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Britain’s Labour Party this week laid down the benchmarks by which it will
judge the government’s White Paper on science. Lewis Moonie, the party’s
science spokesman, condemned ‘government inaction’ during the year-long wait
for the paper and spelt out the 15 points on which he would judge it.

Top of the list is a long-term science and technology strategy forged
between government, industry and scientists, and backed by mechanisms to
make sure objectives are reached. Moonie also called for the creation of
Faraday Centres to bridge the gap between academia and industry and the
introduction of a better career structure for scientists.

Moonie said that his criteria reflected the demands made by scientists and
organisations in their published advice on the paper. ‘If the government
does not meet these benchmarks, it will have promised but not delivered,’
he warned.