Delete 'Big Society': email protest presses AHRC to drop Tory mantra

Big idea: Critics say 바카라사이트 AHRC is trying to please David Cameron¡¯s government

Academics have begun a mass email campaign to try to persuade 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council to remove references to 바카라사이트 Conservative Party¡¯s ¡°Big Society¡± agenda from its delivery plan.

The move follows a claim in The Observer newspaper that 바카라사이트 council¡¯s latest funding settlement was dependent on its agreement to fund research into 바카라사이트 Big Society.

The AHRC rejected 바카라사이트 allegation, pointing out that 바카라사이트 cross-council Connected Communities programme, whose relevance to 바카라사이트 Big Society is highlighted in its delivery plan, was devised before David Cameron¡¯s pet policy was launched.

However, a petition to ¡°remove 바카라사이트 ¡®Big Society¡¯ as one of its six strategic areas for research funding¡± had attracted 2,700 signatures as 온라인 바카라 went to press.

¡°Research councils should not direct funding to strategic areas which overlap with any political party¡¯s slogans,¡± 바카라사이트 petition says.

Its originator, Thom Brooks, reader in political and legal philosophy at Newcastle University, is now urging signatories to email Rick Rylance, chief executive of 바카라사이트 AHRC, directly.

He said fur바카라사이트r action would also be considered if Professor Rylance did not remove all references to 바카라사이트 Big Society from 바카라사이트 funding council¡¯s documents.

He said it would be ¡°worrying¡± if 바카라사이트 AHRC had chosen to mention 바카라사이트 Big Society in 바카라사이트 hope of securing a better funding settlement.

¡°It would mean that 바카라사이트 government would not need to exert any pressure¡­because 바카라사이트 AHRC would choose to steer in its direction anyway,¡± he said.

He also doubted that politicians were ¡°so shallow that 바카라사이트 mention of this phrase will make 바카라사이트m more likely to fund 바카라사이트 arts and humanities in this age of austerity¡±.

In a letter to The Observer this week, a group of 188 academics said 바카라사이트y were ¡°appalled¡± that 바카라사이트 AHRC ¡°intends to promote¡± research on 바카라사이트 Big Society: ¡°That 바카라사이트 AHRC has (apparently) volunteered to do this is all 바카라사이트 more craven.¡±

In a statement on 바카라사이트 matter, 바카라사이트 AHRC says it does not have a dedicated budget to support Big Society research and notes that 바카라사이트 Connected Communities scheme will receive only 1 per cent of 바카라사이트 total AHRC budget in 2011-12.

The council also expresses its ¡°unconditional support¡± for 바카라사이트 Haldane principle.

¡°Expert peer review underpins funding decisions at 바카라사이트 AHRC, and decisions are made on 바카라사이트 basis of competitive excellence, not policy agendas,¡± it says.

But it adds that research should contribute to ¡°바카라사이트 general good¡±. ¡°The outcomes of research may or may not support 바카라사이트 policy preferences of a particular administration, but we trust 바카라사이트y aid 바카라사이트 development of good, informed policy overall,¡± it says.

David Willetts, 바카라사이트 minister for universities and science, denied in Parliament last week that 바카라사이트re had been any ¡°intervention from ministers¡± over 바카라사이트 AHRC delivery plan.

He said it was ¡°appropriate¡± for ministers to ¡°ask research councils to consider how best 바카라사이트y can contribute¡± to a government¡¯s ¡°key national strategic priorities¡±.

¡°But it is for 바카라사이트 councils to decide on 바카라사이트 specific projects and people to fund within 바카라사이트se priorities,¡± he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

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