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James Blunt has attacked shadow culture minister Chris Bryant as a 'classist gimp' and a 'prejudiced wazzock' for suggesting that those with privileged backgrounds are dominating the arts.
Blunt took issue with Bryant's comments in the Guardian, in which the shadow culture minister argues that there are too many privileged entertainers dominating the arts. “I am delighted that Eddie Redmayne won [a Golden Globe], but we can’t just have a culture dominated by Eddie Redmayne and James Blunt and their ilk.”
Bryant went on to explain his point further: "We can’t just have Downton programming ad infinitum and think that just because we’ve got some people in the servants’ hall, somehow or other we’ve done our duty by gritty drama.”
Blunt however, feels that this is grossly misrepresenting the state of affairs, particularly as everyone he spoke to during his rise to the top of the charts seems convinced he couldn't do it. Blunt argues in an open letter to the Guardian that it is Bryant’s “populist, envy-based, vote-hunting ideas which make our country crap, far more than me and my shit songs, and my plummy accent”.
After seeing the letter, Bryant suggested Blunt should “stop being so blooming precious” and has sent a reply, perhaps wisely not opting for another public forum.
The whole affair seems utterly bizarrely, particularly as Blunt correctly points out that he hasn't dominated the charts for some time. Given that those with privileged backgrounds have always played their parts in the charts (from Joe Strummer to Mark Ronson) and similarly that those in power share a similar lack of diviersity, perhaps getting a better mix of backgrounds in parliament should be a bigger concern for Mr Bryant.
