MAB Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Well, it's almost over and after the inevitable horse trading in the event of the predicted hung parliament, we can get back to normal when we turn the telly on. However despite the wall to wall electioneering I seemed to have missed something rather important: what did they say about the arts? Clearly I didn't catch the vital statements about arts funding, can anyone fill me in? Even at the eleventh hour a positive attitude towards arts policy might just decide where I put I put my X. What's that you say? you never heard anything either? Surely not, our wise politicians must have put the arts near the top of their agendas........... mustn't they? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Well, I was looking at the Green Party manifesto a short while ago, and they devote about 1/3 of a page to the arts. However, unbelievably in this day and age, the PDF appears to be a graphic one, so I can't copy and paste the text in, or search it. If you want to go to the trouble of downloading it, it's at the bottom of page 61, and they promise to increase funding by £500 million per year to restore the cuts, among many other things. MAB has made a valid point here, and it's a question which concerns many of us on these boards, I suspect. However, since we usually ban politics from this board, can I ask that anyone else contributing keeps their statements purely factual in response to her query. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 There was an article in The Stage a couple of days ago (check their Twitter feed) where the culture minister/spokesman of the 7 main parties answered a series of questions on arts policies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Here is the Stage feature: https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2015/general-election-arts-policies/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Thanks, Janet, you beat me to it It would still be interesting to know whether all the parties thought the arts of sufficient importance to put them in their manifesto. I suspect the answer to that will be "no". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Having now read it (or at least where it relates to those parties I have the opportunity to vote for), I found it enlightening and frankly, in some cases, totally depressing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 (edited) Oh well, it's too late now, I voted on the way to work this morning before reading this! Edited to add: just had a look at the article in The Stage and they didn't interview the Monster Raving Loony Party. Whyever not? I'm sure they have an interesting Arts policy... Edited May 7, 2015 by taxi4ballet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Along similar lines I didn't hear a single education policy - all health and economy. I would imagine that the Arts will be a long way down any priority lists. Not sure I can objectively comment on that as dd would love an MDS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 My father in law use to be a paid up member of the Loonies " It is proposed to introduce free travel on trams and buses for musicians as they bring joy into people’s lives…. Obviously" Is all I could find. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Screaming Lord Sutch of the Monster Raving Looney Party. He was some character all right. Don`t think I could ever bring myself to actually vote for them but I was sad when I heard that he had died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 BTW,Is anyone else on here staying up all night to watch the election results come in? It`s now a quarter to one and i`ve Sky News on.Don`t know if I will stay up the whole night,but I plan to be up watching it for at least another hour.Anyone else? Anyone going to do an all-nighter and watch the whole thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) I tuned in at 6 am and found it, finally, quite exciting. It reminded me of the Monty Python election sketch where the result was pretty much as predicted, except the other party won. We don't seem to have had any interesting candidates or any clear policy about anything here. The talk seems to have been mostly about fighting for the ordinary people ( who they anyway? how do you define ordinary? ) and the usual delivering of things ( unspecified but you will be out anyway, so it doesn't matter ) moving forward, a bit more fighting and filling in the potholes - maybe. Certainly nothing about the arts. But if you read the local rag, it is clear the fighting is very popular! Edited May 8, 2015 by Jacqueline 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 OK,I didn`t stay up all night.! But I LOVE the name of one of the Monster Raving Looney Party`s candidate,running in the constituency of Ed Milliband,the Labour leader. The "Looney" party candidate was called Nick The Flying Brick. Always kind of liked the Loonies. Not that I would ever vote for them of course,but I think they bring a refreshing bit of fun to the whole thing. Was sad when their leader,Screaming Lord Sutch died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 No surprises where we are - safe seat unfortunately. Having asked my MP for help a couple of years ago, I know where her priorities lie... and it isn't with her constituents. Anyway, enough of all that. Waiting to see what the result in South Thanet will be and how many people voted for Al Murray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Sad day for me I'm afraid and I fear for the Arts in the long run now .....just hope I'm proved wrong. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 BTW,Is anyone else on here staying up all night to watch the election results come in? It`s now a quarter to one and i`ve Sky News on.Don`t know if I will stay up the whole night,but I plan to be up watching it for at least another hour.Anyone else? Anyone going to do an all-nighter and watch the whole thing? No way. I decided that what will happen will happen, regardless of whether I watch it or not, so why bother? Anyway, mine is such a safe seat that they could probably have fielded a hamster and he'd have won. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Lots of hamsters in Herts and Lincoln, Alison. RIP, NHS and the arts. You were lovely while you lasted. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 My area was a safe seat too but i think that as much to do with our local MP as it does any party or policy. In the floods of 2007, lots of politicians came and had their pictures taken in our village and commented on the 'tragedy' but they could not wait to get out of there whereas the local MP came door to door asking what people needed and then rolled up her sleeves and joined in with the clearup - no cameras or press reportage - just wanted to help 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 How lovely to think that there are still MPs like that - and people who will vote for them because of it. Would that were the case here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I feel a bit shellshocked at the moment although relieved it's all over bar the shouting, David Cameron is already back from the Palace, did enjoy seeing the results coming in on the BBC website from 6am to about 9.30am, but I'm an early riser anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 "All over"? It may be only just beginning ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 "All over"? It may be only just beginning ... There's a cartoon in The Times showing the Queen and Prince Philip stocked up with vital supplies and a camp bed in the House of Lords Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I watched the coverage only up until the exit polls and went to bed. The coverage was quite good I thought - the bbc graphics were completely over the top. Channel 4 were disappointingly unfunny though, particularly before the polls closed. I actually dreamt that Labour had won by a landslide, and then woke up to the news. Our seat was supposedly neck and neck, but that was largely based on the last election result. This time the winner won so outright, it made voting feel rather pointless . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I think the Times cartoon was because everyone thought there wouldn't be an outright majority and there could be days of negotiations (horsetrading) before a viable coalition was in place. However, it is a clear majority so no longer applies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I was shocked by the Lewes result(though I'm not in that constituency) the MP there seems to have been forever and was thought locally to be quite good......also by the direction in which it swung!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 "All over"? It may be only just beginning ... The beginning of the end...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 The BBC graphics is a boys toys thing I think. Also it enables them to fill hours and hours of cheap election programmes rather than having to put on anything that costs to make...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Lots of hamsters in Herts and Lincoln, Alison. RIP, NHS and the arts. You were lovely while you lasted. Well, the 1930s weren't that bad a time for the arts; hopefully the "new" 1930s won't be either. However, it'll probably be more like the USA, with less government involvement and more control by wealthy individuals and corporate sponsors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 They weren't a good time anywhere. I am very concerned for Europe as a whole. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 What have the 1930s got to do with anything, Melody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Just got home, from a little election night party with a couple of friends. Apart from an hour's nap I haven't slept for the past thirty nine hours. I'm a bit of a neutral now when it comes to politics. Seen it all, heard it all and been promised it all before, so vote for whoever I reckon will do the least harm usually, though that can be a tough call. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Sometimes the local MP can be the decider. I heard someone on the radio saying that in the end he voted for the Tory MP because he could never get hold of the Labour one in his constituency! Which is fair enough really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) What have the 1930s got to do with anything, Melody? Well, in response to the people who told me that a vote for Labour would be a vote for returning to the 1970s, it seems to me that a vote for the Conservatives would be a vote for returning to the 1930s. The situation before the introduction of the post-war Labour reforms seems to be the sort of society we're going back to: more income inequality, reduced social spending, emphasis on personal rather than social responsibility, private funding of as much as possible including increasingly health care and the arts. However, in many ways the arts really flourished in the 1930s, so there's no reason why it shouldn't happen again even if the government does cut funding and expect the shortfall to be made up from private sources. Edited May 9, 2015 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts