Political Art

I am sure we all remember Jeremy C Hunt, the charming little chap who serves Daveybloke as Secretary for Cultchah, Murdoch and Sport, and who has been rather quiet since the Guardian exposed News International's privatisation of the police and enthusiasm for freedom of other people's information. Jeremy C Hunt, you will recall, was the chap who wanted to sign over yet another large chunk of the country's communications media to Rupert Murdoch just before the scandal broke; and, being a Murdoch gofer and a minister for something the Government considers nearly as important as full employment or keeping the planet habitable, Jeremy C Hunt has doubtless long been in need of a humiliation he can do something about. Accordingly, now that the Leveson inquiry has yielded up the front pages to other grand achievements, Jeremy C Hunt has decided it's time for a mean little stab in the back, and has ordered the chair of Arts Council England not to seek a new term of office when her present one expires in January. Quite aside from the Government's persistent need to sort the arts into what's fit for the proles and what can be sold off, the chair of Arts Council England is also chair of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian. Jeremy C Hunt will appoint some people to draw up a shortlist for a replacement, which Jeremy C Hunt will then select; and it is understood that James Murdoch has some time to spare nowadays.