The problem of openness
by John Craig
First was the very different coverage of the premiere of Jerry Springer the Opera. With a different group of religious protesters, largely white, the soul-searching shifted from the role of public life to the role of art. On what is sadly safer conversational ground, this seemed nearer the mark. Secondly, Ken Livingstone got in to hot water in the London Assembly this week for describing criticism of his dialogue with the cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi as 'racist'. Equally, this made me wonder whether we are struggling to remember what politics is for.
As the media help to create an increasingly singular, integrated public realm ' is there any problem that cannot be solved on Radio 5 phone-in? ' our sense that either art or politics are governed by special sets of rules seems harder and harder to sustain. While in our professional lives for example, it is comforting to know we are protected from accusations of racism, so it is comforting to think that public politics is pretty unforgiving on the subject. And just as religious insults are rightly prohibited in many places, history suggests there is much to gain from allowing them in works of art.
Perhaps this is one line of thought that develops out of Bentley and Miller's excellent essay on the decline of political parties. Across our work, from community leadership to European elections, it feels like this challenge of maintaining a diverse range of public practices is becoming increasingly visible, and increasingly central to our work.