Thanks. But…

We’ve got the help we’ve been asking for, but is it a bit too late?

photo: Ian Espinosa

BAILOUT!

There.  Got your attention. On 6 July, the government threw us a bone.  A £1.5 billion sized bone. Finally, there was recognition that without some kind of financial help, cultural life in this country was quickly heading down the tubes.  It just took a few venues going into receivership/closing, a million articles, and a zillion signatures to get to that point.  No pressure. But – hey-ho – here comes the money!  The “gift” might be a little late for some, but we are all now supposed to be doing the Grateful Dance.

Nope.  Not here, anyway.  Buildings will be saved and that’s good.  The thought of swathes of the West End becoming a developer’s dream is the stuff of nightmares. Have a look at these incredible photographs by Joanna Vestey (here). Beautiful and tragic at the same time.  But what about the people who inhabit these buildings? These are spaces that are normally humming with bodies – tech, front of house, costume, stage management, creatives, performers.  These are the people who are last on the list to receive any benefit from the £1.5 billion gesture.  Yeah.  We said gesture.  Because that’s what it actually feels like. “Grand gestures are one thing.  Grand realities are another.” (Thanks, Brian.  Perfect.) The reality is that there are still a whole mess of people waiting, struggling and waiting again.  70 % of the cultural workforce is made up of freelancers. That’s a lot. We’ve got until October to “enjoy” the government support scheme for the self-employed.  Then what?

HERD IMMUNITY!

There.  Got your attention again.  Remember when the Prime Minister suggested that maybe we should all just sit around and get the virus and yes, some will die but we’ll be left with the strongest and the fittest?  Remember that? Let’s all do a collective eye roll.  There’s something of the “herd immunity” about this financial aid package.  Who gets it?  Who gets it first?  Timing is key (as is the amount).  Will it be enough and at the right time to save your staff, employ your creatives, save your building?  Will there have to be a Sophie’s Choice?

As time goes on, it will be interesting to see how the “saved” venues choose to operate.  Will things go back to the way they were?  Is it possible that the immediate alleviation of financial concerns might allow for a different way of operating, going forward?  It’s clear that government does not hold the arts in high regard.  We have been begging – begging – for help.  Wetherspoons got in there first. (Cue second eye roll). Call us crazy, but that speaks volumes.  Volumes.  We’re not wanted.  Not valued.  But we received a gesture.  And it was late.  And it was after Herd Immunity killed off the weak.   It’s starting to feel a little like destruction by design.

When we started this blog, we said it was not about solutions.  We suggested that, in coming together and sharing thoughts, emotions and opinions, there was a possibility that we might be able to find a way forward.  Here’s our thought:  what if, with the financial injection creating a cushion of sorts, we took this opportunity to NOT go back to the way things were?  What if we took advantage of all that creatives have been doing in this lockdown and created a new way to perform arts?  What if it wasn’t about dependence but independence?  What if we didn’t have to keep begging?  What if we didn’t go back, but went forward?  Just a thought.