Sajid Javid’s first task is to recognise that the price of a cultural asset lies in its value as art

The suggestion, made by the poet Michael Rosen and others, that Sajid Javid is not sufficiently cultured to be Culture Secretary is as ludicrous as it is pompous. The secretary of state does not write poetry – even bad poetry. He decides how best to make the arts flourish, both as a source of spiritual value and revenue. Therein is a challenge – one that his predecessors have failed to meet.

The nadir of Maria Miller’s lamentable ministerial career was not her recent non-apology or even the episode which saw her advisor appear to threaten a newspaper. No, it was the speech on culture in the age of austerity she gave last summer. There were solecisms and absurdities aplenty (my favourite was ‘visitor economy’ instead of ‘tourism’); but the analytical thrust of her speech was flawed by the mistaken belief that the arts’ spiritual value and monetary value are separate:

‘A proper grasp of the potential economic impact of culture would serve us all well… Culture cannot be seen in isolation at a time of unprecedented economic challenge.