The snowman cometh

Hi Norman,

Thanks for your response.

I'm still in the dark as to a) how exactly its management succeeded in transforming the South Bank, b) Snowman's part in that, and c) how much of that monumental task - which surely can't have taken only 5 years to achieve - might have involved poor financial controls (I thought "The House" had become the ultimate byword in that respect). Meltdown, the London Sinfonietta's themed weekends, transforming the QEH into a multi-purpose venue (for Dance Umbrella and others), Live Art festivals that brought previously dormant spaces into the mix, the welcome mat being put out for the skateboarders - all this was introduced under Snowman, no?

In the meantime, the stakes get higher...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/03/ben-bradshaw-bbc-tories-luvvies

or.... as Joe Biden would say, the Agean stables.

I agree with you that it makes little sense to challenge this appointment on the basis of political interference alone.

However, setting aside the question of whether or not Snowman is the right man for the job, I would be curious to hear why you feel his reign at the South Bank Center "has the least to show for its spend."

I lived in London in the late 80s and early 90s, then returned in 2005 to find the South Bank transformed from an over-earnest and rather gloomy collection of "one-stop" destinations to an energetic maze of artistic wonders that had finally opened itself up to the life of the riverbank and made it vibrant. Are you telling us that this monumental turnaround must all be attributed to the work done from 2000-2005?

Yours,
Curious in NYC

Dear Curious

Snowman was in charge 1986-98. The transformation was directed by his two successors ... and all three of them kept overspending in a style that would have been permitted to no other UK arts institution. The South Bank was, and remains, a byword for poor financial controls.

Yours

Norman

Spot on, Norman. It's strange how Lefties like Liz Forgan regard themselves as politically impartial when they are ruthless implementers of government policy and social engineering, while conservatives must be blocked, insulted and harassed at every turn. They just don't get it.

Let's hope there's a clean-out of the Augean stables next year, starting with Dame Liz Forgan.