Open access?

Precious little that Labour have said or done since taking charge has come close to inspiring me to believe that genuine change is on the way; for the most part, it's been profoundly depressing to think that these are supposedly the good guys. But Lisa Nandy's interview with the Guardian's Pippa Crerar did at least give cause for (very cautious) optimism.

Not only has the Culture Secretary declared an end to the "culture wars" regularly provoked by the Tories, she also claimed that Labour are going to take significant steps in reversing the damage done by their predecessors.

Primarily, the focus will be ensuring that opportunities are available to all, starting with rebalancing the school curriculum. The Tories took the opposite approach: "Over the last 14 years, there's been a vandalism of the arts. Violent indifference to areas of the country that are becoming arts deserts. They were just not interested in arts everywhere, for everyone."

For someone who has regularly banged on about access being arguably the biggest issue in the arts, this is very much music to the ears. Of course, it remains to be seen whether these are merely fine words or whether there's a real commitment (political and financial) to make the vision a reality.