Yesterday night we watched the excellent TV programme by Andrew Neil, on the likely consequences for the rest of the UK should the Scots vote for independence. That was a really thought-provoking experience. I fell to thinking throughout today of the possible consequences for the world of art. The arguments seemed to point in two directions.
Simon Jenkins made the interesting point that, in the event of Scottish secession, “England would become a more interesting place”. I wonder in what respect that might be so. Several speakers alluded to the way in which the relationship between London and the rest of the country would be changed. Somebody (I forget who) did make the perceptive point that the Scots are not necessarily anti-English: only anti London. This is a sentiment I share. Nothing gets my hackles up more than the phrase “the Home Counties”. Would London become more or less dominant in a reduced state? Already there are signs that the North of England is becoming very resentful of London’s excessive power, particularly in the current debate about transport structure. Would Scottish secession intensify a general resistance to the gross overweight of the capital? Or would London be a (relatively) even bigger fish in a small pond?
There is an obvious artistic dimension to this question. The point has often been made that spending on the arts is already heavily distorted in favour of London. Which way would the pendulum swing in “Little Britain”?
It is undoubtedly the case today that artistic taste is legislated on in the capital, and that unless artists manage to gain exposure in London they have little chance of making a national reputation for themselves. Would a stronger regionalism tend to give a greater sense of regional identity to the arts, or would we be screwed even harder by London parochialism?
Of course, the Scots might well vote to remain in a United Kingdom. My sense, however, is that this would not settle the larger debate about regionalism. All of the political parties have promised legislation to give greater devolution to the other national units (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) even if the Scots do remain in the UK. I am sure that such a discussion could not take place without having consequences also for the English regions. That debate would naturally have a thread of concern about the nature and role of the arts. It could no longer be the taken-for-granted assumption that spending on the arts was largely directed at subsidising tourism to London, as at present. Perhaps we need to begin preparing for that discussion now.