Neanderthal Policies. A Letter from London.

In contrast to other European countries Britain does not have a
Ministry of Culture. Independent organizations like the BBC and
the Arts Council are thus able to be very influential. The
author examines the policy of the Thatcher administration as
regards this independence. As a case history, an account is
given of Governmental interference in the Victoria and Albert
Museum, which is much involved in British photography these
days. In Februray 1989, 8 senior curators were brutally
dismissed, as part of a 'restructuring'. Other examples of
government interference include the call for museums to sell
items from their permanent collections and to rely more on
commercial sponsorship.