Blow to arts as voters oust popular cellist
NewsIn one of few Labour setbacks last night, voters in Bristol Central unaseated Thangam Debbonaire, who was destined to be Culture Secretary in Keir Starmer’s new government.
Debbonaire, 57, a former orchestral cellist who founded a string quartet in the House of Commons, had held the seat since 2010. She was defeated by the Green candidate by more than 10,000 votes.
Debbonaire’s defeat will be a blow to arts lobyyists who had been bending her ear for months in the hope of achieving a more sympathetic hearing from the new Labour Government.
By way of balance, the Tory Cultury Secretary Lucy Frazer lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats.
The arts are presently unrepresented in the new Parliament
As far as i know, Ms Debbonaire is (was, sadly) a politician who also plays the cello. Not “a popular cellist” who also perhaps does a bit of politics. Please give her credit for her career.
Thangam played in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic she is a professional Cellist, enough of your side comment, what doe not a popular Cellist mean????
Michael, was she a member of the orchestra?
What an unpleasant comment, Leon. I’ll put it down to your PA.
You insinuate that members are somehow better or more valued than freelancers, which really exposes you. Be better.
Oh please, Steph, it’s just a question. Incidentally, have YOU ever passed an orchestral audition/trial in you life? Please don’t project your issues onto others!
Sorry Michael, no snide (or side) comment intended. Pedantic perhaps. Just trying to point out that one should not transfer adjectives. Im a qualified electrician who plays trumpet. But not a qualified trumpeter. Whatever that is.
Probably that music lovers like me have a high regard for her. Her loss is a major blow on an otherwise very encouraging night
Whilst hopefully few will begrudge the impressive Carla Denyer her seat for the Greens, it is a tragedy for our sector that she thereby deprives the country and the DCMS of a Secretary of State who for the first time in a generation has a genuine interest in the Arts. And sad that her parliamentary quartet, the aptly names Statutory Instruments, face being disbanded.
The Greens what a wasted vote.
Whether it’s ‘wasted’ or not depends on your view of our current democratic system. But what is undoubtedly true is that the Green lobby is not short of supporters or activists. Classical music and performing arts, however, need all the support they can get. Thangam, I gather, was intending to change many things for the better, from a position of genuine influence. Votes being wasted is debatable, but opportunities such as this definitely are. I seriously doubt Denyer’s ability, as a tiny minority in parliament, to make a huge difference to Labour government policy (on anything). To think otherwise is wishful (if laudable) thinking.
The arts are represented by a Prime Minister who played the flute to a decent standard and a Deputy PM who appreciates opera. And I’d put money on Debonnaire being elevated to the Lords as Culture Secretary – Starmer won’t want to lose her expertise.
Lisa Nandy has been appointed Secretary of State at DCMS. Let’s hope she is genuinely interested in the job, and not just climbing the greasy pole.
Everyone agrees that Nigel is an artist. They just disagree about what kind.
Just add the prefix “con” and you’ll have it.
Greater blow to the arts is that Tom Gray founder of “ the broken record “ campaign and tireless campaigner for fairness in payments for musicians from the streaming giants failed in his bid to become Labour MP for Brighton Pavillion. Spotify must be cheering.
I’ve been watching reasonable people falling for her campaigning, she really rewarmed up Tory promises from 2010 with zero investment to back any of them up…what’s the point of a socialist government if they keep selling trickle down economics? The rest is just noise if they are not prepared to improve the miniscule public spending on the arts. Happy to see her back frankly, we are better off with another Green in parliament.
She lost her seat because she was an utterly vapid, economically and politically illiterate vacuum of a person who had nothing to offer and was a member of a Party led by a hyper mendacious stooge.
Her being a cellist is irrelevant here.
It is good her political career has ended in my view.
Such a shame – she would have been an admirable campaigner for musos!
Except for our flute-playing new Prime Minister, of course.