The Prime Minister, David Cameron promoted the idea of "big society". The Minister for Higher Education, David Willetts intends to spend a significant amount of research council's money to support research on big society. Clearly academics who support the "big society" idea (whatever that is) will succeed; those who don't will die of natural courses (funding dried up). Willetts and Cameron are very clever indeed! However, using academic freedom to pay for a party's political future is downright irresponsible.
"Big Society": just add imagination
The Government is promoting the concept of "big society". There were no definitions, only examples. This is clever, as different people understand "big society" differently. Promoting something vague is one way to unite people, because they all give it the interpretation that sounds good for them. Let people use their imagination.
Supporting "big society" with research council fundings
The Minister for Higher Education, David Willetts works really hard. After raising the tuition fees (or at least allowing the Chancellor to raise tuition fees), he is suggesting that the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will spend a "significant" amount of its funding on big society, according to the Guardian's Observer on 27 March 2011.
Clearly if a grant proposal sounds negative towards the "big society", it won't get funded. Therefore, this is a clever trick by Willetts/Cameron to promote the "big society"idea, using research money.
Survival of the fittest
In fact, this is one way to eliminate academics who do not support the "big society" idea, whatever that is. Academics who do not support the big society idea will not apply for AHRC funding, or put in proposals that are negative about it. By depriving these academics of funding, they would not survive in the education system. Remained in the system will be academics who are willing to follow the Government's lead. Survival of the fittest, really (from Willetts' point of view).
A proven formula, clever trick
This strategy was perhaps copied from the US. In the US, most scientific research funds come out of defence budget.
The best known case of applying this strategy in China was around 206BC. In the Qin Dynasty, the Prime Minister Zhao GAO plotted to usurp the throne. To test which minister was on his side and which was not, he presented a deer to the emperor, and asserted that it was a horse. His men recorded those who disagreed. They were eliminated one by one afterwards.
Clever trick this is. However, using academic freedom to pay for a party's political future is downright irresponsible.
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