Supporters of the political campaign to boycott literary and arts festivals have been fiercely criticised by culture secretary Lisa Nandy, who has accused them of “gagging society, self defeating virtue signalling and moral Puritanism”.
Ms Nandy also accuses TV and filmmakers of showing a distorted view of working class people, who she says are too often portrayed in dramas involving crime and killing.
Her intervention in the inaugural Jennie Lee lecture comes after a number of festivals, including the internationally renowned Hay Festival, ended sponsorship by the Baillie Gifford investment management firm.
Writing for the Independent, Ms Nandy condemns “the farce that is the moral puritanism which is killing off our arts and culture”.
The idea that boycotting the sponsor of the Hay Festival harms the sponsor, not the festival is for the birds.
