Melseke & Politics (Observations on CULTURE)

Melseke

Politics: Observations on Culture

There use to be a saying that governing is looking forward into the future, being ahead of things, have a long-term vision. Maybe this has always been an illusion but the last 20 years of governing has certainly been operational, short term management, tending the shop; free of any vision further than the next 4 years. There is no political vision on the role of culture in our society and the arts are put into the entertainment container where only the number of visitors rule and life is reduced to economy and superficial pleasure. But nothing much can be expected from our current government. You could never accuse the VVD of any content and the PVV, which originates from the VVD where Wilders was a back-bencher, is a right extremist party with a faction of letterbox-pissers and police escape artists. Its probably part of their sub-culture.
I recently had a meeting with a banc-employee who remarked that he didn’t understand the cuts on art. He said ‘art, music is our inheritance, what else is there to pass on to the next generations’. Slightly flabbergasted i suggested ‘a decent planet’ but realized that the only inheritance of this government will probably be a next Nuclear Power Station and a South Betuwe Line.

January 2011

kempis.nl poetry magazine

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