful. There’s nothing better than watching them all thunder across the dance floor’. Charlotte Higgins from the Guardian tells us she approves of David’s taste. We think this may be the first nice thing Charlotte has written about the Tories this century (or last). Marvellous. Read her piece HERE
Support Officers for Historic Places of Worship
Andy Burnham has announced that English Heritage, the Government’s lead adviser on the historic environment, is making available £1.5 million to part-fund 30 Support Officers to help congregations of all faiths manage and maintain their historic places of worship. More on this HERE.
Libraries and Reading
Unison has launched a campaign to defend our public libraries, more on this HERE and read the report HERE. Obviously we support any campaign that promotes libraries, and we will be announcing our own proposals on the future of libraries in the first half of the new year.
In other news the Reading Agency announced this week that Liz Cleaver, Controller of BBC Learning will take over from Martin Molloy as Chair of the Reading Agency from March 2009. We congratulate Liz on her appointment and pay tribute to Martin Molloy who led the board since overseeing the merger of the agencies forming the Reading Agency in 2002. More on this HERE.
US Theatre
An interesting report from the National Endowment for the Arts on not-for-profit theatre in the US is available HERE
Creative Industries
New Chair of Ofcom
Continuing the theme of women at the top, Ofcom have announce their Chair-elect is Dr Colette Bowe. She will follow David Currie. We think she has immense experience and it is exciting to have a woman appointed to this role for the first time. More on this HERE.
Obama appoints an architect to head housing policy
President-elect Obama has appointed an architect, Shaun Donovan, as his head of housing and urban development. Read the story in Building Design HERE which has covered Obama’s urban planning policies very comprehensively.
We are excited by this news. As regular readers know, we have advocated the appointment of a Chief Architect/Planner/Designer (choose title according to your specific prejudice) to robustly champion the principles of good design in both urban housing and Government procurement, working alongside CABE. Obama’s approach seems similar to ours and we will look with interest at how it develops.
Sundance Film Festival
Following on from last week’s news on the Golden Globes, congratulations to the 12 British films that have been selected for the Sundance film festival which takes place in January. Sundance is the leading festival for independent films so it’s a great indicator of the health and creativity of the new wave of British filmmaking. Three of the films selected have been supported with Lottery money from the UK Film Council: Alexis Dos Santos’ Unmade Beds, Dominic Murphy’s White Lightnin’ and Armando Iannucci’s In the Loop. More on this HERE.
Video Games and Music
As you know, we love the video games industry, so we were delighted to learn that video games can help young people into music. Read the report from Youth Music HERE
Ofcom review into children’s advertising
Ofcom has published its findings of its review looking at the impact of the restrictions on advertising of junk food. Their findings estimate the amount of TV advertising for less healthy foods seen by children aged 4-15 has dropped by around a third.
Interestingly, the report does not point out that Ofcom’s restrictions have killed children’s television and not, as far as we can see, resulted in any reduction in childhood obesity. See the report HERE
Ofcom will regulate the Post Office
Ofcom will be taking over Postcomm, the Royal Mail regulator, so that snail mail will be regulated alongside the internet. Interesting.
In Parliament
The Arts Council is giving a greater proportion of its funding in grants of more than £15 million now than it was in 2002/03. HERE
The DCMS is late on publishing updated figures on the value of the creative industries but aims to do so by the end of the year. HERE
DCMS staff received bonuses last year totalling £434,417. HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
Ben Brown Fine Arts; Publishers’ Association International Conference; Hamlet at the RSC; Broadband Stakeholder Group; RSC in Stratford Upon Avon; Shadow DCMS Christmas Party, which included a trip to Avenue Q; Oedipus at the National Theatre; Lincoln Drill Hall; London Symphony Orchestra; and Milton Keynes Gallery.
And Finally…
Ed has a new member of staff specialising in cultural policy. She is Helen Burrows, and can be contacted on burrowsh@parliament.uk Helen is a photographer and comes to us from Dance UK, for whom she will continue to freelance, so expect to see lots of unusual references to dance in our press releases next year (e.g. “Tories slam Government for ignoring dance in public service broadcasting review”; “Tories call for greater role for dance in archaeology” (That’s enough dance press release jokes, Ed)).
Culture Politics BETA 