Dorkins Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 These cuts yesterday are not to do with the £600M cuts you are talking about. They are additional cuts specifically targetting basic physics research, not science in general. There will be further cuts to all science, including the basic physics areas which just had major cuts yesterday, when the overall £600M cut is implemented.... Fair enough, percentagewise the cuts are still likely to be less than 15% across the board though. Academia is highly flexible because so many of the people coming through are student and postdoc youths on 1-3 year contracts, so if you want to reduce headcount just put out fewer new contracts. Honestly there is a lot of pain to go around, scientists are going to have to take their share as are taxpayers and state employees in medicine/education/local government/defence/police etc. I work in academic scientific research and I would rather we took managed paycuts and reduced headcount now than see the UK become the next Argentina (or California?) and be unable to pay its employees altogether and have massive sudden cuts imposed anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Saver Posted December 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Fair enough, percentagewise the cuts are still likely to be less than 15% across the board though. Academia is highly flexible because so many of the people coming through are student and postdoc youths on 1-3 year contracts, so if you want to reduce headcount just put out fewer new contracts. Honestly there is a lot of pain to go around, scientists are going to have to take their share as are taxpayers and state employees in medicine/education/local government/defence/police etc. I work in academic scientific research and I would rather we took managed paycuts and reduced headcount now than see the UK become the next Argentina (or California?) and be unable to pay its employees altogether and have massive sudden cuts imposed anyway. The point is the current cuts are due to mismanagement of the relevant budget 3 years ago and predate the financial crisis. So its not fair to argue we are taking our fair share - we are not, we are getting much worse than others will get because we will still get all the same cuts they get after the election, but in addition we now have these pretty large cuts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dorkins Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 The point is the current cuts are due to mismanagement of the relevant budget 3 years ago and predate the financial crisis. So its not fair to argue we are taking our fair share - we are not, we are getting much worse than others will get because we will still get all the same cuts they get after the election, but in addition we now have these pretty large cuts. Ah I see, yes it is a bit unreasonable to make very deep cuts to specific areas. I suppose the argument is not whether there should be cuts at all but how they should be spread around within academia. In that case I sympathise, it's not fair to suddenly gut entire fields instead of slicing the top layer off of all of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jp1 Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Er.... what about Blair's 'Knowledge based economy? Hello? We have a knowledge based economy. Its based around ID cards, databases, and council and public sector jobsworths sticking their noses into people's business - now thats what Labour call real 'knowledge' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Excuse me, I want to buy a cold fusion generator from a local company. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZeroSumGame Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 (edited) I fear that it won't just be physics, ................ ........................ Unfortunately, the problem is that only a tiny minority of MPs have any formal science background and so support for science is difficult to muster at the best of times. Superimposed on the above will follow, I fear, a funding maelstrom for the tertiary education sector as this 'expanded' sector contracts due to funding and demographics. Looks like Mao Tse Broon and the un-cultured revolution are in full swing. At least the brain drain to the US of A should be able pick up some decent crash-priced houses before the USD rapidly appreciates against the zimPound. Brilliant joined up thinking from the Gubbimint to slash nuclear physics by half just as we beg EDF to build some new nuke power stations. Couldn't make it up. Edited December 17, 2009 by RockingHorse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dothemaths Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Again, wrong. Lots of private companies carry out fundamental research. The one I work for being one of them. And again I ask the question, if it was all such a great investment why are we all skint? Because of the bankers and our over reliance on the financial sector. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dothemaths Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Any scientist worth his salt understands the difference between cause and effect. You clearly don't. You still haven't answered these questions: I'd like to see them answered too. It would help understand f-o's point of view. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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