On a lighter note

Brian Sewell remains one of my heroes. Probably he would hate me saying it (so vulgar my dear) but he shoots from the hip. Yesterday's Evening Standard had an article by him, which enumerated various far-ranging reforms that really would save money and help the arts in this country. Number one reform, I am glad to say, would be the abolition of the Arts Council. He goes on with some other sensible ideas though I do not agree with the notion of charging just foreign visitors to go to museums and art galleries. The idea of that bureaucracy would be nightmarish and it is those same foreign visitors who are likely to leave generous amounts of money in the collection boxes. After all, those museums in other countries that Mr Sewell (and all of us) pay to visit also charge their own citizens. Otherwise, I can find no real fault. Like education, the whole arts business and its relationship with the state needs to be reconsidered root and branch.