Britain cuts back deeply on spending

In the afternoon of October 9, visitors to the Cabinet War Rooms in London experienced a sight more commonly associated with French cities: up to 2,000 scientists, many wearing lab coats or other paraphernalia of their trade, clogged the narrow street between the Treasury and the Foreign Office in London’s government quarters, Whitehall. Carrying placards with slogans like: “Fair funding: it’s not rocket science” or “Science saves lives,” the scientists came out in support of a petition launched in response to the announced government cuts feared to amount to 25% of current spending. Their wrath had been particularly incensed by a speech from business secretary Vince Cable, who had defended cuts, saying that much of UK science wasn’t that excellent anyway. Speakers at the event included cell biologist Jennifer Rohn, who had cofounded the pressure group Science is Vital only weeks earlier, science writer Simon Singh, and the director of CASE (Campaign for Science and Engineering), Imran Khan. They pointed out that the investment in knowledge and technology of the future was particularly important in the difficult economic situation. Other nations including the US and Germany have responded to the crisis by increasing, rather than slashing their science funding. Slashing the science budget would trigger a brain drain towards countries that still increase their science investment, such as Singapore, the scientists said. “Cutting funding to science will backfire because it is precisely the