Jenny Andrew
@drandrewv2.bsky.social
Trade union nerd. Chronically fatigued. No patience for long bios.
People who take care to tell you that tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable… WRONG! They are a fruit, but why would you think that an edible fruit (seed-bearing part of a plant) is not a vegetable (edible part of a plant)? If you’re going to do a pompous “I think you’ll find..”, get it right.
Good editorial from @theguardian.com Echoes points made by Brian Cox on R4’s PM y’day: we have a new gov’t… they must reevaluate this devastation of UK research infrastructure rather than simply sign off on their predecessors’ bad (and badly-reasoned) decisions. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial
Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans
theguardian.com
Hey #UK friends. Do you get annoyed by fireworks? Do your pets find them distressing? Do you think anyone should be able to buy them? The UK Government is running a consultation and want your views. www.gov.uk/government/c...
Fireworks and pyrotechnics in the UK
gov.uk
I have blogged! The State of the Present: Andy Burnham’s new government or - Why the abolition of DSIT is baffling and bad - Why I'm worried about what it means for civil service reform - Some opportunities for the new government around data, digital, open government medium.com/state-of-the...
The State of the Present: Andy Burnham’s new government
In common with lots of other policy people in recent weeks, I’ve been reading Head North, the (very readable) book by new Prime Minister…
medium.com
I haven’t seen the Odyssey (3hrs is a LONG TIME to the chronically fatigued), BUT the ‘fidelity to the source’ row is quite bizarre. Mythology is a tradition of adoption, adaptation, embellishment and retelling. Enjoy the romp. Make it your own. Go write some fan fiction… Homer sure AF did.
Every commentator saying too many kids go to university has to tell their own kid to not do a degree
100% Axing Jodrell Bank may be the most visible, but is just one symptom of the catastrophically shit POLITICAL CHOICE to not maintain STFC funds to meet the costs of R&D, and to cannibalise research infrastructure - the health of the R&D ecosystem - for a superficial bump to commercial targets
Edd Edmondson@eddedmondson.eurosky.social · last wk.There's a change.org petition going round to save Jodrell Bank. I appreciate the intent and totally agree of course it should be saved, but I don't think a change.org petition will cut it. I'd encourage you to take the time to write to your MP about the full shortfall.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg of a programme of cuts that is set to devastate UK public sector science and cost many scientists their jobs. The new government, with its focus on regional growth, must reconsider before irreparable harm is done.”
Prospect Union@prospectunion.bsky.social · last wk.The closure of the iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory would be a tragedy for UK science that undermines the mission to be a science superpower, says Prospect. Read more ⬇️ prospect.org.uk/news/closure...
If you’re writing about the STFC cuts in general and defunding of Jodrell Bank in particular, check your superlatives… A) ‘decimation’ is cutting 1 in 10… try ‘devastation’ instead. B) ‘iconic’ is faint praise indeed when you’re talking about a literal World Heritage Site
WHAT DO WE WANT? Sustainable funding for robust long term observations with demonstrable outcomes! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? Each year? Please? Like, can you just pay and we'll get on with the actual work rather than pissing around writing funding applications? This stuff is quite good, really.
Rally at Jodrell Bank, anyone? Placards and all that??? Tell me when, and I’ll bring snacks.
20% cuts to Diamond, ISIS and the CLF! Jodrell Bank is shutting down! There's a lot of really short-sighted decisions from UKRI and the government. Science in this country is going to suffer and it will take a lot longer to recover than it takes to kill it
Tell me again about your ‘record science investment’… The cuts to STFC facilities and workforces are shaping up to be a historic lesson in cost-of-everything-value-of-nothing policy-making, set to pull the rug out from under UK research capabilities for decades to come www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
bbc.co.uk
The ‘AI overview’ I never asked for showing why I am literally NEVER going to ask for an ‘AI overview’. If I wanted a hopelessly wrong, and yet drippingly patronising answer, there are all too many people offering that service for free.
Person does important job somewhere other than London? HOW is this possible???
It's called The Humanities and it's being systematically dismantled due to HE cuts. 😡
Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 2w agoUniversities should arm students with AI ‘eval’ powers ft.trib.al/KP8p07e | opinion
Agree with this. The (then) Science and Technology Committee existed prior to DSIT and should continue after it, including scrutiny of public sector adoption of digital, data and AI, the responsibility for which is now distributed across departments. committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...
Role - Science, Innovation and Technology Committee - Committees - UK Parliament
The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technol...
committees.parliament.uk
Jenny Andrew@drandrewv2.bsky.social · 2w agoPlenty being said about the dissolution of DSIT… personally, I think it’ll be a nightmare for a bunch of civil servants, esp. the tech specialists, and could go either way for R&D, BUT I am grieving the loss of the mighty SITC - the select committee - who IMO have been the stars of this Parliament.
Plenty being said about the dissolution of DSIT… personally, I think it’ll be a nightmare for a bunch of civil servants, esp. the tech specialists, and could go either way for R&D, BUT I am grieving the loss of the mighty SITC - the select committee - who IMO have been the stars of this Parliament.
It seems funny to me the gossip is that the tech carve-up happened as so many ministers wanted a bit of AI razzle-dazzle, but what are they getting? Waning social license, not enough water for data centres, the risk of the US bubble bursting, financial upside for the big US labs
And what an arrival: she’s rocking the Bad Fairy vibe. I kinda love it.
Politics UK@politicsuk.com · 2w ago🚨 BREAKING: Angela Rayner has arrived at Downing Street
Newspaper livefeeds will print ANY old shit right now while they’re waiting for cabinet appointments to announce… get your messages to Andy Burnham in RIGHT NOW. “Dave from Huyton congratulates Burnham as he enters Downing Street: ‘Good job fella, now can you pay me back the £20 I lent you in 1992”
My can of soup has meaningful phrases on the label. They tell me how to heat it up. How could a soup can know I want my soup hot? This is magic. There must be a ghost in the machine.
Okay, I have a different PoV on this… I think Vallance‘s skills better suit him to the role of a critical friend to government than to government itself. If science is about to REabsorbed into the business department, it needs a minister who gets science, AND is a feckin TERRIER of a politician.
Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 2w agoNews emerging that Patrick Vallance has resigned as science minister. Last month we heard fears that a Vallance departure would hit science policy stability. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
Elizabeth II took 13 years to see in her 4th UK prime minister. Charles III is on his 4th in as many years. They’re going to be giving that shit its own RMS code soon.
Could Excel be conscious? We surveyed more than Jan 1 1900 people to find out.
I am pleased that they’re dropping that digital ID plan; I think it’s a right move, BUT… I don’t think it’s going to save that much money, because I don’t *actually* believe they were ever going to push it through. It’d have been avowedly dumped already if not for the egos already staked on it.
This noughties revival is getting a bit silly now. Yup, I’m old enough to remember the last time BIS was invented, under Gordon Brown. Quite a lot else has changed since then, like the amalgamation of the research councils into UKRI, and more recently UKRI getting very tight with DSIT policy…
Jon Butterworth@jonbutterworth.bsky.social · 3w agoI was hoping Burnham might do something to fix the troubles in UKRI/DSIT, but I am not sure this is it. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...