Heaven help them

It is difficult to know how one should feel when reading a press release which says that, in deciding not to fund seven non-national museums, the DCMS is 'confident that despite the current economic climate alternative bodies will be keen to take on the sponsorship (aka funding) of these museums.'

Should one feel sorrow for the naivety of the person at the DCMS who thought that another body would step forward and provide the money to support these museums, each of which costs over £1m to stay open? Or should one feel sorry for the poor civil servant who had to write this nonsensical stuff to satisfy a minister's uninformed conviction?

As it happens, over two years later, the DCMS has managed to pass on three of the seven: two to the Science Museum Group and one - the Tyne and Weir Museums and Archives - to the Arts Council England who has not previously been responsible  for managing any such venue. Both host organisations are funded by, yes you guessed it, the DCMS. One only wonders what sweeteners were offered.

The remaining four, including the Geffrye, Horniman and Design Museum in London, and the People's History Museum in Manchester (hardly a name likely to please a backwoods Tory) remain in DCMS hands. The DCMS now announce that they 'have decided not to pursue alternative sponsorship for the Horniman and the Geffrye'.

So that was a sound (bite) policy wasn't it.

If they want to save money on running these museums they could think of introducing an admission charge. Oh, sorry, I forgot. These museums and galleries are full of 'art' and that could never happen.

News from elsewhere:

• Westminster plans to scrap its £350,000 arts programme
• Sheffield Council has confirmed it will cut £200,000 from Museums Sheffield from April
• Blackburn with Darwen Council ... as part of overall savings of £30m ... is reviewing opening hours at Blackburn Museum
• Cornwall Council wants to reduce the annual £384,000 subsidy to Mount Edgecumbe estate  by £66,000 for the next three years. A councillor says 'the estate will struggle to survive'  
• Newcastle City Council has announced plans to scrap £1.2 million in subsidies to theatres and other arts venues. Is there any connection here with the transfer of the Tyne and Weir Museums and Archives to the Arts Council?
• Tracey Emin threatens 'riots' at cuts in the arts. Now we should be really worried 

The dominoes are beginning to fall. It will only be a matter of time ...

Well said

Oh dear, we are back to our favourite subject: the problem of having a minister who has eaten a meal, ridden on a train, seen a bus (or certainly something that looked like one), or been to school (allegedly) and therefore knows how they should be run without having to ask for advice. Here are links to two recent pieces from the Independent. 

The first reminds one that while some people may be motivated by financial reward, this is rarely the case with good teachers. And, while we are on the subject of judging teachers ... we all agree that 'bad' teachers should be brought up to scratch or 'moved on' but one mighty powerful reason this has not happened in the past is that it is enormously difficult to define what 'bad' means when faced with the sort of measurable criteria that are needed when disciplining someone. Oh, MG would say, you can tell from the exam results. This is the same MG who says that more learning needs to take place as there has been too  much measurement.

This last is something on which we can, at last agree and which leads neatly to the second article in which Paul Vallely says everything that needs to be said about the state of education.  '... parents need to tell Mr Gove that the real enemy of education is unnecessary political tinkering by people like him.' Good stuff, eh?

Nice lines

A recent article in the Guardian talks of the cuts in arts funding saying:

The matched nature of most arts funding – with charitable, local and national grants being made conditional on one another – spells chaos, because after one block of funding is removed from a particular museum, gallery or theatre it will find that other elements begin to wobble too. The appropriate image is less the salami slice than a Jenga tower.

What an excellent and vivid description of the reality. If only others would talk like this and less about 'active positive stakeholder engagement'.

On a separate issue, the government announces a new healthy eating campaign. Food campaigner Jeannette Longfield asks the pertinent questions:

The government tells us it is showing up the hidden nasties in food. Well frankly, why are they hidden and, if they are nasties, what are they doing in our food in the first place?

Umm ... It would be difficult to put her question more succinctly or directly.