iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

🧵🚨 The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news. Today our report is published! www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n... 1/11

ucl.ac.uk

UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

22727449 0

Jonathan Legg @jonathanlegg.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Makes good sense!

000 0

Clarissa Oakes 🇺🇦 @clarissaoakes.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

I hate being negative, but this is the sort of reporting that we'll look back on in 5 years or so and say, "We were warned." Any right-wing HMG would be delighted to abolish many public-benefiting bodies, on the basis that tax cuts for the rich are more useful. Deplorables would cheer them on.

010 0

Something Chronic @somethingchronic.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

@chrischirp.bsky.social and @martinmckee.bsky.social the Science Media Centre would also be worth assessing. They have disseminated misinformation about people with #MEcfs for years. @davetuller1.bsky.social and @georgemonbiot.bsky.social have written about it. #GreatestMEdicalScandal #PACEtrial

020 0

John Peters @johnthejack.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Did you consider at any point looking at the role of the Science Media Centre?

000 0

Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

The tricky thing is the scientific bodies can only advise from the perspective of "If your priority is X (disease prevention, protecting nature, etc) then you should do Y". But governments have to balance many priorities, so need the confidence to go against advice at times, and be open about why.

010 0

andrewbroadbent.bsky.social @andrewbroadbent.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

The @UKHSA is still dispensing disinformation by not asserting clearly thst sars2covid is airborne, not recommending clean air, masks where appropriate and vaccines for all. Wont discuss or explain. Smacks of managers planted by govt. 'back to work, it's over'

000 0

Mark Beeney🗿 @markbeeney.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

📌

000 0

Phil Gundy @philg42.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

I think Covid showed how vulnerable they are to political interference. The decision to only over the Covid vaccine to those 75 and over confirms it. Covid now as weak as a cold? I don't think there is any study confirming that.

060 0

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

We found that the UK’s top scientific institutions, from the Met Office to the UK Health Security Agency, have inadequate institutional defences. If an incoming government wanted to weaken the role of science and evidence in policy making, it could do so shockingly fast. 2/11

315452 0

Simon Edmonds @sjsedmonds.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

I definitely think that independence really changed with the Cummings / Johnson era onwards with special advisors, Science Ministers and unfortunately Senior Civil Servants all being much more dominant and directive onto ALBs

030 0

Politics Phil @politicsphil.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

It has always been imperative that Science and the Judiciary are independent of both the executive and the state.

061 0

blayneydeborah.bsky.social @blayneydeborah.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

📌

000 0

Môr Leidr @bartiddu.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

This is unsurprising The pandemic showed how vulnerable our scientific community was to politicisation Excellent editorial from 2020 in the BMJ by Kamran Abbasi (now Editor of same) on this www.bmj.com/content/371/...

bmj.com

Covid-19: politicisation, “corruption,” and suppression of science

When good science is suppressed by the medical-political complex, people die Politicians and governments are suppressing science. They do so in the public interest, they say, to accelerate availabili...

0202 0

Dr Seán DOOLAN 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇮🇪 @sdinpraxis.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

📌

000 0

Gary Davies (not a DJ or a Rev) @propanegary.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Having worked for the Met Office there have been so many threats of privatisation, mainly from the Cons since the Thatcher years... It is the last thing that should happen to any scientific body that should be politically neutral...

000 0

Meaghan Kall @kallmemeg.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

I really miss the days of Health Protection Agency when we were able to provide independent public health advice. Bringing the organisation ever closer to central government control has only had a net negative effect on so many aspects of the organisation.

0378 0

Emmy D @emmydee50.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Hi Does the same apply to Statutory Non-departmental Public Bodies - the EHRC for example?

000 0

Andy Squibb @squibbmeisteruk.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

I can't help thinking that if the 'politically ignorant' facilitate Farage at the next GE, he would do exactly the same with UK bodies, as #Trump has tried to do with bls.gov and the Fed. 😬

bls.gov

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics.

2132 0

Inclusive New Normal @inclusivenew.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Important report 🙏. But tricky getting balance right. 'Independent' can also mean an interest-group marks their own homework without quality assurance, meaningful oversight, public accountability, transparency or access, as seems true of the body for Infection Prevention & Control in Scotland.

100 0

autumnlight.bsky.social @autumnlight.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

@chrischirp.bsky.social excellent report. Have any Parliamentarians shown an interest in addressing this issue?

110 0

Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Agreed. A mid-grade official at DSTL attempted to bar me from speaking at an international conference

030 0