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From The Sunday Times

January 20, 2008

It seems it ain’t art if it ain’t ethnic

Jeremy Clarkson

Here in Chipping Norton, there is a picture-perfect little theatre. It’s exactly the same as a London theatre, with a balcony and a bar, only it’s much, much smaller. You really do feel, as you perch on your primary-school chair, gazing on the Punch and Judy stage, that you are locked in a Cotswold-stone dolls’ house.

It’s an enchanting place and everyone round these parts is very proud of it. So consequently everyone is very cross that the Arts Council recently announced it would no longer be supplying £40,000 a year to help fund it.

And Chipping Norton is not alone. Even though the Arts Council has just received a £50m income boost from the government, it has sent letters to 194 mostly provincial playhouses, galleries and so on, saying they no longer fit with its “agenda”.

“Hmmm,” I wondered, “and what might this agenda be?” So I checked, and it seems that to get funding these days what you’ve got to be is black or mad or preferably both.

For instance, the Arts Council has recognised that there are very few people from ethnic minorities in senior positions in the arts, but instead of thinking: “Aha. This shows that very few black or Asian people are interested, so let’s concentrate on the white middle classes”, it has now become involved with several schemes to get inner-city kids out of their big training shoes and into an Othello suit.

There’s more. The Arts Council has never offered to translate my books into Urdu. Or Jilly Cooper’s. But it “remains committed” to spending a fortune supporting ethnic-minority writers. Indeed, it claims to have six priorities in place at the moment. And of course “celebrating diversity” is one of them. Not at all surprisingly, “celebrating Mrs Thatcher” isn’t one of the others.

The council spends nearly half a billion pounds a year and, so far as I can tell, in 2007 most of that was given to Benjamin Zephaniah and others in exchange for some ditties about how awful the slave trade was and how everyone in Britain ought to commit suicide.

But wait. What’s this? It seems there was some money left over to send a bunch of kids from Calderdale to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which is a field full of what look like big bronze sheep droppings. It’s not my cup of tea but no matter – the droppings were sculpted by Henry Moore, so that sounds fine.

Sadly no. Because afterwards the kids were taught about rap music and how to graffiti a wall. That has absolutely nothing to do with the arts at all. It’d be like teaching kung fu at a flower-arranging class.

Here on the Chipping Norton arts scene things are rather different. Plans for 2008 include a play about space travel, devised by Niki McCretton, who I’m afraid is white. Then there’s a tribute to Abba, who were a very popular Swedish pop group featuring no disabled Bangladeshis, and a talk by Arabella Weir, who is the daughter of a notable diplomat.

There are films too. But none, so far as I can see, is Brick Lane or that tosh from Al Gore. And then of course there’s the Christmas pantomime. Much loved by Douglas Hurd, who never misses it, and 7,000 children, all called Henry and Araminta, it’s a professional show featuring traditional storylines at this Christian time of year.

You can see immediately why none of this fits in with the Arts Council’s “agenda”. And I’m afraid the concert planned for next Saturday doesn’t work either. Yes, the pianist, Hélène Tysman, is foreign, which is good, but I’m afraid she’s only French. And that’s hopeless because they had an empire too, the bastards.

What the management should be doing to maintain its grip on the Arts Council’s funding is hosting a celebration of haiku poetry, in silence, by the Al Gore polar-bear workers’ collective. Of course nobody would come, but hey – serving the needs of the area? Since when did that ever matter?

It does, and that’s why I’d like to conclude with some words of encouragement for the management of Chipping Norton theatre and the other organisations around the country that don’t fit in with the Arts Council’s taste.

It is extremely likely that you will be better off without the council’s 40 grand a year. Because tied up in this rather small chalice is a ton of poisonous red tape demarcating what you can do, what you can say and how many ramps have to be fitted at each urinal.

You can wave goodbye to all that BBC-regional-news-tick-the-ethnic-boxes nonsense when you replace the lunatics at the Arts Council with a set of different benefactors.

I know this because just last week I spent some time with some chap from a notable charity. Each year, it needs £4m to stay afloat, and none comes from the government.

“Trust me,” he said. “We don’t want even 4p of their money. It’s always more trouble than it’s worth.”

Or you can look at the Millennium Dome. When it was run by the government the dome was full of faith zones and Cherie Blair, celebrating diversity. And it was a disaster. Now it’s in private hands it’s full of Led Zeppelin and recently became recognised as the most popular concert venue in the world.

It seems that to get funding these days what you’ve got to be is black or mad or preferably both

Try Canada for size! You want a grant you have to be a) French, b) Residend of Quebec. There is at least a 10 to 1 ration of money spent on PQ's vs. every other minority, then, the English get a few remaining scraps from the floor.

Dave Burt, Richmond, Canada, BC

I feel that any one will get any amount of grant, all they have to do is say " The plays etc that we put on, is for cleaning the environment, and a greener cleaner atmosphere, and light the theatre with energy saving bulbs, that the government would no doubt supply free.

Fred Chick, St. mary's bay, Kent, England.

Like it or not "art" is entertainment, and if it's entertaining people will pay to see it, otherwise not and it'll die - and good riddance to it.

Scrap the art council and use the millions saved for useful purposes - not for supporting unentertaining "artists".

Dave, Esbjerg, Denmark

Where do you draw the line between contrarian banter and racism... I don't know. But it came a LONG way before this.

Tom, London,

I'm so cross, I don't know where to start.
Jeremy - shame on you for implying that black/Asian people don't like art or that inner city kids should not be exposed to art but the main thrust of your argument is sound so yah, boo, sucks to all you patronising trendies who think they know what's best for everyone else.
Plus to the ignorant person who said that graffiti was started by black kids venting their frustration or words to that effect - please! Graffiti was around a lot earlier than that so don't you show your ignorance.
The main point is why do we need an Arts Council at all?

E. Merson, Nottingham,

Stick to cars. You know about cars. But you come across badly on art. I am no fan of weird avante garde art myself, but I cannot generalise about "inner city kids" not deserving help. You come across as badly bigoted in this article. As for graffiti, why not graffiti a car in Top Gear. You can get some good designs..it's fun.

Howard, London, UK

While you have missed a critical point that the local authorities do not take a comon sense approach to what is to us a sensible decision.

Here in Bristol we are about to loose the commonwealth museum after all what Bristol has been built on. The fact is they are going to move it to London.

Angus John-Phillips, Bristol, UK

"Is anyone even editing these articles before publishing them? 50 million is not equal to half a billion. A billion is one thousand million."

Jeremy actually refers to a Â£50m income BOOST...

William, London,

How very correct of you Mr. C.

Mark, Skelmersdale, Lancs, UK

please please please be prime minister.

deb atkinson, southport, merseyside

The issue is that native (or indigenous if you prefer) Britons are not supported because they don't fit the social/cultural agenda of the Arts Council and more generally the Government. And that is to pretend that the majority are not worthy of support. Well then the battle lines are drawn, I say the majority should demand that the Arts Council be abolished. Lets see how they like that bit of agenda changing.

Gerard, Sydney, Australia

The Arts Council says it wants to support excellence, and its hard to argue with that. But is that all that we, the taxpayers, want?

As well as supporting and encouraging the best, the Arts Council should be doing its best to ensure that provision of the arts is available to as many people as possible.

The AC may assume that if organisations don't measure up and so lose their funding, that they'll be replaced by something better. It is more likely that in most cases the communities served by those organisations will simply lose the access to the arts that they previously had.

I don't know whether the Chipping Norton theatre is good or not. But if it's all that community has, then it deserves support.

Howard Jones, Macclesfield,

Middle England oh Art thou so lost!
What a funny guy who really does not understand the concept of Art, ahaha so funny if it was not so sad.
From the many black and asian middle class who do not sell burgers and appreciate Rodin as much as Graffiti, which is as different to Tagging as you can get. Not that it matters it just all Art.
I'd much rather go to the Opera anyway.
Stay black Jeremy , Opps your a stereotypical middle class white guy sorry for expecting anything else >>
Peace in the middle east

Naz, London , U.K

Is anyone even editing these articles before publishing them? 50 million is not equal to half a billion. A billion is one thousand million.

bob smith, Leicester,

The politically correct are the idiots in this country who have caused us to be the laughing stock. At some point in the future the UK indigenous population will be like American indigenous population, the American Indians, confined to settlements.
Imagine,
"Daddy",
"Yes Aafiya",
"What's that Englishman doing?"
"He's having a pint with his mates, reminiscing"
"Oh, thanks" ....... "Daddy?"
"Yes Aafiya"
"What's reminiscing?"

If we have true settlers here, who really want to be here and contribute, let's encourage them to join in and feel part of our culture, not create a new dividing subset that encourages 'them and us'.

Bruce Harper, Wootton,

What Jeremy's failing to realise is that these councils are not just doing a disservice to the White middle classes, it's also a huge insult to the "inner city kids" - who simply need a decent education which involves teaching them about the REAL WORLD - the very same Real World which is currently teaching them that being able to rhyme your sentences or kick a football about is going gain you the intellectual and social kudos neccessary for a decent quality of life in this day and age.

It's sad that councils are choosing to withhold funds in favour of ANY ethnic or cultural bias, as they clearly have no idea how to service the needs of ANY of their constituents - apart from the White middle classes, of course.

And I hate to take it there but Jeremy... if you can piffle on about cars, us Black folks can piffle on about slavery. Different things matter to different people.

Nesha, London, UK

You think "Graffiti is not art"? and there is no technique or skill to it? Get a can of deodorant and try to draw an equilateral triangle - free hand, THEN talk. Or do you think it is not art because it was developed in a city, by black kids, on the streets, reacting to their society, rather than dreamt up in a university?

You think ethnic minorities are not interested in the arts?

You complained about your book not being translated to different languages? a considerable amount of the world's population live on less that a fiver a day, how many of them who can't afford fuel, let alone a car, would like to read about you blithering on about the vehicles of have driven, what relevance would it have to them?

I respected you, a lot, A LOT, before I read this.

Inua Ellams, London, England

Could be, of course, that the 270 million pounds we taxpayers are contributing annually to providing translation services to ethnic minorities is being overlooked. Why not deduct from this sum the amount the Arts Council needs?

Theo Nelson, South Hams,

I cannot disagree more. I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of the Arts Council. That having been said, the reason that diversity is high on the Arts Council agenda is not because it is a strident champion of political correctness, but rather because, for the most part, the Arts Council continues to struggle with engaging so-called diverse arts (the reasons for all the forms, monitoring, and policies). The Arts Council has actually been a champion of just the type of cultural activities that Mr. Clarkson and his supporters would like to see. In fact, a large proportion of Arts Council funding goes to supporting regional theatre and to supporting classical art forms such as opera. In many ways, this is laudable, but the Arts Council does need to be more pragmatic in terms of its funding, and I do believe that it is absolutely right for it to reapportion some of its funds to support innovative and challenging comtemporary work (whether 'diverse' or not).

David, London,

Superb. Well said and well founded, the arts council may be the topic of the article but we all know that the points raised apply accross the board in anthing the government have a hand in. Reminds me of why I left the UK...

Daniel, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

The beginner's glossary of economic terms on page 6 of today's paper is fantastic. For years I have been trying to bluff my way through conversations on 'shorting, hedging etc' without having a clue what was really being said, but no more! I imagine my son who has just started studying economics will be equally grateful so thank you very much.

sue Phipps, london, UK

I'm afraid Mr Clarkson is right. It's an ugly thing to have to say, but it's quite true, as anyone who has tried to fill in an Arts Council application form recently will know.

Thomas, London,

Heaven forbid that someone might actually ask the question - are these companies any good? The AC funding cuts/awards are based on a simple agenda Jeremy and one which you rigorously (and often dismissively) apply to cars every week, that of excellence - the achievement or the potential of it. At last AC has stood up above the parapet and made some tough decisions which remove dead wood (or allows it to find its own funding/sponsor) and enable new companies to do the job better. So let the Abba tribute groups sing for their 'money, money, money,' whilst many different but rather less commercial artforms are nurtured and supported.

Come on Jeremy you were nobbled in Chipping Norton and persuaded against your better judgement (admit it) to put your take on the theatre's latest press release. It was fun to read but your editor made as big a mistake as you in letting it through. Stick to what you know.

What is that by the way?

Peter Harlock, London, UK

â€œMigrationâ€ really brings out the true colors of a peopleâ€™s attitude toward the â€œother.â€ Everyone has their own approach to people who are different, but if you build your picket fence high enough you can usually just shut your eyes. When major demographic change comes calling, all those little biases and inabilities to adjust suddenly multiply into giant social anxieties!
When this stuff happens, we need sensible politicians who can calm fears and see beyond differences. We really donâ€™t need a Clash of Civilizations. We don't people with your mentality Jeremy, we oviuosly need people who can forsee what could be the best for our society, not narrow-minded wannabe politicians!

Jackie, Glasgow, UK

Jeremy for the BNP...

sonny, london,

Jeremy Clarkson does a Morrisey and a load of football fans pretend to care about art in order to justify having a pop at ethnic minorities.

I remember when we had this crazy concept called the broadsheet.

Peter Bloxham, London,

Jeremy can you tell me why theres an international highspeed rail terminal at EBBSFLEET ?
Have the arts council been develloping cultural ties there ?

greentea02, Dorchester, UK

Jeremy, someone should teach you about the technicalities of grafitti art. I don't think you could muster the skill or patience to do it well.

Nina, London, UK

I find this argument to lay in the same vein as people in this country complaining about how their is a Black History Month, but no White History Month. Well I would like to point out that there is a White History Month...its every month besides Black History Month.

So why doesn't the local theatre group in an community full of the rich and powerful elite need government funding? Exactly because it is a theatre in a community full of rich and powerful elite. The arts which are popular and appeal to the majority do not need subsidies because they can simply sell tickets and/or appeal to their wealthy clientÃ¨le for the required funds.

Stop bitching Clarkson and get together with 9 of your friends and donate 4,000 pounds a piece. I know you can all afford it.

Mike B, Haddonfield, New Jersey, US

I'm sure if I were in charge of a charity's millions...I'd not want the government meddling with my affairs either. They might not appreciate my expense account for example.
Jeremy's argument is valid, yet flawed somewhat. It's perfectly reasonable to assume both 'white' people and 'blacks and asians' can be catered for by the Arts Council. And as much as I enjoy Clarkson, his assumption that black and asian people aren't interested in the arts is absolutely preposterous!

Maxim, London, London

I recently performed on the Chipping Norton stage in the Christmas pantomime, and wholly enjoyed my experience at this beautiful little theatre.

It is an artistic centre that provides theatre, art, music and cinema to anyone and everyone, regardless of ethnicity and ability, in the small community.

While I was there I was involved in several schools talks and workshops for children to learn more about theatre, an under-represented medium in our modern climate.

A small team of very hard working people organise a diverse programme of entertainment for thousands of people a year to enjoy.

Of course it doesn't qualify for funding - that would be common sense. A commodity rapidly escaping our historically grounded and sensible nation.

I would sooner swap having the theatre funding drain that is the 2012 Olympics, for the tiniest amount of common sense in our government.

Lewis Cook, London, UK

The Arts Council has never offered to translate your books in to Urdu? This is really a matter you should take up with your publisher or agent, as this is their remit and not that of the ACE. Unless of course nobody wants to read the drivel you spew in Urdu... Couldn't possibly be the case.

D. Hamilton, London,

Democracy for what i know, is about the fact that ten people will do what almost six of them want to. But i must be wrong. Today i feel like living in the era of minority dictatorships.

Francesco, Treviso, Italy

I'm afraid I'm what you would define as an ethnic minority, but isn't Mr Clarkson falling into the same trap of stereotyping - that he accuses the Arts Council of?

I am involved with a small West London venue (Watermans) which, among other things, produces plays involving South Asian writers and actors. We have had all of our Arts Council grant stopped.

Please stop claiming that ethnic minorities benefit at the expense of average white people in the Arts (and th rest of society for that matter) - most of you who think this, have no day to day contact with ethnic minorities - except when you order your Big Mac and fries.

Harjinder Singh, London, UK

Jeremy,

Make up your mind. On the one hand you are syaing that arts council money only goes to ethnic minorities but then you are saying it is better not to recieve any money from the government at all for charity.

Regarding your theatre in chipping norton - I'm sure you and your top gear pals could have a whip round to keep it afloat. That is the point at the end of the day - the reason so much money from the arts council goes to the minorities is because they have no money. ie they need it. If you really take an interest in your community - put your money where your mouth is.

Paul, Congleton, Cheshire

It's the same thing here in France.

I work with a producing company; it's always much easier to get funding from TV stations and Government Arts Councils for documentaries that depict your average white guy as a nasty piece of capitalist work.

For example, if you are doing a documentary about Africa, then you will will find it a lot easier to get funding if you attack the nasty white man. Or if you are doing a documentary about renting property, then you will be expected to "prove" that the tenant is exploited by the nasty landlord. Of course, none of this is written down anywhere, but everyone in the industry knows how it works.
Obviously this does not negate the fact that some artists have talent and others don't, but they are all more or less champagne socialists.
The people funding the arts here in France don't want reasoned and reasonable truth; they want left-wing white man hating stuff.

Samuel Young, Paris, France

Why is taxpayer money used at all to fund selected arts or the BBC? This is not the way forward for a protean, vibrant and truly multicultural society.

Jeremy's revelation about self-funding organizations is as accurate as it is twee. Many of the world's greatest fine and performing arts institutions have always run this way. But you won't find them in the European Union.

Joe, New York, US

Sarah. I know you mean well but you're just making yourself sound silly:

"I consider Grafitti an artform"

A massive piece in a public space can be quite artistic, some muppet scribbling his tag on a bus or on your front door is just plain annoying.

Every generalisation is wrong, except this one.

Mikey, Bromley, UK

Dear Sarah, Birmingham, It is laudable that you can name three black companies, but I don't understand why you need to have them cut off the top of your head.

Rich, Richhill,

Well done Jeremy, you have woken up all the closit racists "wots appenin to vis bloomin country? it aint the same no more" . Now we can idetify them and avoid them like the plague.

Ian in Hoxton, london, london

I have to say that I am a bit shocked. I do (or did?) quite like you Mr. Clarkson, I regularly endure Top Gear with my boyfriend and giggle along and find you entertaining.

I work in the arts industry, and while I'm not defending the arts council (who is?) you should at least get your facts straight before spouting off. It is not 'just white middle class people' who enjoy arts, and while we're at it since when did you get to decide what is and isn't art? I consider Grafitti an artform. Also, you appear not to have done your research - it is not just small provinical theatre getting cut - I can name several 'black' companies who are being cut off the top of my head.

Perhaps you should just stick to cars eh Jeremy? But I for one won't be watching again knowing you are so ignorant!

Sarah, Birmingham,

Re Arts Council Funding

Thanks for speaking up Jeremy.

Just add "Amateur Theatre" to your list. There is no support whatsoever for putting on what the public want to see.

Michael Wallker, Leicester,

In fairness, I think that the Arts Council probably spends as much on subsidising the English National Opera - which isn't particularly ethnic - as it does on the projects you mention.

It makes sense that commercially viable enterprises don't get funding while lame duck projects like translating Latvian novels into Bengali and putting on awful German opera for the edification of cryptofascist toffs gets a good whack of our national paypacket.

You don't need subsidising Jeremy because everyone already likes your books & is willing to pay for them. Similarly, I would imagine your local theatre is doing OK financially too.

Personally, I have more of a beef with the BBC squandering vast sums of TV license fee money than I do the Arts Council trying to be worthier-than-thou with their current financial settlement, but we should remember after all, if it were all left to market forces Big Brother would be on every channel 24 hours a day. Speaking personally, I rather have some IRA lesbians

Mikey, Bromley, UK

Absolutely spot on Jeremy, why cant more people see whats happening in this country???!!!!

John, Welwyn, Herts

Jeremy,

Why don't you help front the money for your local theater? You could use this as a platform, in a new campaign for Prime Minister.

You already have the petition being circulated, and even though the man who started it may have done so for his own selfish agenda, you could turn all of this as an attempt to validate your many times said "when I come to power" statement.

You have a very American mentality on many things, which I suppose is ironic, as you have admitted having a grating dislike of the culture here. I know you support your community in many ways, but if you take it one step further, and it gets you nowhere, you can still say "no harm, no foul".

Top Gear would never be the same if you were to become Prime Minister, but your comments make you seem so interested. Why not give it a shot?

P.S. I don't want tickets to the show.

Evan, Pennsylvania, USA

Hello, MARK, from Newcastle, just wanted to point out that Jeremy has not an obsession with race, but is merely commenting, or reflecting, on how absurd it is that everything does in fact revolve around it in this Labour country.

Rich of Richworth, Londonia, UK

Unless you are a part of the London "intelligensia", or some ethnic whinging society, you can just get lost.

The BBC is well on the way to having only ethnic presenters on national and regional news - English presenters are already in a minority. Black people can play any theater part but God Help any white guy who wants to play Othello.

It is obvious that anything that celebrates our indiginous culture is being blotted out by the people who gave us multiculturalism. Only last week on BBC's "the Big Questions" a Jewish guy stated how " grey and boring" the UK was before the amazing introduction of fried fish by his community and chicken tikka massala by the muslims.

How on earth did our forebears survive?

We should take back our country before Labour, via the Arts Council, starts to fund gas ovens for us inconvenient and less vibrant Brits.

Geoff Miller, Bromsgrove, England

The real question is why anyone gets Arts council funding, and indeed why the Arts council has funds to distribute.

If artists are unable to become self funding then let them get a job and let their art become a hobby.

I have no great desire to see a civil service quango distributing my taxes to the Royal Opera or Chipping Norton theatre.

I would far rather see my taxes redistributed back to me in some useful way like starting an effective police force rather than handed to Gilbert and George, Tracy Emin, Damien Hirst, Benjamin Zephaniah etc

Nick, Reading,

A number of years ago, the Arts Council did spend Â£70,000 on a change of logo. So I agree, the lunatics are running the proverbial asylum!

James, London, UK

This is nothing new. An Arts Council executive told me twenty years ago that when she informed ethnic arts groups that their money was being cut, she quietened their protests by advising them that if they were a white outfit they wouldn't be getting anything at all. Othello? For many years this play wasn't performed because blacking up isn't acceptable, and a black actor of enough ability wasn't available. This view was widely supported by many intellectuals and theatre people. Can you imagine such a thing? In the play's country of origin, and in a profession that requires it's workers to transform themselves into other people, maybe using wigs, false noses, humped backs, and yes, make-up, white actors were prevented from taking on and exploring one of the towering roles of English theatre. Of course, it doesn't matter that the actor eventually deemed suitable was West Indian, while Othello was north African, or that black actors play Hamlet or any number of white roles. Beyond belief.

Robert, London, England

Of course the TV Licence fee levied on everyone, whether or not they want to watch three,white, public-school juveniles on million pound contracts pratting around with cars and laughing uproariously at their own schoolboy jokes, that's not 'subsidy' I suppose.

eric campbell, harrogate, uk

Jeremy,I am still laughing,spot on ,you must be the next Prime-minister.I was one of the many who voted for you on No .Tens thingy.

I Albion, Gateshead, England

I've got to say that never have I been so inspired by opinions that I fundamentally disagree with. That's the best accolade a writer could get in my opinion.

Robert Rowsome, London, UK

Robert, London, England

Bang goes my plan to sell my enormous pile of ironing to Tate Modern then.....

Yorkielass, York,

I think you would like the Yorkshire sculpture park, if you went there. It's not all Henry Moore, and has had some fun sculpture as well as big names like Anthony Gormley, Andy Goldsworthy, Elizabeth Frink etc. Or just enjoy a nice walk in rolling countryside. If nothing else, it is right next to the M1, so you can look at cars, which I gather is one of your interests.

But -- yes -- regarding (c)rap music and graffiti as something for the Arts Council to fund is just lunacy. But the AC has been wasting its (that is, our) money for many years.

Clothilde Simon, Leeds, Leeds

The idiocy of some White people trying too hard to please ethnic minority immigrants like me who have come to seek better life(and not some dubious compensation or revenge ) in their own country, is deeply worrying. I fear that hypocrisy will destroy Britain!! A situation where the BBC and other media would give the best attention to anyone saying that Britain committed atrocities in the slave trade, but would not give any attention to people like me saying that Britain deserves praise for stopping slavery, is simply pathetic. Ethnic minorities like me are in Britain, not by force or by special demand per se, but by our own volition (including the lying Bangura who claims he was trafficked). We are here mainly because our societies have failed. It makes more sense to encourage us to take England to Black Africa and the Caribbean than to patronise us. God save Britain from idiocy!!! http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/john-iteshi/we-have-no-valid-excuse-for-our-fai.html

John Iteshi, London, UK

Don't worry Jeremy, it won't be long before our culture has been so diluted, underfunded and ignored that we will have forgotten that we live in England. The only clue will come from he results of our national sports teams, although we may well be world kabadi chapions by then.

Neil Weedon, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

Right again Dr Clarkson.

Most places could indeed survive if it's supporters were to help funding if it weren't for the ENORMOUS insurance overheads they need to pay, just incase anyone should staple themselves to a mug or fail to notice all the H&S warning signs - which also have to be paid for - and accidently flush themselves down a lavatory...

Although the Arts Council are cutting funding, I bet they won't cut out all the interfering busy body nonsense when it comes to monitoring that we have enough 'ethnic diversity' taking place in our village halls!!

We love you Jeremy!

JezzaBelle, Somerset, ENGLAND

Well said Jeremy. Now you are accused of racial obsession, which of course is an automatic response. We can't have the under represented indigenous majority voicing an opinion.

Rob, St Helens, Merseyside

While I quite agree that funding should not be done on a political correctness basis, I feel that it should also not be used to subsidise the expensive tickets that are mostly bought by middle class persons who could really Afford the full unsubsidised cost if they had to!

Dominic Tattersall, Burnley, England

i enjoy your perspective jeremy but in general i find it amusing . england as a whole is the best place to live in the world . yes some people get funding and some people don't . yes some theaters and groups get it and some don't but overall its a pretty fair place . im from a very working class family background . not a spoon fed toff like many of the people i work with , but if you do need something in this country and go about it the right way your normally ok . im just going to go off the beaten track here a bit but one of my golf partners was complaining about this country and how people get benefits etc, how groups get funding etc , i quite had to say it cant be that bad your playing in a private club drive your own car live in your own house why should people who don't need help receive more and more . surely they should be able to get on about there businesses with minimum fuss . my only gripe is red tape now if we could cut that down result !!

nige t, leicester, leicestershire

They also spend plenty susidizing elite arts in London. The Royal Opera House will get three million quid, the Royal National Theatre will also get Â£2.4m. Take a look at the peopl who go to these places, most of them don't look as if they need a subsidy and despite Jeremy's racial obsession most aren't black either.

Mark, Newcastle,

Good on ya Jeremy, Remember the 3 blokes walking round East Anglia with a plank on their heads, they had an Art Council grant.... Seems quite sensible now given the rubbish they now support.

Peter Piggott, Sydney, Australia

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Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson's career as car reviewer and BBC Top Gear presenter has made motoring into show business, but he has earned himself the description of an "equal opportunities loudmouth" for his opinionated commentary on all aspects of life, appearing weekly in The Sunday Times.