An Open Letter to David Cameron (Cuts to the Arts)

You were lucky enough to have many things handed to you on a plate David. You do not know the struggle of trying to find where you fit in or feeling like a misfit in a society where you 'should' know where you want to be in 5 years time. Please think about the choices you are making.

Dear David Cameron

There was once a point, which seems many moons ago as I write this letter, that I could say I respected you.

When you first become the leader of the Conservatives in 2005, you stood out from the mundane leaders who appeared to be a normality in the Houses of Parliament.

You spoke up when other's were too timid to say how they felt. You were articulate and well mannered. You often said what other people thought. But most importantly, you understood some of the hardships that life often throws at us due to your own personal adversities.

Yet, since you came into power in 2010, my respect for you has somewhat dwindled. I see a man who no longer cares for the people he says he speaks for. I just see a man driven by his own ambitions and personal gain.

BORN INTO WEALTH.

It wasn't something you asked for. We don't choose the life we are born to. You were born to privilege and wealth, the offspring of a stock broker and former Justice of Peace, and you would never want for anything. You were granted a life that many people could only dream of being able to give their children.

As I have stated, this is not an issue. We all know that if given the opportunity for such a lifestyle we would take it no questions asked. Parents only want the best for their children after all.

Due to your hierarchy, you received a quality education that allowed you to speak eloquently, giving you a platform in which to project your voice and be listened to by others, a privilege that many vulnerable and less fortunate members of society do not have.

Your education consisted of highly prestigious private schools. You were enroled at the well known Eton college before obtaining a degree at the Brasenose College, Oxford, in the academic subjects of Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

I can't begin to imagine how much money was invested into your education. But it was all worth it in the end as you were to become the youngest prime minister in history.

Academically you excelled. No amount of money in the world could have made you intelligent if you didn't have the brain to start with. There is no denying your intelligence. No one could take that away by stating that you only got that degree because of your background.

But it's the harsh reality of the situation that you were given a step up to that outcome. A farmer cannot sow the fields if he has not been given the right tools to do so.

THE PROBLEM IS, IT'S NOT ALL BLACK AND WHITE

Many people in the UK have not been given the tools to achieve their potential. Whether they were failed by the education system or were born to pursue very different skills, they are not considered academic.

I myself was not necessarily academic within my school years. Tests were not my favourite and I was always quite confused as to how a years worth of learning can be crammed into an hours worth of exam. Teachers did little to push me or see my potential. I was amazing at English but almost every other subject I feel short in. It's not that I didn't want to learn. I just felt unmotivated. I had not really found my path. I was a little lost and like most young people, was made to feel as though I had failed.

It wasn't until I took the decision to attend a college that I really found where my talents laid.

I enroled on a Creative Media course back in 2011. Initially, I was drawn to it due to my interest in Journalism, but I soon saw that this was the industry I was meant for. For the first time in my life, I was encouraged and motivated. I had teachers who saw my potential and inspired me to reach my goals. It was rather funny as I later found out that the majority of my mum's side of the family worked in the media industry some way or another. It was obviously a calling.

If I had not had that opportunity to go to college and study media, I would have never guessed what potential I had. My creativity would have been stunted. I would have felt like a lot of young people feel nowadays, hopeless.

I wasn't as academic as you David. But I found my vocation.

Sadly, you are slowly taking away that opportunity for young people and adults across the country, destroying ambitions and leaving people confused as to where they belong.

THE SOUL DESTROYING CUTS TO ARTS.

Your Government have already started the ball rolling of what will become one of the worst decision you have ever made.

You've made cuts to the Fashion Design Department of my local college, Central Beds. There have also been cuts to the same department in Barnfield College. Rumour has it there will also be cuts to the Performing Arts, a devastating blow to both tutors and students.

You say you want to continue to bring down youth unemployment. This only shows that you are moving backwards. You've taken away the options of young people. Young people who are looking to take different paths away from more academic studies will be left disheartened. Jobs within creative arts will start to dwindle or become more elite. Those less wealthy won't have the chance to obtain placements or interns in creative industries if they do not have the qualification.

You were lucky enough to have many things handed to you on a plate David. You do not know the struggle of trying to find where you fit in or feeling like a misfit in a society where you 'should' know where you want to be in 5 years time.

Please think about the choices you are making.

Don't leave young people across the UK lost and uncertain of their future.

Close

What's Hot