From Russia Off

It's official. The From Russia exhibition is cancelled. "This is not political," the KGB spokesman told a press conference. He didn't say that the cancellation is to protect loot seized from the aristocracy during the Russian Revolution, but he dropped a few hints. At this point BBC TV News told a bald-faced lie and reported that Government has "stepped in" to resolve the dispute. The truth is that back in October the Brit. Culture Secretary James Purnell promised the Russians a change in English law to protect these exhibits from seizure and he hasn't delivered (CLICK). His new law won't come before Parliament until after MPs' Christmas hols, so 7 January at the earliest, and there' no guarantee the bill will be passed. Even some Labour MPs might not want to protect looted art from seizure.