Post-Brexit 'science superpower' UK still hasn't appointed a science minister
- Reference: 1664360886
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/09/28/uk_science_minitser_role_empty/
- Source link:
The UK government, which saw new [1]Prime Minister Liz Truss take the reins three weeks ago , is yet to appoint a science minister amid concern the role, even when filled, lacks sufficient influence.
"UK has many strengths in science and innovation, despite chronic underinvestment compared to other OECD countries. We believe that these strengths are under serious threat and that efforts should be redoubled to ensure that the UK reaches and exceeds the target of 2.4 percent of GDP spent on R&D," the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said in a [2]letter to Truss [PDF].
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In a report published in August, the committee had urged whomever became Prime Minister to appoint a dedicated Minister for Science and Innovation to a Cabinet-level position.
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"We note, however, that at the time of writing this position has not been filled and any Minister of State appointed is not expected to attend Cabinet. We urge you to reconsider this and appoint a Science Minister to Cabinet at the earliest opportunity," said Baroness Brown of Cambridge, committee chair and former principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College London, in the letter.
Brexit campaign architect Dominic Cummings, who later became [6]former prime minister Boris Johnson 's chief advisor, espoused the motto, "Get Brexit Done... then [7]Arpa ," in the 2019 general election campaign. He was alluding to the US research and development agency partly credited with the development of the internet and other technologies.
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The UK has since sought to mimic Arpa, now [9]Darpa , with its tribute act Aria, standing for Advanced Research & Invention Agency, [10]announced in 2021 with an £800 million (c $850 million) budget earmarked.
In July, the [11]government appointed Matt Clifford, co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneur First, and Ilan Gur, founder and former CEO of innovation non-profit Activate, as chairman and CEO respectively.
In November 2020, the Spending Review [12]set out the government's plan to invest £14.6 billion ($15.6 billion) in R&D in 2021 to 2022, building towards the government's target of 2.4 percent of GDP being spent on R&D across the UK economy by 2027.
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Amid complaint about [14]slow progress on Aria, the Lords Science and Technology Committee [15]slammed the government's progress towards its goal of making the UK a "science superpower" by 2030.
Its August report said UK government suggestion that the private sector could contribute to the 2.4 percent target was "unconvincing."
The committee said: "The government hopes to leverage private sector funding to reach the 2.4 percent target. It has identified areas for reform, such as public procurement, regulations, and pension rules, but these are perennial suggestions and the committee was unconvinced that this attempt would be more successful. Industry has been insufficiently engaged with the government's strategy."
[16]UK's ARIA innovation body 'hasn't even begun to happen' says former research lead
[17]UK launches 'consultation' with EU over exclusion from science programs
[18]UK science suffers as lawmakers continue to dither over Brexit negotiations
[19]UK.gov presents its National Space Strategy: Space is worth billions to us. Just don't mention Brexit, OK?
So far, the decision to leave the EU seems to be dragging the UK away from its ambition to be a science "superpower." The government has so far failed to secure the UK's inclusion in the EU's €95.5 billion (c $91 billion) Horizon research funding program since it left the world's richest trading bloc.
In August, Truss, then foreign secretary, [20]launched a "consultation" with the EU over lack of progress on the source of funding many researchers see as vital. She accused the EU of "repeatedly seeking to politicise vital scientific cooperation by refusing to finalize access to these important programmes." The EU was "in clear breach" of the UK/EU departure agreement, she said.
However, a spokesperson for the European Commission said the Trade and Cooperation Agreement did not provide a specific obligation or deadline for the EU to associate the UK with union programmes.
"The Commission takes note of the UK's request for consultation and will follow up on this in line with the applicable rules, as set out in the TCA," he said. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/05/truss_uk_pm/
[2] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/ldselect/ldsctech/Ltr-to-PM-Science-Minister-and-NSTC-27-Sept-2022.pdf
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YzRvnzxBq1kaPnVOVDYUCAAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YzRvnzxBq1kaPnVOVDYUCAAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YzRvnzxBq1kaPnVOVDYUCAAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/07/boris_johnson_tech_legacy/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/19/uk_darpa_aria_unveiled/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YzRvnzxBq1kaPnVOVDYUCAAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.darpa.mil/
[10] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-launch-new-research-agency-to-support-high-risk-high-reward-science
[11] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/innovation-heavyweights-appointed-to-lead-new-advanced-research-and-invention-agency
[12] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advanced-research-and-invention-agency-aria-statement-of-policy-intent/advanced-research-and-invention-agency-aria-policy-statement
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YzRvnzxBq1kaPnVOVDYUCAAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/20/uks_aria_innovation_body_has/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/09/scitech_superpower/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/20/uks_aria_innovation_body_has/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/17/uk_launches_consultation_with_eu/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/27/uk_brexit_horizons/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/01/uk_national_space_strategy/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/17/uk_launches_consultation_with_eu/
[21] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Has it occurred to you that Truss may be autistic and that you are in fact mocking someone for a hidden disability?
Isn't what Truss is doing, Kwarteng too, mirrored by their book Britannia Unchained ?
Nothing to do with her possible condition, all to do with her proven idiocy.
By all means criticise her supposedly proven idiocy (where is that proof?). Just don't attack her for finding public speaking difficult.
Quite right, Cederic, and how glad I am to see you supporting positive discrimination in the workplace.
As you say, Liz Truss is a poor public speaker and may indeed be autistic. But even though an ability to communicate is part of the role she applied for I think it's simply marvellous that the Tory Membership were able to look past this and give her the job.
I do not support discrimination in the workplace. Selecting someone despite a characteristic is very different to selecting them because of it.
Certainly after a Prime Minister that charmed his way to the role it's refreshing to see someone appointed because of what they can actually do.
I acknowledge the commentary elsewhere regarding what she's done in role so far :)
Indeed, the Tory party members had the choice of Liz Truss with somewhat bizarre ideas on cheese and public speaking, or Rishi Sunak with a proven record of good governance as chancellor of the exchequer.
So they picked the white one.
She has no problem with public speaking. She used that form of speaking to make a point. If you look at everyone of her hustings recently, there are no issues.
The proof of idiocy is that for her strategy for cutting taxes, she was told it would crash the pound, she ignored the advice, went ahead, and indeed it did crash the pound. She has since failed to correct the problem.
Lots more out there if you google too.
If you boil off all the filler and organic bovine fertiliser from the book it makes one or two good points such as the lack of uptake if STEM type subjects post GCSE. This is something that does need to be fixed.
However they are doing the economic equivalent of taking imodium and ex-lax at the same time and we are stuck in the middle of it.
So no need for government interference.
If markets require more STEM then salaries will rise, universities will add places and increase fees to pay for them and Eton will encourage its students to do physics instead of PPE.
Anything else would be socialism and we certainly don't want to sink to the levels of science education in the USSR.
And with the rise of far-right parties in the rest of europe there are bound to be loads of fleeing $ETHNIC$ scientists we can recruit
Why would someone at Eaton do some grubby subject like physics when they could do PPE, go to oxbridge and have mummy and daddy get them a job working in the city or whitehall getting paid a huge salary?
Salaries in STEM are already pretty good and just bonkers in 'merica. Still got an issue finding people.
Because if STEM was valuable it would pay better than finance, if it doesn't pay as well as finance then it obviously isn't important and should be cut
Finance = really quick profits!
STEM = hard
The sad truth of the matter is you can learn some python, go into fintech and earn twice as much as a normal software engineer. You still need some maths though.
If markets require more STEM then salaries will rise, universities will add places and increase fees to pay for them and Eton will encourage its students to do physics instead of PPE.
Are you sure? That should have happened already, but it hasn't.
They tried and they tried...
....I mean, who in earth would accept a role in an anti science government.
It has been a job few want since well before Brexit. The science minister becomes an instant turd.
The country that couldn't be bothered to retain ARM...
...just wants the pretense of trying.
Re: They tried and they tried...
>..I mean, who in earth would accept a role in an anti science government.
A back bencher who wants a ministerial salary but has no ambition to appear on question time or be blamed for anything ?
This.Is.What.Happens.When.You.Believe.Devoutly.In.The."hidden hand" of the free market.
(And/or see science as a grubby hands on section of commerce.
So you're saying that you don't believe in the "invisible hand" of the free market?
Because that's really funny. Come on, you're pulling our leg, aren't you?
Sometimes the invisible hand needs a helping hand.
@ 2+2=5
You're it! You have proven Btexit skills.
Well given the state of things of departments that do have Ministers, for example The treasury and the right honourable Kwasi Kwenneth Kwarteng, maybe it's a blessing that we don't have a science minister.
Think how bad science could get with government meddling.
Kwenneth? No. Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng.
Depending on source the order of the three names prior to Kwarteng changes, but none of them give him the initials KKK. Why did you feel the need to do so?
Why ? Humour mostly.
The low hanging fruit of inappropriate middle names (such as my own- Oliver Douglas) and silly acronyms thereof . Inherited Dad's sense of humour and pattern baldness.
Headline to come...
Will the last person that leaves the UK please turn off the Diamond Light Source.
Re: Headline to come...
...with the reliable switch made by MK. Oh, wait...
They probably consider it unnecessary in their post-evidence world of rampant ideology
Science is about evidence? Fuck that, it's what you believe that matters!
In fact we believe that by cutting back on science, we will actually have more science, so if we stop funding it altogether we will have more science than everyone else in the world!
Re: They probably consider it unnecessary in their post-evidence world of rampant ideology
Evidence based science went out the window in 2020 when the various parts of the NWO did their very best to make the death stats look as bad as possible in order to push the biggest transfer of wealth from the average person to the elite ruling class we have ever seen.
Re: They probably consider it unnecessary in their post-evidence world of rampant ideology
Sure but they did build those awesome space lasers
Re: They probably consider it unnecessary in their post-evidence world of rampant ideology
I'm still waiting for the sharks with lasers. Making saltwater proof high power lasers is really hard!!
Re: They probably consider it unnecessary in their post-evidence world of rampant ideology
>I'm still waiting for the sharks with lasers
Sorry, sharks aren't kosher - you'll need a different secret world ruling order
No problem
Change the tax rules so companies can claim R&D tax credits and allow just about anything beyond raw materials to count as R&D = install commercial sector 50% spend on R&D.
Claim thus is better than socialist government spending on R&D cos of market efficiency
Re: No problem
"Honestly gov,
I needed that Yaccuzi filled with dollar-bills* for my research into financial boyancy!"
*): Because.. Who wants pounds nowadays?
Re: No problem
And have Android invest some of that in non-malicious autocomplete - sorry
Give them a chance
The current leadership has only been at the job two weeks, and 10 days of that was lost to due to mourning the queen.
The focus right now is on fucking up the economy. Once they're done fucking that up I have no doubt they will appoint a science minister to fuck up science too. But they're clearly very busy, and even though they have fucked the economy to an extraordinary level given they've only been at it a few days, there is a limit to how many things they can fuck up at once. We don't want them to lose focus now do we?
So lets just all show some patience, give them time to fuck up a few more things before they fuck up science.
Re: Give them a chance
They'll appoint Jacob Rees-Mogg, who'll insist in the creation of a new Great British Network instead of the internet, using steam-powered semaphore telegraphs. The bandwidth will be shit, but the steampunk community will be thrilled!
Re: Give them a chance
And once we're on the GBN, they can set up a data filtering service that could be named after some geographical feature that has historically and symbolically split Britain from the rest of Europe.
Just a thought.
Re: Give them a chance
Steam sounds a bit grubby northern industrial. The new patriotic internet will be powered by uniformed urchins carrying packets on bicycles
Re: Give them a chance
Only if they pay for the uniform and bicycle out of their own wages.
Re: Give them a chance
>Only if they pay for the uniform and bicycle out of their own wages.
Wages, what Corbynism is this ? They will get a shiny penny as a tip
Re: Packets on bicycles.
That is already what they are claiming to do. “Deliveroo, deliveroo, deliveroo”.
Rees-Mogg will invest in the brand new sparkly technology called “gaslighting”.
Re: Give them a chance
Nah, he'll just siphon off the money to his self-serving chums while the public is distracted by his put-on "amusing" pretence/schtick of being an eccentric toff stuck in the nineteenth century, letting the harmless jokes bounce off him while they usefully distract from the fact he's a nasty right-wing POS.
In other words, much like Boris Johnson's "ha ha amusing posh man" act.
What's the point of science when you have superpowers?
==Bring us Dabbsy back! ==
The science minister is a bit like the industrial strategy. Lost in action.
They have been promising to do something for years but nothing ever shows up. Simply they are not really at all serious about science and engineering. Look at countries that are and see how they are doing compared to the UK.
Country with the most anti-science politics and education system seems to be doing best.
That. Is. A. Disgrace.