By our chair @suewilson91.bsky.social It was my pleasure to join the Thank EU for the Music team handing out EU flags at the Proms, Royal Albert Hall While the small, peaceful, friendly flag-waving efforts received no attention, the world’s media were out in force for Tommy Robinson’s hate rally

A migration expert has revealed how Brexit is making the small boats crisis worse... Peter Walsh, Oxford Migration Observatory, said leaving the European Union – which Farage campaigned for – has played a major role in creating the problem. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/migrat...

Clear we need agent of change principle in law not just in Scotland but rest of UK, a necessary protection for longstanding music venues threatened by redevelopment and noise complaints. My speech hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0... @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social @ukmusic.bsky.social

The small boat crossings won’t cease until we rejoin the EU, properly apply the Dublin Regulation and enable a legal route for asylum seekers. Crucially this would stop all the deaths for which we are morally responsible.

Journalists questioning Nigel Farage should be pointing out Brexit has been a primary factor in the sky rocketing number of small boat crossings. How hard can this be? youtu.be/cKXFjbxSBBI?...

Workplace conflict is costing the UK’s creative industries £1.8bn a year and freelancers are hit hardest. CIISA’s new report exposes the economic toll and calls for urgent action. Read it here: ciisa.org.uk/uncategorize... #FreelancersMakeTheatreWork #CIISA #UKArts #Theatre #Film #TV

Only 29% would back Brexit now

This is so important especially for craftspeople who may be freelance and/or sole traders and/or self employed. @heritage-crafts.bsky.social

My amendment in Employment Rights Bill arguing for a freelance commissioner to look at everything from construction workers to IT and creative industries. This amendment would have given such a commissioner real powers to effect change. hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0...

"With their vastly different temperaments, the two artists don’t sit well in the same space. But does that matter? The more you look, the more you see the similarities" 🎨 @nicktrench.bsky.social reviews 'Kiefer / Van Gogh' | @royalacademy.bsky.social #AnselmKiefer #VanGogh bit.ly/3TU8zOo

www.gov.uk/government/n... @patricialovett.bsky.social

Imagine outrage if people seriously suggested cutting up Mona Lisa or Picasso’s Guernica into strips and sharing them out between countries. That’s what happened to Phidias’s Parthenon Sculptures, which is why what we hold at BM should go back to Athens. hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0...

The last couple of governments have made a point of saying they’re going to make ‘hard, difficult choices’. I’m waiting for the government that’s going to make a ‘soft choice’. That’s the party I will vote for.

“This is Brexit Britain. We voted to take back control of our borders, not to accept a deal given to us by a French President” says Nigel Farage Imagine his shock when he finds out Brexit is a primary factor in the sky rocketing number of small boat crossings youtu.be/cKXFjbxSBBI?...

The Campaign for the Arts' analysis shows that the UK Government is planning to spend well over a third less per citizen on the Department for Culture, Media & Sport by 2029 compared with 2010. 👇 www.campaignforthearts.org/news/what-di... (6/6)

The Earl of Clancarty, who asked today's question of the Government, called for a more detailed and focussed plan for the arts. He said public arts funding via DCMS and the Arts Council underpins the commercial success of our creative industries. (5/6)

Today in the House of Lords, the Government was asked "what assessment they have made of the value of the subsidised arts sector". Baroness Twycross said the Government "strongly believes in the benefits of publicly funded arts". 🧵 (1/6)

There's an easier way to fix this - rejoin the single market, reinstate our lost trade with Europe. This would require courage to deconstruct the falsehoods peddled about Europe by the far right. #labour #welfarebill news.sky.com/story/politi...

11/ The 19th May “reset” UKEU Summit in London must not fail to unlock creative touring and the creative economy. That would be a failure for all of us.

The Court of Appeal ruled on 2 May anti-protest laws which completely ignored the will of Parliament are UNLAWFUL The Government has still not confirmed if it will accept the judgement & scrap these unlawful regulations which they opposed in opposition Why the delay?

This can’t be repeated enough

🔴 NEW 🔴 Labour bows to Murdoch lobbying 👇

Keir Starmer Braced For Huge Labour Rebellion Over Welfare Cuts More than 100 MPs have signed a letter urging the government to think again www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/keir-s...

The next stage in the ratification of the UK’s UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage is to nominate our traditional craft skills, traditions, festivals and knowledge. At last ICH is getting some recognition but the balance with this and tangible cultural heritage is still far apart.

www.gov.uk/government/n... @patricialovett.bsky.social

In The Times yesterday - the next stage in the UK’s inventory of our intangible cultural heritage. However, it isn’t just Hogmanay and morris dancing, it’s what makes us what we are. @heritage-crafts.bsky.social @dcmsgovuk.bsky.social

"Prepare to have your assumptions challenged by this nuanced and searching Royal Academy exhibition of 20th-century Brazilian art" 🎨 @nicktrench.bsky.social reviews 'Brasil! Brasil!: The Birth of Modernism' | @royalacademy.bsky.social bit.ly/4iuNsw1

The numbers tell the story. Why does Labour continue to support Brexit, a failed Tory project that is decimating UK trade

The end of freedom of movement has uprooted people's lives. He is British, she is Danish. The only place they can both move to and live together? Ireland. (Nothing against Ireland, but before Brexit they could have lived in any EU country.)

"It is a strange Proustian experience viewing the earliest video pieces from the 70s, which today feel like museum pieces... Nothing dates as quickly as new technology." 🤖 @NickClancarty reviews 'Electric Dreams' | @Tate #ElectricDreams bit.ly/4idZoSU

We're looking forward to this! @themumper.bsky.social 🙌 See Pauline Boty's artworks, plus stories and a learning resource on our site 👉 artuk.org/discover/art... 'Colour Her Gone' by Pauline Boty (1938–1966) © Courtesy of the Pauline Boty Estate. 📷 The Boty Family

My question in Lords asking Govt to review funding of British Council and forgive the covid loan. Shocking that Govt considering selling assets - which are the infrastructure. The contemporary art collection too is so important for arts and soft power hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0...

Many of those who voted Labour were hopeful this would be a kind, protective government. Instead people are fearful that this government will continue the Tories’ hostile environment regarding benefits.

The main reason for state-funding of the arts is it is right for its own sake. But it also should be seen as fortunate that that investment itself generates revenue and jobs. The govt are not really seeing that that public investment should be part of their growth plan, not something to do later.

Schools across England say they are being forced to make teachers and teaching assistants redundant to avoid going into deficit, in a serious blow to the new government’s plans to improve education www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Great speech. A position in a European orchestra or ballet company benefits not only the artist, who may return to a UK based role in future bringing in enhanced skills. Freedom of movement is not free: it is a controllable mobility framework if implemented properly using article 7. Win win.

Labour so at risk of falling between two stools: ‘while three in 10 Labour voters would consider a Reform vote, over four in 10 are thinking about the Lib Dems or Greens’ Why? Brexit. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Our drama schools are facing a financial crisis, shutting down opportunities for the next generation. On @theguardian.com today, Campaign for the Arts trustee Samuel West calls for "urgent action to protect and expand everyone’s access to the arts". www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Nicola Benedetti has said increased culture funding from the Scottish Government is “a very welcome step in the right direction”, but there are still widespread fears about the vitality and health of Scottish arts, which have experienced year-on-year cuts. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

The DESTRUCTION OF THE HUMANITIES at Cardiff University Management seems to think that Humanities scholars don't know how to read statistics Diving into their proposals shows how they are trying to hide the true extent of damage to Humanities disciplines here /1

'The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts" bit.ly/4gnDCuE An excellent letter, in today's @theguardian.com, by the co-chairs of @artsandhums.bsky.social, a collective of subject specialist organisations representing and advocating for arts & humanities subjects in UK HE. #skystorians

NEW: The N.I.H. will cut about $4 Billion from federal research grants that support cancer, virus and heart disease research. #Project2025 called for the cuts to end subsidies to "leftist" university agendas. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...

The End Game? Thames Water restructuring deal would provide £1.5bn now, potentially rising to £3bn. Already has £19bn debt. Customer bills will rocket. New money would pay adviser fees, existing interest charges, leaving £500m in usable cash. And after that? End the Ponzi scheme. Nationalise

Re the creative industries this government is largely doing what the last government did: putting a little money into the commercialised end of these industries, but too much allowing the arts to wither and die. My speech hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0...

105,000 new homes in England could be built in highest-risk flood zones. This is crazy, going on for years. Builders profit, people can't easily resell, get insurance. Lives threatened, pressure on flood defences, drainage, emergency services. Deregulation will make it worse.

Stupid Idea. King’s Cross to remove trains from departure board three minutes before they leave. So people make a mad dash, go to wrong platforms, to find train cancelled/delayed. Want to reduce rush - need to run more trains, affordable prices, punctual, better infrastructure.

Some on benefits are 'taking the mickey', says UK minister. Some may do so, millions do not but will be victimised by cuts. What about those abusing the tax system, govt procurement, buying honours, impoverishing people with profiteering, selling dud products, crashing companies?

Every sector which worked in the EU would like their FoM back. I can't see the EU offering any sectorial deal which doesn't favour their citizens and we are asking for access to 27 countries in exchange for one. We aren't going to get FoM through the back door. I wish it were different. #Breturn

We have lost our FoM. The EU aren't going to go for any sectorial deals that don't favour their citizens and we are one country vs 27. The only way to get back our "freedom to work" is to rejoin the SM. I hope our politicians listen and get back on the road to #Breturn