Maria Miller, England’s Secretary of State for Culture Media &Sport, gave her first major culture speech at the British Museum on 24 April, providing a warning that the arts would not be treated a special case in terms of the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.
She encouraged all ‘to get a proper grasp of the economic impact of culture’ asking for help in ‘reframing the arguments to hammer home the hidden values of arts to the economy’. One new element was the emphasis she put on the international impact of our culture, in soft diplomacy and in developing the trade deals of the future.
To help her make the case to Treasury, she concluded: ‘My call to you as arts and cultural leaders then is simple. I ask you: to continue to build resilience, self-confidence and self-reliance; to seek out new artistic and commercial opportunities; to position yourself squarely within the visitor economy; and to look for international opportunities which will benefit Britain’.
UK Government Speeches: LINK
