The gods may be smiling on Greece at the moment but the problems being experienced there in the run up to this summer?s Olympic Games should not be ignored, as London redoubles its efforts to host the 2012 games. Jude Kelly (p5) is optimistic; but while there may be much that London, and Britain, would gain from hosting such an event, the cost is enormous and it would be naïve of the arts community to ignore the repercussions this would have on cultural funding.
Generous funds will no doubt be made available for wining and dining the notoriously fickle International Olympic Committee members, employing teams of people to promote London?s bid, and planning transport projects with limited relevance to everyday congestion problems. This is not to mention the estimated £3.6bn for simply staging the Olympics, of which, nearly £2.5bn will come from public funds, £1.5bn of this, from the Lottery. And all this at a time when the Lottery cash bonanza is already suffering from the impact of gambler fatigue and increasing pressure from other good causes. Such a significant bite out of the funds will necessarily curtail other arts expenditure, so London?s Olympic cultural programme had better be good to compensate.
Free music tuition for primary children is potentially as headline grabbing as the Olympics, if significantly less expensive. Indeed some newspapers and no doubt many members of the public think this is what the launch of the Music Manifesto (p1) means. However, with no injection of cash to back up its aspirations and ?priorities?, the chances that all children will get the opportunity to learn a musical instrument are, at best, slim. Such an initiative could create a generation gifted with creativity and confidence, keen to engage with music in adult life. It would offer a significant short-term employment boost and have a long-term impact on the music industry. For a government in search of a legacy, crumbling stadia (the Dome anyone?) and the vague memory of beach volleyball on Horseguards Parade may not prove to be the most enduring.