I am just emerging from a week of illness. It is many years since I have felt so down-right knackered , but my time on the sofa has given me time to reflect and read a couple of news items in the AN feed. As always, the AN is full of positive items about the ‘arts’ and how culturally enlightening this can be for our society. However, as the election looms and the all propaganda (as per usual during election campaigns) is directed towards telling us how – ‘we’ve never had it so good’, I’m sure those fighting against the closure of arts courses and studio spaces due to financial constraints and greed may well disagree. In these times of austerity (outside the London Bubble) in my opinion caused by the ‘carnage of greed’, the arts, the poor, the venerable, the weak always suffer. This squeeze is seen in many ways, but for me no more so that the steady increase in the amount of young and middle aged men (and occasionally women) begging on the streets of Newcastle. I remember a time when this was very unusual, not the norm!!!
So I send good luck to those fighting the cause, and deep thoughts to those out on the streets tonight. And remember, as the song so aptly put it – ‘no matter who you vote for the government always gets in!’ Democracy? A very thin veil over autocracy if you ask me!
