back to article EU wants a panel o'boffins to replace solo science advisor

Following widespread criticism of his decision to axe the role of chief science advisor (CSA), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has announced that a seven-strong panel will be set up to take its place. Last November, former CSA Anne Glover revealed that her job – which has existed since 2012 – was scrapped …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So whose gonna select them.

  2. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

    What stops this panel being staffed by scientists with an institutional bias? Presumably there will be a selection committee, so what prevents them applying their own (usually environmental) bias?

  3. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge
    Devil

    "independent of institutional or political interests"

    HA ha ha

    Haaaaa ha ha ha ha ha haaaah

    Waaaaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

    Yeah. Right. I'll believe that when Satan straps on a pair of skis and bacon is soaring majestically past my window.

    1. Gordon 10
      WTF?

      Re: "independent of institutional or political interests"

      Im confused. Is the bacon tied to Satan's back and he's doing ski jumps? Do pigs even go to hell? Or just those ones growing human livers? And given Satan is a master of fire can he cook a mean bacon sandwich? Which sauce is available in Hell HP or Heinz?

      Enquiring minds need to know.

  4. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

    Optional

    Science by politically-appointed committee. What could possibly go wrong?

  5. Sir Sham Cad

    Evidence based policy

    Great idea. That way, when they only listen to the evidence that supports their existing policies they can say it's backed up by science. They can continue to ignore the rest of it.

    Still, it's better than the nothing that currently exists so, cynicism aside, I'm for it.

    1. Terry 6 Silver badge

      Re: Evidence based policy

      Precisely,

      The best case in point, (IMHO)

      When HM Govt. decided to appoint a panel of independent experts to decide what is the best way to teach reading they selected a chair with very well known strong views supporting a particularly populist approach, easy to sell to the electorate, with a team to support him that were supportive, and they went and took "evidence" from the institutions that were particularly successful examples of the same approach.

      All "independent" of the govt. of course.

  6. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Toeing the Crooked Party Line is the Name of the Politically Incorrect Game ...

    .... and it Guarantees Informed Dissent

    Was such a policy based upon evidence rather than exaggeration not rejected by UKGBNI with the prime victim being panels supported by Professor David Nutt ...... https://profdavidnutt.wordpress.com

    1. Little Mouse

      Re: Toeing the Crooked Party Line is the Name of the Politically Incorrect Game ...

      I'm not sure. What was the question again?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        Re: Toeing the Crooked Party Line is the Name of the Politically Incorrect Game ...

        Tuesday

  7. Justicesays

    So

    One environmentalist with a hatred of nuclear power

    One hardline anti-libertarian who hates drugs

    One hardline Christian scientist who opposes any kind of genetic tinkering.

    One Octogenarian professor who is stuck in the 70s and doesn't trust all this newfangled stuff

    3 appointees from various "Think tank" organizations.

    I'm joking,

    It's going to be 7 of the last one, who also cover the first 4.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: So

      Yes but since everyone else will ignore the panel's reports it doesn't really matter

    2. Terry 6 Silver badge

      Re: So

      Hmm,

      Yes you are probably right.

      The think-tank game is already quite a clever one.

      A "think tank" is set up, which argues strongly for a given approach or belief.

      They make lots of arguments that are logical, but without any solid evidence.

      Which they then establish by repetition.

      And once they've done that they publish a report that is well argued and measured, but built upon the same unproven assumptions, with maybe a small, poorly designed study that appears to support them,

      Then another group starts up," independently" to lobby the Powers That Be to implement those approaches. And they produce "evidence "to support themselves. The evidence of course being the rather dodgy research and recommendations of the first group.

      Other equally independent groups stand up and demand to know why such a well supported and obvious course of action hasn't been followed up. Making great reference to all sorts of apparent evidence, that all lead back to the one dodgy study and the various reports that have been published by the previous two lobby groups based on this, and so on.

      Except that these groups all seem to share the same pool of supporters and members, in various permutations.

  8. phil dude
    Boffin

    non academics too...

    Science is not just academics.

    There should be representation from the non-academic science community.

    Academics have a tendency to limit collaboration, to that which can be carried out by cheap labour...(i.e. grad students in case you didn't know), and produce publications....

    P.

  9. Dan Paul

    She blinded me with Science!

    Or baffled me with Bullship, whatever.

    Thomas Dolby References aside, I have learned over my 59 years that you could try to get a group of academics in a room and none of them would ever agree with each other. Good luck getting a consensus. Who thinks thats going to help clueless politicians?

    It's pretty obvious that "government by committee" is just another way to describe cluster f@ck.

    In the US, we have the National Academy of Science which a friend described his job there as dumbing down Phd level information to an 8th grade level so our Politicians can understand it.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Press releases and panelists

    "said Moedas, sounding an awful lot like former Commish president José Manuel Barroso, when he announced Glover’s job back in 2011. Plus ça change."

    They have the same idiot PR, the kind of people appointed based ont their useless value.

    About the scientists...oh I love the Swiss system of democracy...

    Moedas is an idiot of an accountant, people who should be forbidden to do anything outside their area of "expertise" if they have any...The other day, reading about the cuts in the money for the EU science and opening the doors for Ukrainians(nothing against the people from there), I had this crazy epiphany that he did it following orders of some kind to sell heavy weapons to Ukraine.

    Like "scientists" there developing advanced control systems for missiles et all, but in need of funding to buy some toys from the EADSs and BAEs of Europe to test it...

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