Now that the party conference season is over, attention will be turning towards the general election that must take place by May 2010. Anything can happen between now and then, but it is very possible that the country will be in the grip of a recession.
Campaigners have noted that while sport and the Olympics were widely discussed at the Conservative and Liberal Democrat conferences, there was little mention of the arts. So when it comes to future culture policy, will the mantra "Labour good, Tories bad" still ring true?
The shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, used this phrase in a savvy speech to the arts sector in June in which he admitted that the previous Tory administration had few friends in the arts world.
But he also took the opportunity to show how things have changed since the 1980s and 1990s, when the Conservatives were known for their cuts to cultural funding and what has been described as an "antagonistic" attitude towards the arts.
The current consensus from museums and galleries is that this is a thing of the past. The National Museum Directors' Conference, the Association of Independent Museums and the National Campaign for the Arts have all had meetings recently with Hunt and the shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey, with the aim of understanding Tory thinking on culture and how it will be implemented if they are successful at the next election.
There has been general support from museums and galleries for Tory policy, announced this year, that promises, through the National Lottery Independence Bill, to bring the lottery back to its four main concerns - arts, sport, heritage and charities. The Tories claim this will provide an additional £53m for the arts and £41m annually for heritage.
The Tories believe in a "mixed economy" for the arts, with funding coming from the government, the lottery and the private sector. An area of focus for policy therefore is encouraging philanthropy through tax breaks.
But for some this belief that the private sector can play a bigger role is naive. Critics have said private givers are focused on the big London institutions, with one suggesting that museums in the regions would barely figure.
The Tory-commissioned Arts Taskforce, under the chairmanship of John Tusa, recommended that Renaissance in the Regions be supported and rolled out across the country, and that free entry to museums should be extended.
But there is no indication that anything in the Tusa report will become policy. There has been no word from the Tories, as yet, on the future of Renaissance, although they have confirmed the continuation of free entry.
If the leopard has changed its spots, it still has some way to go to regain the confidence of the cultural sector. There is also suspicion as to whether the Tories' promises now will crystallise into any kind of firm policy.
To prove it they would need to give much more attention to culture at local authority level, recognise the role of arts and culture in education, and commit to maintaining at least the current level of spending on arts and culture.
The underlaying worry about the Tories for some in museums and galleries is that they will undo all the good work that has been done over the last decade or so on access and social inclusion. But on the contrary, Hunt appears to be a convert to access, claiming that a future Conservative government will accept both the intrinsic value of the arts as well as the social impact of arts policy.
With not much difference between the main parties on cultural policy it could be the state of the economy that is the biggest factor in determining arts policy after a general election.
Campaigners have noted that while sport and the Olympics were widely discussed at the Conservative and Liberal Democrat conferences, there was little mention of the arts. So when it comes to future culture policy, will the mantra "Labour good, Tories bad" still ring true?
The shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, used this phrase in a savvy speech to the arts sector in June in which he admitted that the previous Tory administration had few friends in the arts world.
But he also took the opportunity to show how things have changed since the 1980s and 1990s, when the Conservatives were known for their cuts to cultural funding and what has been described as an "antagonistic" attitude towards the arts.
The current consensus from museums and galleries is that this is a thing of the past. The National Museum Directors' Conference, the Association of Independent Museums and the National Campaign for the Arts have all had meetings recently with Hunt and the shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey, with the aim of understanding Tory thinking on culture and how it will be implemented if they are successful at the next election.
There has been general support from museums and galleries for Tory policy, announced this year, that promises, through the National Lottery Independence Bill, to bring the lottery back to its four main concerns - arts, sport, heritage and charities. The Tories claim this will provide an additional £53m for the arts and £41m annually for heritage.
The Tories believe in a "mixed economy" for the arts, with funding coming from the government, the lottery and the private sector. An area of focus for policy therefore is encouraging philanthropy through tax breaks.
But for some this belief that the private sector can play a bigger role is naive. Critics have said private givers are focused on the big London institutions, with one suggesting that museums in the regions would barely figure.
The Tory-commissioned Arts Taskforce, under the chairmanship of John Tusa, recommended that Renaissance in the Regions be supported and rolled out across the country, and that free entry to museums should be extended.
But there is no indication that anything in the Tusa report will become policy. There has been no word from the Tories, as yet, on the future of Renaissance, although they have confirmed the continuation of free entry.
If the leopard has changed its spots, it still has some way to go to regain the confidence of the cultural sector. There is also suspicion as to whether the Tories' promises now will crystallise into any kind of firm policy.
To prove it they would need to give much more attention to culture at local authority level, recognise the role of arts and culture in education, and commit to maintaining at least the current level of spending on arts and culture.
The underlaying worry about the Tories for some in museums and galleries is that they will undo all the good work that has been done over the last decade or so on access and social inclusion. But on the contrary, Hunt appears to be a convert to access, claiming that a future Conservative government will accept both the intrinsic value of the arts as well as the social impact of arts policy.
With not much difference between the main parties on cultural policy it could be the state of the economy that is the biggest factor in determining arts policy after a general election.
What have the Tories done for culture?
1992: The Department for National Heritage created.
1994: Introduction of the National Lottery to the UK, which to date has raised more than £20bn for good causes.
2007: Hugo Swire, the then shadow culture secretary, suggested that a Tory government would scrap free entry to museums. He was later sacked.
2007: Arts Taskforce appointed, led by John Tusa.
2007: Jeremy Hunt appointed shadow culture secretary. He is regarded by the sector, along with shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey, as a Conservative who "understands" the arts.
1992: The Department for National Heritage created.
1994: Introduction of the National Lottery to the UK, which to date has raised more than £20bn for good causes.
2007: Hugo Swire, the then shadow culture secretary, suggested that a Tory government would scrap free entry to museums. He was later sacked.
2007: Arts Taskforce appointed, led by John Tusa.
2007: Jeremy Hunt appointed shadow culture secretary. He is regarded by the sector, along with shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey, as a Conservative who "understands" the arts.
