6 March 2007
The UK’s art and culture are "more confident, assertive, creative and alive" than a decade ago, Tony Blair has said.
He told an invited audience at Tate Modern that London was now the creative capital of the world.
He praised all those who worked in the creative industries sector.
"There is not a sector represented here which has not contributed to the renaissance of British culture," Mr Blair said.
Government had helped them, he felt, through a mix of "funding, arms-length administration and an intelligent framework of regulation".
Mr Blair, who also paid a visit to the Tate Britain galleries this morning, looked at some of the projects which have enhanced the country’s cultural offerings.
He mentioned the British Library’s "Turning the Pages" system which allows users of their website to leaf through classic works online.
"The beauty of the last decade is that we have not put ‘bums on seats’ at the expense of quality".
The PM acknowledged concern over arts funding, particularly with the claim on resources of the 2012 Olympics, but said there would be no "boom and bust" in the sector.
A Green Paper later this year will seek to increase productivity further, but the results so far had been "spectacular".
The culture of the country "just feels different", Mr Blair concluded, "more confident, more assertive, more creative and alive."
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