Tories promise medals not money for science and R&D
Hooverpreneur promises cultural change
James Dyson's policy review for the Tory party calls for cultural changes to put science and engineering at the centre of British society.
The vacuum cleaner maestro's review said: "We can't PR our way out of the financial black hole." But without money the review runs the danger of doing just that. It calls for "developing high esteem for science and engineering", and recommends future Tory ministers award prizes for inventors and engineers.
The review suggests head teachers get more flexibility to pay science, maths and technology teachers more than other teachers. Dyson also said that teachers want to teach all three science subjects, and should be allowed to.
Dyson also looked at the perennial problem of moving research from university laboratories to the real, profit-making world. He suggested giving universities greater autonomy by cutting bureaucratic assessment systems and by promoting knowledge transfer offices.
He called for better funding for high-tech start-ups by increasing tax relief for angel investors to 30 per cent, and encouraging banks to lend to such firms by offering government guaranteed loans.
Dyson's Ingenious Britain report said R&D tax credits were effective, but badly targeted at high-tech firms, start-ups and small firms. He supported Tory plans to make a quarter of government procurement from small and medium enterprises.
All these policies must happen "alongside the much needed deficit reduction that the Conservatives have argued for". ®
COMMENTS
Muttley crew
So kids, bankers, lawyers, accountants, TV presenters and the like all get paid large salaries. Engineers and scientists will continue to be paid much less but they will get medals. What do you want to be when you grow up?
What the?
"James Dyson's policy review for the Tory party calls for cultural changes to put science and engineering at the centre of British society."
This is the same JD that "put engineering at the centre of British Society" by moving 865 jobs in 2003 from the UK to Malaysia.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2860995/Dyson-production-moves-to-Malaysia.html
All together now "Do as I say. Not as I do"
I seem to remember that...
Quite a lot of R & D Tax credits got used up by banks researching new and innovative mathematical formulas to hide bad risks, avoid tax and such, and look where that got us.
Still what would one expect from a country that values accountants over scientists. We used to have a saying in my University, "On leaving students either revert to normal human beings or become chartered accountants", the latter being the first choice of most science graduates as there's more money in being an accountant. In fact some engineering and geology students found it more lucrative to become brickkies and oil roustabouts than pursue their degree.
Giving someone a medal is just about par for a party that pampers the rich, who are mostly accountants. (Just to be fair and balanced my party is little better, and marginally in front of the other, Nick & Gordon).
Politicians like to cut science because none of them are cleaver enough to understand it and as it's difficult to measure success and claim it for themselves, they don't care.
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