From JOHN GREENING
Can I register my shock at the decision to cut Arc's grant? Arc have been at the forefront of poetry publication for many years and it is impossible to understand how anyone could think to undermine their work in this way. Their importance to the cultural life of the UK is inestimable. Joanna Boulter's book about Shostakovich, for example, is at the cutting edge: has anyone at the Arts Council actually bothered to read it? Apart from their unique interest in music and translations, their international perspective makes them more fit for the times than almost any other press. If someone has decided that Arc does not tick all the right boxes, they should look for new boxes.