7 September to 14 September

Ethics, the Arts and the public purse

In February 2008 the Arts Council withdrew funding from almost 200 organisations and reprieved 18 others. Those that successfully overturned the decision to withdraw their funding seemed to have been those that 'shouted loudest' and gathered together the most prestigious group of supporters. Maev Kennedy drew attention to the fact that 'The tiny Bush Theatre......marshalled a galaxy of show business talents including Dame Judi-Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Daniel Radcliffe, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard.and duly keeps its entire grant of just under £500,000...'

It is right that the Arts Council should be a responsible steward of the resources over which it has control. Public money should be used well. However, having studied the sloppily presented and poorly argued letter by which one organisation learned that its funding had been axed, I think last year's revolution in Arts funding was ethically questionable. The main reason given for withdrawing funding from this organisation - its poor financial management, seemed to contradict an earlier letter praising certain aspects of its financial management as 'a particular strength', Worse still, the letter failed to mention the many earlier successes of those whose jobs were lost, including their ethically strong work with refugees and asylum seekers.

Gavin J. Fairbairn, Running Stream Professor of Ethics and Language, School of Applied Global Ethics.

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