Westminster Thinking on Science Not Just Wrong, But Mad

That the Parliament welcomes New Scientist's editorial of 15 September 2010, Don't let Britain's politicians ruin science, in which Professor Robert M May, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government, criticises the UK Government's attitude towards science; agrees with Professor May that Vince Cable's "crude advocacy of more commercially related research showed little awareness of the complex interplay between basic research - new ideas - and their translation into products" and, that money put into basic research "is not a cost but an investment"; notes that the proposed UK Government cuts in science funding come at a time when the United States has announced a $21 billion boost for science as part of a stimulus package, France is investing €35 billion and Germany and China are also supporting science, and believes that the UK's pre-eminent position in terms of the quantity and quality of its scientific research, which puts it in what is considered to be a unique competitive position, must be maintained, and that, as Professor May expresses it, "the current thinking is not just wrong, it's mad".