Art, Imagination and Public Service

Do the arts have a role in public affairs, or are they a mere distraction? Three dialogues, recounted here, bring together experts from the seemingly disparate worlds of creativity and authority to seek an answer.

Michael O'Siadhail and David Blunkett explore how poetry can engage politicians' hearts in governing alongside their heads; Hughie O'Donoghue and Brenda Hale find commonalities in how their respective fields of painting and the judiciary seek out and assess truth; and James O'Donnell and Clare Moriarty examine leadership and authenticity in the making of both music and policy.