While I remain utterly indifferent to the appeal of the Charlatans, Tim Burgess continues to rise in my estimation - most lately thanks to this terrific riposte to Rishi Sunak's comments about musicians and other artists retraining for jobs in other sectors in the post-pandemic economy.
Succinct and subtly barbed, it touches on all of the key points: the ludicrously outdated notion that artists are indolent layabouts when in fact most already have to work second jobs, often "in the ironically named 'gig' economy", to support their creative pursuits; the corresponding, casually dismissive depiction of the arts sector as "some sort of luxurious, decadent hobby"; the failure to acknowledge that the arts not only generate billions for the economy each year but also provide nourishment for the soul - "a beacon of light in the darkness of lockdown" (Burgess' own Twitter Listening Parties are a splendid example).
You'd think that the Tories would at least understand the economic case for supporting the sector, even if they don't have souls in need of nourishment.
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