During Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader, much attention was part to the economic vision that the party developed for the United Kingdom, but less to his personal interest in the arts, and how that shaped both Labour’s cultural policy, and their programme as a whole. In this interview, Juliet talks to Jeremy about his interest in the socialist cultures that formed around the 20th century Labour Party and the Popular United government in Chile, the arts policies the party developed under his leadership, the concept of cultural democracy and his determination to unlock the creative potential of the UK’s young people, #Grime4Corbyn and Culture for Labour in the 2017 and 2019 election campaigns, what the reaction to his fondness for James Joyce’s Ulysses says about the British media, how socially engaged artists might react to the 2019 election defeat and the job losses amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, and plenty more.

A full list of references for the programme can be found via our Patreon at www.patreon.com/suite212, and is available to $3 subscribers.

Suite (212) - series 3

The Arts for All: An interview with Jeremy Corbyn

Suite (212) is a radio programme, broadcast on Resonance 104.4fm, and podcast that explores the arts in their social, political, cultural and historical contexts, hosted by Juliet Jacques. We take an inter-disciplinary approach, with an emphasis on innovative, underground or avant-garde work. Sometimes, panels discuss cultural politics; sometimes, we focus on a new publication or exhibition, or a specific individual or group whose work we admire.