AHRC Has Still Not Backed Off the "Big Society" Nonsense

Thom Brooks (Newcastle) writes:

The AHRC response [to the petition] has been to change nothing and I now recommend phase two: a mass email campaign to the AHRC Chief Executive, Professor Rick Rylance, confirming our continued support for the AHRC to remove all mention of "The Big Society" from its delivery plan. Please write to Professor Rylance about the importance of this small, but important change in the AHRC's delivery plan. His email address is [email protected]. You may copy and paste the below if you like:

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Dear Professor Rylance,

I write in support of the petition to remove all references to "The Big Society" in the current AHRC delivery plan for strategic research funding priorities. This petition was signed by nearly 2,500 colleagues in less than a week. It can be found here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/thebigsociety/ 

This is a position about principle, not politics. I would have equally opposed mention of "The Third Way" after the 1997 general election. Political campaign slogans should not appear in research council delivery plans. I call upon the AHRC to remove "The Big Society" from its delivery plan and all other documentation with immediate effect.

Sincerely yours,

I encourage faculty and students in Britain, British citizens teaching elsewhere, and anyone who has done referee work for the AHRC to write.