The notion of a government official responsible for “culture” has never recovered from Sir Les Patterson’s spell as Australia’s cultural attaché to the court of St. James.
They’re still around, though. Northern Ireland has a Minister for Culture. His name is Edwin Poots, and he’s a Young Earth Creationist.
Matthew Parris: Good heavens! You’re the culture minister and you don’t believe in evolution?
Edwin Poots: Yes, absolutely. And you’re telling me that all of this evolution took place over billions of years, and yet it’s only in the last few thousand years that Man could actually learn to write?
William Crawley: How old is the earth?
Edwin Poots: My view on the earth is that it’s a young earth. My view is 4000 BC.