Scientists are treated as shit in the British Civil Service. Because they haven't read all about the pre-Socratic philosophers nor have a nodding acquaintance with the Peloponessian Wars then they are considered to be below the salt.
Dr Kelly was the former head of Porton Down, the top British Research establishment of biological and chemical agents. He was probably one of the world's top half-dozen experts on the subject. He'd been to Iraq 40 times in the course of inspections. But, in the course of being outed as the source of the BBC charge that the government had lied in its intelligence dossier, he was described by one of the God-like administrative civil servants as a "middle-ranking civil servant in the Ministry of Defence".
Status is an incredibly important part of human nature -- particularly of the male -- and public recognition of accomplishment is also important. Some years ago I chided a surgeon about the large salary he was obtaining from the National Health service for doing very little work (about 12 hours a week) he said to me: "Do you know what we miss most?" Raised eyebrows. He continued: "We miss not having an audience who can see the skilfulness of the work we do. We get no applause at all. Every operating theatre ought to have a visitors gallery."
Much the same applies to Dr Kelly. Here was someone doing incredibly important work on behalf of the country and of world-status in his own discipline. Yet he was about five grades down from the top in the 24-grades of the civil service and would never be allowed to go higher than that. According to evidence given to the Hutton Enquiry, there was a letter in his desk at home showing that he was about to be given an honour of some sort in the next New Year's Honours List. Yet, when it was convenient to the higher levels of the Ministry of Defence and the politicians, he was called a "middle-ranking civil servant". This was perfidy of the blackest sort. It must have been a terrible body blow and I'm sure it was the major part of his suicidal depression.
KSH
At 16:58 01/09/2003 -0400, you wrote:
David Kelly felt betrayed at the decision of his Defense Ministry bosses to make his name public as the source of a BBC report saying the government inflated the case for war against Iraq, his widow testified today at the inquiry investigating his suicide.
"He said several times over coffee, over lunch, over afternoon tea that he felt totally let down and betrayed," Janice Kelly, 58, said of her husband, a former United Nations arms inspector in Iraq who served the ministry as an expert on unconventional weapons.
"He had been led to believe that his name would not come into the public domain from his line manager, from all his seniors," she said. "He was so very upset about it."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/01/international/europe/01CND-BRIT.html?hp
My computer genius friend has described one kind of good manager. This kind of manager is a technical ignoramus and he knows he is. But he has a nose for people. He cultivates good employees, and he protects them from the outside world. When somebody beats on him, or tries to beat on them, he asks his people what the right technical thing to do is. He listens to them and goes out to be their sword and shield. This kind of manager can probably sit on his duff a lot, but he earns every cent he's paid, because he does something his people either can't or most certainly don't want to do.
\brad mcormick
-- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16)
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
<![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/
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Keith Hudson, 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath, England, <www.evolutionary-economics.org>
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