New Culture Secretary lists no cultural interests

New Culture Secretary lists no cultural interests

main

norman lebrecht

July 14, 2016

Karen Bradley, who succeeds John Whittingdale as UK Secretary for Culture Media and Sport, is a former tax manager who held a security brief in the Home Office.

Representing a rural constituency, she has no track record on the arts and makes no mention of them in her website c.v.

Looks like she has visited Madam Tussauds.

karen bradley with thatcher

Comments

  • Robert King says:

    Her new department’s main policy areas are:
    1 arts and culture
    2 broadcasting
    3 creative industries
    4 cultural property, heritage and the historic environment
    5 gambling and racing
    6 libraries
    7 media ownership and mergers
    8 museums and galleries
    9 the National Lottery
    10 sport
    11 telecommunications and online
    12 tourism

    Can any SD readers elucidate as to her experience across any of these fields? Her own biography, departmental profile and other online resources are overly modest in illuminating her undoubted qualifications for this important post.

  • 18mebrumaire says:

    Rearrange the department’s title in reverse order and you will get a pretty good idea of its present priorities. Departmental policy will therefore remain safe (cheap and populist) in Ms Bradley’s hands, no doubt. God help us all.

  • Mark Pemberton says:

    Our problem is going to be that, like previous Culture Secretaries, she is not going to understand the ‘market failure’ bit of her portfolio. She’ll berate us for not being able to stand on our own two feet. It’s back to the drawing board for us arts advocates.

  • Dave T says:

    I would think that as Britain Brexits the (5) “gambling and racing” minister should play a pronounced role.

  • Carol Blades says:

    Absolutely chilling.

  • Adrian says:

    Anyone in the UK ever seen our new PM at a cultural event? Not a leading question, genuinely interested.

  • davidinrome says:

    Highly qualified for the job!

  • MOST READ TODAY: