Like ancient Rome, Britain's cultural renaissance is funded by beggaring the empire. Much of the research into the profits and employment in the creative industries cited by the task force was started at the Arts Council, drawn up as ammunition against cuts. It was understandable to say that 'no, the arts are not just a drain on the public purse, but a positive contribution'. The most cited examples, like the billion pound turnover of the music industry, though, had nothing to do with the fine arts. Shifts last 12 hours and packers earn 692 a month.
Attention is on the artists but profits depend on sweated labour.
The more the Government promotes the special role of the creative industries, the more vague the definition of what a creative industry is. At the start of last year Chris Smith had them earning more than 50 billion. By the end of the year the estimate, for the same period, was 'approaching 60 billion'. The number employed in creative industries is estimated at one million, or 1.4 million, upon the discovery of 'creative workers' in other industries.