On 12 Aug 2010, at 11:49, Francis Sedgemore wrote:
> Democracy 101…
>
> (1) Research Councils are controlled by the Government.
> (2) The Government is accountable to Parliament.
> (3) Parliament is elected by the People.
> (4) The People are a collection of individuals with views on this, that and the other.
> (5) Ergo, the Research Councils are accountable to the public.
Ok, I asked if there was any correlation between the public's understanding of science and the science funded, not for a condescending "lesson" in democracy. Just because the research councils are accountable to the people doesn't necessarily imply that the people have a say on where the money is spent. For example, what proportion of voters have "science policy" high up on their list of priorities when reading parties' manifestos?
Mary's point is a valid one, though, and one which I had not thought about.
Adam
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