Another arts wanker on why he's so special and you should pay for it

A-grade artistic arrogance from British playwright Jonathan Holmes: A mature democracy should have the courage and the understanding to see the debt it owes its artists …   If only we were brave enough to pay them even more. The benefits of the arts are such a no-brainer, so obvious, that the sole genuine reason for cuts is censorship of some form. In the 20th century, the only governments to systematically attack the arts have been the ones that also attacked democracy.   By “systematically attack”, he means “reduce public funding”. Yet the most profound argument for art runs much deeper than any of this. Art, very simply, is how we comment on our world, how we …   Dear God, I do believe he’s actually going to say it: … speak truth to power. While I’m speaking vomit to carpet, please visit David Thompson for a far more comprehensive review of Holmes’s pleading. In other news of our superiors, James Campbell joins the queue of those taking exception to the views of Cate Blanchett. Tim Blair

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