A provocative account of the arts in Britain, this work suggests that even after 50 years of state planning of Britain's "leisure industries" the country is nevertheless approaching the millennium in a state of cultural confusion. Drawing on historical material from Scotland, Wales, and English provincial towns, as well as London, the authors content that the original meaning of cultural language has been distorted by the fashionable phrase-making of modern government agencies, and by the inaccurate and misleading view of cultural history that is constantly presented to the public. Although it deals with the British experience, this work is a case study for everyone concerned with cultural policy-making, with management of the arts, or with the leisure industry. It is also aimed at those engaged in the "creative industries" and those who want to learn something about Britain's cultural history.