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October 7, 2008
A new minister
In case you haven't spotted it the Bookseller reports and the DCMS website confirms
'Barbara Follett has been appointed the minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, taking over from Margaret Hodge. Follett, who is MP for Stevenage, is married to bestselling novelist Ken Follett.
Andy Burnham's role as secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport has been unaffected by Gordon Brown's Cabinet reshuffle. '
Let us hope this is good news. The advice of this blog to new ministers has always been-- use your position to show leadership and insist that libraries are about books and reading, foremost. Listen to your experience and instinct and don't listen to the Society of Chief Librarians, who are only interested in their honours.
Your officers will tell you that you have no power-- but that is not a correct assessment. You are in a tremendously influential position; what you say matters enormously. Say 'Books' .
Good luck.
(and, by the way, the last two ministers were briefed completely wrongly on the figures for the public library service and both of them made fools of themselves within a few weeks, one in Parliament and the other in The Observer. Be wary of the man with the numbers, he's a an oaf)
Posted by Perkins at October 7, 2008 9:01 AM