Jatinder Verma?s suggestion of an ?arts register? for MPs (p11) is a nice idea. Wouldn?t it be good to know what our politicians really think about the arts? (Clearly, a number of our political parties don?t think about them at all, having failed to give them even a mention in their election manifestos (p1)). While we don?t expect the Defence Secretary to own a personal collection of tanks, we do expect our cabinet ministers ? and indeed all politicians ? to be fully engaged with the ?communities? that they serve (p10). They seem to manage this when it comes to schools and hospitals, but find it much more of a struggle with the arts.
Most arts professionals, regardless of their party political allegiances, would presumably like their councillors, their constituency MPs, and even their Chancellor to show at least a flicker of interest in the arts. But how can we know? Do our MPs secretly flip over from Newsnight to catch Desperate Housewives? Does Die Walkure edge out Mamma Mia? And have any politicians actually seen Jerry Springer ? The Opera? Tessa Jowell has been quoted as saying she enjoys ?music?, but we are in the dark as to whether that means she likes playing the trumpet, listening to reggae or singing in church. Maybe those who represent us should be required to register their receipts from Blockbuster or their ticket stubs from the South Bank.
Few politicians have ever admitted to being passionate about the arts ? perhaps because of an inherited assumption that the arts aren?t popular and are even anti-populist (and especially at election time, the need to be popular is clearly more important than the need to be open and honest). Perhaps they need to be reminded that Churchill was never shy about his interest in painting, and indeed won the Nobel Prize in Literature. His interest in culture never seemed to damage his popularity.