Tories to reverse free entry for museums
Written by Stephen Tall on 17th June 2007 – 11:55 amHot-on-the-heels of the grammar school debacle, the Tories have unveiled a fresh way to lose votes.
It’s the turn of Hugo Swire, Tory culture spokesman, to come up with this week’s U-turn-in-waiting:
“We do not want to ban free admissions, but we believe museums and galleries should have the right to charge if they wish to.”
According to today’s Sunday Telegraph, “a recent poll showed the measure, which costs the Government £40 million a year subsidy, is the most popular policy introduced by Labour since its election in 1997.”
Place your bets now for how long this Tory policy will last.
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Posted in News, Opposition watch
17th June 2007 at 1:08 pm
And here comes the Tory u-turn, as reported by the Daily Mail.
17th June 2007 at 2:49 pm
lol less than a day, that must be a new record!
17th June 2007 at 4:30 pm
Why should museums be subsidised by the state to such an extent?
Let institutions decide whether they need to charge. Pay less tax money to them (ideally none), leave more money in the hands of people who can then decide whether to go to museums and spend their money there.
It increases freedom, reduces the size of the state and leaves more money in the hands of individuals (including the poor).
17th June 2007 at 7:07 pm
Denying the less well off access to museums isnt my idea of liberalism.
17th June 2007 at 10:19 pm
The point is Tristan is that it actually provides good value for money. the political freedom of most people wanting free museum entry and not minding a £40 million cost (relatively small in terms of total gov expenditure) outweighs the freedom of museums to run themselves. Thats democracy for you I suppose.
17th June 2007 at 11:53 pm
This is a wrong policy and will lose votes.
18th June 2007 at 3:27 pm
What is, Tory Lady? Your policy as of before Friday, your policy as of the weekend, or your policy as of the weekend as clarified/reversed yesterday?