Institute’s new status confirmed

Southampton Institute will be officially renamed Southampton Solent University on 15 August, its bosses have revealed.

The institute was told on Tuesday that the Privy Council has confirmed its new university status.

The institute, which has more than 16,000 students and about 1,300 members of staff, will be the second university in Southampton.

A series of events will be held in the city to launch the new "brand".

'Teaching excellence'

The institute's principal Prof Roger Brown will become the first vice-chancellor of Southampton Solent University.

He said: "We aim to make Southampton Solent University a leading university in the south of England but that doesn't mean changing our mission or ethos, or the qualities that have already made us successful.

"We shall remain a friendly, accessible institution committed to teaching excellence, engaging with the local community, and preparing our students for success in the world of work."

Southampton Institute's origins go back to the formation of a private school of art in 1856.

It became an independent higher education corporation in 1989.

Cash help to root out extremism

Muslim groups which prove they are trying to outlaw extremism within their ranks are to receive financial support, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly says.

Cash will be available for projects that involve women, that build bridges between communities and are in touch with young people, she said.

She said it was "not good enough" to pay lip service to tackling extremism.

But some Muslim groups condemned her, saying the government was trying to create its own "state-sponsored Islam".

In a direct appeal to Muslims, Ms Kelly stressed that tackling the problem of extremism was not theirs alone.

"This is a shared problem … But I do say that without you fully on side we will fail. Your voice is more powerful than mine and your actions can be more effective.

"Unless moderates can establish themselves at the centre of their communities and faith, extremists could grow in strength and influence."

She added: "In the future, I'm clear that our strategy of funding and engagement must shift significantly towards those organisations that are taking a proactive leadership role in tackling extremists and defending our values."

Holocaust Memorial boycott

"I know this message will be challenging for some. I make no apologies for that. The scale of the threat means doing any less would be a dereliction of our duty."

Ms Kelly was also critical of groups who chose to boycott commemorations, such as Holocaust Memorial Day, although she insisted it was their right to do so.

The Muslim Council of Britain, which has received government grants, has not been involved in the event commemorating the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis, saying it should be expanded to cover all genocides.

But the MCB's deputy secretary general, Dr Daud Abdullah, said Ms Kelly should speak "with the Muslims and not to the Muslims".

''They are proscriptions, ultimatums, meted out to Muslims," he said.

"'If you don't do this – we don't give you this'…these proscriptive methods, I think is not helping."

Islamic Human Rights Commission Chairman Massoud Shadjareh also said he was "deeply concerned" about the speech.

He said: "The deliberate confusion surrounding the word extremism is a ploy by the government to use its financial muscle to socially engineer a new brand of Islam which will be subservient to its foreign policy."

But other Muslim representatives supported Ms Kelly. Dr Khalid Hameed, the High Sheriff of Greater London, said: "The time has come to isolate (extremists) in our society, I think it is a small minority.

Multi-culturalism questions

"I am happy to note that the government is taking serious note of what is required in terms of supporting the Muslim community."

There have been continuing discussions about multi-culturalism in Britain, following the 7 July attacks on London by British-born suicide bombers.

Ms Kelly spoke out in the wake of Commons leader Jack Straw's call for Muslim women to consider the impact on community relations of wearing full face veils – which has been criticised by some Muslim groups.

Ms Kelly said ultimately the issue was one of "informed personal choice" and no-one was suggesting in a free and democratic country that the state should decide what someone can or cannot wear.

She said many Muslims had privately told her that "Britain is a great place to be a Muslim".

But, she argued, a great deal more needed to be done to "tackle discrimination, whether conscious or unconscious".

BBC NEWS | Europe | Travelling with the Pope

Friday, 24 May, 2002, 15:59 GMT 16:59 UK Travelling with the Pope
The Pope increasingly needs help to move

As ever, the "Bible" for those of us covering Papal tours is a 40-page booklet produced by the Vatican which details the Pope's itinerary and engagements minute by minute.

But even the "Bible" could not plan for events in Azerbaijan.

As the press corps bus – a brand new white Mercedes juggernaut – careered at 149km an hour to the Pope's first engagement, it smacked into a low concrete bridge, slicing off part of the roof.

The driver was not fazed. He continued the journey as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps he feared he would lose the police escort which preceded us.

Once the dust and smoke had cleared we realised that we had lost the entire air conditioning unit on the top of the bus.

No one seemed to care, not even our Vatican minder who calmly continued to distribute our press credentials.

We arrived on time to see the Pope sitting in a chair front of a memorial where he was to lay a wreath in memory of the victims of the war against neighbouring Armenia.

Top traveller

Back to the "Bible". Without this confidential and complicated small print document, available only in Italian, anyone trying to fathom what is happening would be lost.

There are 183 events on this tour, the 96th for the most travelled Pope in history.

During his 24-year reign, John Paul has collected more flight miles than to the moon and back.

We ought to have guessed when Karol Woytyla took the name John Paul at his election that he was planning to become the greatest traveller in history, in the footsteps of Saint Paul, the first serious international propagator of the Christian message.

Strict timetable

The first listed event each day takes place at dawn in a room of the five-star hotel wherever the Pope's itinerant Press Corps happens to be staying.

At the risk of appearing smug, I have to record that in Baku, where for the first time the Pope had no suitable Vatican embassy accommodation for an overnight stay, he and his retinue were quartered in a new four-star hotel.

That was slightly down market from where the scribblers were staying.

An unsmiling Vatican aide distributes the embargoed texts of the Pope's speeches for the day, usually at some unsocial hour like six o'clock in the morning.

The window of opportunity is narrow, the "Bible" informs you, unless you stumble from your sleep into the correct room at the correct time.

After 15 minutes, the door will be locked, and you will never know what the Pope is going to say, until he actually speaks.

The Pope's growing immobility has reached the point where he has to be winched into and out of his plane, and on the ground can only stagger a few steps at a time on the arm of his devoted secretary.

The trolley on small wheels on which the Pope is moved around at public ceremonies inside Saint Peters has now become an essential part of the baggage of the travelling Pope.

Next stop Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Cadbury’s eco Easter egg unveiled

Cadbury says it is cutting the amount of packaging it uses on its Easter eggs in a bid to become more eco-friendly.

The Birmingham firm has launched a new range of chocolate eggs wrapped only in foil without a cardboard box.

The company said it was using 75% less plastic and 65% less cardboard by not including a box.

Mike Webster, from the pressure group Waste Watch which campaigns against excessive packaging, welcomed the idea and said consumers should support it.

He added: "The more packaging they take off the better really but it's interesting to see what they've really done.

"They've kind of said to the consumer really – the ball is now in your court.

"Either choose the egg with the packaging or the egg without – and we'd really encourage people to vote with their feet and go for the egg without.

"The next step is really to consider the recyclability of the packaging they are using – for instance if they are using the foil it's really worth recycling foil because you save an awful lot of energy over making it from virgin products."

Cadbury claimed its move would reduce the amount of plastic it uses by 247 tonnes and cardboard by 115 tonnes, saving more than 2,000 trees as a result.

Jo Grice, the firm's Easter senior brand manager, said the move was part of the firm's pledge to reduce its environmental "footprint" by 50%.

CBBC Newsround | Win | Winners: Ice Age 2 film goodies

Ice Age 2 is a brand new animated adventure film about a mammoth, a sloth called Sid and a sabre tooth tiger.

It's the sequel to the hugely popular Ice Age film which was released a couple of years ago.

And for all you film fans we have a some Ice Age goodies – including a bubble radio and watch – to giveaway to five lucky winners!

The lucky winners are:

• James, 7, Wickford
• Eleanor, 13, Newcastle
• Emily, 10, Milford
• Asha, 13, Leicester
• Jamie, 13, Chesham

who knew that Lee Ryan is the former member of Blue who provides the voice for one of the characters in Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Well done!

‘You can’t put a good doll down’

'Drink?' offers the gamine, dapper figure in front of me. 'Afraid it'll have to be a gottle of geer.' There is the thinnest of smiles from Archie Andrews.

His voice is instantly recognisable – high-pitched, perhaps a little clipped, the authentic accents of a public schoolboy of the 1950s. Archie hasn't changed a bit.

The smaller but by no means lesser half of the ventriloquism act which was once broadcast into sixteen million homes has chosen to speak exclusively to Newsnight about his long-awaited comeback.

'I thought, I'm comfortable with you. You lot will know your way around something wooden. That came out wrong but you know what I mean. Be patient with me – I haven't spoken to anyone in forty years!'

Candy-striped

It's better not to dwell on the details of Archie's long eclipse from public view – I'd been warned that he was likely to be tight-lipped. But it's a credit to his engrained showbusiness chops that he is immaculate today in candy-striped school blazer and matching scarf.

'You know what they say, you can't put a good doll down,' he says.

Archie has agreed to meet the Newsnight team on a sun-dappled canal bank in Greater Manchester, where the former star of Educating Archie is relishing his longest professional engagement since his old partner Peter Brough retired in the sixties.

Archie is appearing at the Portland Basin Museum. 'They're looking after me here. I'm in a display case, which is definitely not where I see Archie Andrews in the medium- to long-term, but on the other hand the kids all see me when they come in. I'm top of the bill, you might say.'

The revival in Archie's fortunes began when he found himself a new manager. 'All the other toys had been bending my ear about representation. That's all you hear from the new kids. With the guys on Tobermory, it's like 'My agent's got me this book deal' or 'I'm making a record with the Crazy Frog!' Please!'

Pint-sized

Archie's now being looked after by Colin Burnett Dick, a care home director from Sussex who spent the best part of £40,000 of his own money on the pint-sized performer when the late Peter Brough's family put him up for auction.

'We had some investments sitting around not making us much money and we thought, this would be fun,' he says.

Colin had been fascinated by ventriloquists ('vents') since developing a morbid childhood fear that his own toys might come to life. Despite, or because of this, he was moved to hear of Archie's plight, condemned to long years in a suitcase after the curtain finally came down on Educating Archie.

On the canalside, Archie turns his head away, with a barely perceptible click. 'I'm not bitter, I haven't got a bitter bone in my body, but I mean to say, we used to be the biggest vent act on radio!'

'What happened, do you think?'

'Well, there's so much more for the kids to do now, that's what they all tell me, "The little talking boy is gone for good". Well let me tell you this, I'm STILL small. It's showbiz that got big.'

A transition to the small screen wasn't entirely successful, and even the act's greatest admirers admit that Peter Brough was never the most technically gifted vent. Showbiz folklore has it that he even filed his front teeth in a doomed attempt to get his tongue around the more difficult syllables.

Sap

Is Colin Burnett Dick well advised in his plans to find a new partner for Archie, and put him back on the road?

Mark Felgate, a young comedian who started out as a vent, says he wouldn't be interested. 'I always found those old dolls a bit creepy.' He prefers to incorporate the hard-won skills of voice-tossing into his stand-up act.

But Donna Marie Walton says she'd like to try her hand with Archie. An 18-year-old vent who works with a gorilla called Louis, Donna Marie has a deep, almost sepulchral range which belies her tender years.

She's the protégé of the legendary Roger de Courcey, of Nookie fame, who says that only a vent of Donna's generation could rejuvenate the Archie Andrews brand.

'Brand? I'm not a brand. This kind of stuff doesn't grow on trees, you know,' says Archie. 'All I know is, I can't wait to get cracking again. The sap's rising! And you can quote me on that.'

Will Brand Beckham break America?

With the former England captain about to embark on a new career in US soccer for LA Galaxy and his pop star wife about to hit US TV screens, Brand Beckham is about to go into overdrive.

Like them or loathe them, footballer David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria have become a celebrity tag-team of glamour, wealth and fame.

From the moment the pair announced their engagement in 1998 the couple's lives have been splashed across every tabloid, magazine – and even the occasional broadsheet.

It would have been hard to miss some of the coverage their tattoos, baby names, weight problems, matching outfits and hairstyles have generated over the last 10 years.

But now it is time for Britain's most famous celebrity couple to pack up Beckingham Palace and move Brand Beckham to Tinsel Town.

'American idols'

To make sure their relocation is welcomed by a blaze of publicity, Posh and Becks have blitzed the US press with a whistle-stop tour, as well as doing their most saucy photo shoot yet.

In a nine-page spread in the August edition of W Magazine, the couple are seen posing in underwear, kissing and striking provocative poses.

The magazine says the pair are "determined to become the new American idols".

Victoria, who recently announced she would be touring with the Spice Girls, has even opened up for the first time about her husband's alleged affair in 2004.

Rebecca Loos, who was Beckham's personal assistant when he played for his former club Real Madrid, was reportedly paid £300,000 for her story in which she claimed she had a fling with him.

As the story broke the Beckhams closed rank.

The lawyers were called in, David branded the allegations as "ludicrous and absurd", and the married couple were photographed in an exclusive French ski resort showing signs of public affection.

Famous friends

It was clear that the message was about the Beckham Brand – which has always thrived off a happy and perfect family ideal – was staying together.

Speaking to reporters about the scandal, which was described as a "tabloid editor's dream", 33-year-old Victoria said: "I'm not going to lie. It was a really tough time.

"David and I got through it together. No-one said marriage was going to be easy.

"But now we've come out stronger and happier. It's even better now than when we were first married."

Clearly having put that behind them, the Beckhams are moving on to bigger and better things.

Best friends with British stars Elton John, Liz Hurley and Gordon Ramsay, they are keen to add Hollywood A-listers to their Christmas card list.

High profile

Already close to Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, it was reported last year that Victoria had also struck up a friendship with Jennifer Lopez.

In an interview to be broadcast on NBC's Today show, Victoria discusses newly- weds Cruise and Holmes, denying their Scientology beliefs get in the way of their friendship.

"There's been so much made of the Scientology," she says.

"They do their thing, we do our thing. They are a wonderful family."

Next week NBC will air a fly-on-the-wall documentary called, Victoria Beckham: Coming To America, which chronicles her move to Los Angeles.

Disappointingly for Victoria, the planned six-part reality series has been cut to just a one-hour special.

But she is managing to maintain a high profile, presenting a gong at the recent MTV Movie Awards and being photographed with actress Cameron Diaz after the pair turned up wearing the same shoes.

Things are looking good for David too as ticket sales are already up at LA Galaxy, his new team.

Gossip columnists on both sides of the Atlantic are already gearing up to document the couple's success or downfall once they settle in LA.

'Shrewd career move'

Speaking to Agence France Presse, Joel Stratte-McClure, from the Los Angeles Daily News thinks going Stateside makes professional sense for them both.

"This is a very shrewd move for Beckham, because what do you do when your soccer career is over? You get involved in entertainment and movies.

"And what do you do when your singing career is over? You get involved in entertainment and movies. So for both of them, it's very shrewd."

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat's US reporter Heather Alexander thinks they still have their work cut out to make it big.

"It seems they've succeeded in getting everyone to know who they are, but now everyone's waiting to see what they will do.

"The US is already full of beautiful thin celebrities, so they have to mark themselves out as different if they want to become more than just photo shoot pin-ups," she says.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | An astronomer’s view of funding cuts

Paul Crowther is a professor of astrophysics at Sheffield University.

He has been a regular commentator on the funding cuts that have thrown UK particle physics and astronomy into turmoil.

BBC science reporter Paul Rincon caught up with Prof Crowther at Queen's University Belfast, which was hosting this year's National Astronomy Meeting.

Paul Rincon: How would you describe the current status of funding of UK astronomy and particle physics?

Paul Crowther: We're talking about fundamental physics: particle physics, astronomy, space science, and nuclear physics. There was an £80m shortfall in the STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) budget for the next three years. And right now, we're facing the consequences of that shortfall because we are not able to maintain the existing programme in terms of running laboratories, exploiting facilities and having access to facilities. So there have been a number of consequences of this shortfall.

What you said about this issue

PR: What are the biggest-hit programmes as a result of this shortfall and what do they do from here? Do scientists just pack up and go home?

PC: The STFC involves facilities, it involves technology development and it involves science. There is a certain element that is fixed, involving commitments to subscriptions to, for example, Cern (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and Esa (European Space Agency). There are other elements that involve running facilities and laboratories such as Diamond (synchrotron facility) at Harwell.

There are other elements such as providing UK involvement in ground-based and space-based telescopes – some of which are under threat. In addition, there is the access to exploitation grants in departments of physics around the country. Right now, that is also being hit by a 25% cut in the number of research grants across particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics.

PR: So why are scientists so angry? Presumably funding must have gone up and down in the past – what's so different about these cuts and the way they're hitting astronomers and physicists?

PC: "Blue skies" research like astronomy and particle physics has always been up and down. But it is the scale of the cuts and the suddenness of the cuts that has shocked the community. The reason we're so frustrated is that there was no warning, really, before Autumn last year about the scale of the cuts. At some level, it goes back to the way in which this blue skies research is funded.

Over a year ago, it was funded through a research council called PParc (the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council) which was purely astronomy and particle physics. But that was later merged with the CCLRC (Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils) to produce STFC. It is this combined research council that has – overall – had a pretty decent return from government: 13.6% over three years is, in principle, a good return. Unfortunately, subscriptions to international commitments and the cost of running laboratories increases at greater than inflation.

So the effect of this "flat cash" settlement from government has been an unprecedented impact on the ability of, for example, departments to do long-term planning in terms of staff appointments.

Because the flat cash settlement does not take into account inflation, spending power is eroded over the three years. So the research council is facing an inability to deliver on things the government and the scientists would like us to deliver on. In addition, this new research council has had to take on board these things without the right advisory structures in place.

PR: Some commentators have said that the community should have anticipated the squeeze in funding. Is that a view that you have any sympathy with?

PC: I think there have been communication difficulties – that's certainly true. There has been a lack of engagement with the community from this new research council – from the management. But if we take the blue skies research done in astronomy and particle physics – we got flat cash, as did the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) which deals with applied physics.

But they have been impacted by a change of a few percent in the volume of grants and research they can carry out. The STFC has a different structure which means it has been 25%. That is a big hit to take for departments in terms of their long-term planning. The lack of communication has been the key to the community's furore over the implementation by the research council of the settlement from government.

PR: What are the big questions astronomers want to ask Keith Mason, STFC's chief executive?

PC: The key from the astronomy perspective is that we want to get the best return for the taxpayer for the money that has gone in. Right now, because of the way in which the STFC has been set up in terms of its advisory structures of scientists, just too few scientists have been involved in the decision-making process. So the community doesn't feel involved or engaged in that process.

As a result of this, there has been a prioritisation of which facilities are top priority and are of lower priority, and that has been done by a very small number of scientists. Astronomers are a very disparate bunch. Some people want to study the Sun in detail, some want to carry out a mission to Mars, others want to study galaxies from space or planets from the ground.

So we all have our own bits of kit we want. When you have so few scientists on those panels deciding on those prioritisations, even with their best efforts, it has been impossible for the community to feel as if the best use of taxpayers' money has been made. It's really down to getting the most cost-effective return for the money that is available. When you have limited money, you really need to perform that juggling act as carefully as possible.

Up until now, there has been a lack of confidence from the community in whether the STFC has made the best use of the money we have. So there was a ranking of facilities and – to give STFC their due – they had a three-week consultation period. It was short, but nevertheless it went ahead. Now there are small panels deciding on whether they agree or do not agree on the prioritisation that was done by this advisory structure.

PR: So what can we expect from those panels?

PC: The small panels will be feeding back the community response to the advisory structures in the STFC. Those are going to be responding in the next few weeks. Thereafter, there will be a period of trying to implement those with the fixed amount of money they have.

So we think that by the beginning of July, they will be in a position to say which facilities are to stay and which ones will not. The concerns many people have is that a lot of the programmes which the UK is leading and will benefit UK scientists in the next five years are in the bottom half of the prioritisation. Some of the things which are in the top half, while addressing fundamental questions, are not where the UK is leading.

They are where the UK is buying into some component. Certain projects, such as eMerlin and Astrogrid – where the UK has taken a lead – are brand new, just out of the box, yet are facing immediate closure.

PR: There seems to be a real disconnect between the projects that look set to receive continued funding and those which the community thinks should receive continued funding. Are there any patterns that can be teased from the prioritisation? Has, for example, space exploration fared better than astronomy?

PC: Clearly, the research council has a science and technology strategy. But the community hasn't, as yet, been told what that is. But it certainly involves things like increased involvement in the space exploration programme through Esa. And that's a means of the UK securing an Esa science centre at Harwell in Oxfordshire. And space exploration is a good thing.

But the concern is that everything else is being squeezed because of that strategy. Therefore, science at some level is at a lower tier than the strategy of the research council. I think what would be great would be to have a space exploration programme as well as an astronomy and particle physics blue skies programme. But right now, there are, perhaps, too many things being squeezed into the available budget.

Right now, the community feel they haven't had the strategy fully communicated to them and there has been this problem where we've had to tease information out of government and the research councils using methods such as Freedom of Information Act requests.

When times are good, then everyone's happy. But when times are tough, like now, we as a community need to know what the priorities are and what we can do to lobby government, to respond to the priorities of the research council and really get the best return for the money that the UK taxpayer puts in.

PR: Lastly, where do you think this could lead in terms of future UK astronomy and particle physics capability? What effect is this going to have, for example, on the numbers of young people coming into science?

PC: Clearly, the government has made it clear that they want to make science in universities more directly beneficial to the economy in the short term. And I think that is the right strategy. But the concern is that it is particle physics and astronomy that really motivates students towards doing science – especially physics – at university.

The signals that are being sent out right now are negative ones towards fundamental physics and blue skies research. In the long-term, if you want to have a knowledge-based economy, and a scientifically literate country, then you need to invest – at a relatively modest level compared to other areas of science – in fundamental science, to get students into the system.

Once they're in they find out about amazing things going on in applied physics. But it is things like astronomy that get students into studying science at university.

We solicited your comments on the financial woes currently facing UK physics and astronomy. The comments below relate to this page and the parallel interview with STFC chief executive, Prof Keith Mason.

Having close links with Daresbury Lab in Cheshire I am personally seeing the impact this is having on the morale of the staff and scientists. This facility is fantastic and if you had attended any of the open days which they hold for the staff, their families and the local schools you would really see what motivates children to go and study science. Removing this kind of hands on access to science will damage our science capability for generations to come. The cuts are very shortsighted. Science is an essential part to every day life without it how would you drive to work in a morning , heat the water to make a brew or find cures for cancer.
Lisa J Cordwell, Irlam

The STFC chief exec is quoted here as asserting "We have never withdrawn, or indicated that we would withdraw from Gemini." Compare this to the STFC press release of 15th November: "the STFC informed the Board that the STFC, in shaping its programme for the next 3 years and beyond, is planning to withdraw from the Gemini Observatory." Is it any wonder there was "a bit of a misunderstanding"? Paul Crowther's www page includes a good summary of contradictory statements from STFC on this issue.
Russell Smith, Durham

There is more than a little irony in Keith Mason laying the blame for astronomy's current funding problems on the introduction of Full Economic Costing (FEC) as a mechanism to make research properly sustainable. The grant that supports astronomy research here in Nottingham was scheduled for renewal last year. We duly put in our bid for support, including the level of FEC that had been calculated as appropriate for sustaining research (using an official audited process called the TRAC protocol). The grant was highly rated by the review panel, and recommended for funding, including the level of FEC that we had requested. There was then a lengthy delay as the full extent of the funding problems in STFC became apparent. Finally, the grant was announced, but in order to try and meet some of its budget shortfall, the recommended level of FEC had been slashed by more than a factor of two. Consultation with other universities that had grants in for renewal this round indicates! that they suffered comparable arbitrary cuts in the level of FEC awarded. If our experience is anything to go by, STFC is not spending its new money on anything like the level of FEC required to sustain a research programme.
Michael Merrifield, Professor of Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham

I found Keith Mason's response to the question about Students wondering if it was worth staying in astronomy to be quite insulting. I am approaching the end of a four year masters degree in physics and astrophysics and have been planning to do a phd in some are of space research. The reason I, like other students, am worried by the cuts is not that I feel I won't make money but that the cuts will make it harder for me to find a job at all! It is the nature of the economy the STFC claims to be supporting that you need to make money to survive. I know that a research career in astronomy will never make me a millionaire. If I wanted to make money then I would work in the city where physics degrees are in high demand. My reasons for wanting to get into astronomy research are my curiosity and desire for knowledge, not wealth. However I can't do this for nothing. Perhaps we should ask how much Prof Mason earns for leading STFC. Surely serving your country shouldn't be about the money?
Tim Coveney, Hull Uk

The really stupid aspect of the decisions was that previous funding of millions of pounds had gone into developing capital facilities like eMerlin only for them to be stopped. eMerlin is due to come on stream this year but for a cost of 1/3 an England football manager we will lose any benefit from the millions spent over the last few years – this is called sensible planning!
Ros, Renfrewshire

As a physicist (and "part time"astrophyz) I feel very disappointed by the sudden cuts in funding. I fear that the lack of funding could be a major set back and that the position of the UK will suffer eventually. Space technology has been providing jobs for many, and advances in science and technology do not come only from the bio/ chemistry part. May I add that I have nothing against biologists or chemists. Nuclear power is bound to take more importance if we want clean energy. How can we do it if research, and training at the grassroots levels are impeded? When I learnt of the closing of Reading university's physics department, I felt betrayed. The other critical problem for the lack of funding will be the lack of jobs for fresh graduates and postgrads leading highly skilled worker seeking jobs abroad. Very bad for UK's economy.
Kim Vignitchouk, guildford

Britain is one of the richest countries in the world and our Science research is world class. I'm disgusted that the government cannot be bothered to provide the funding required. This research could benefit the whole of mankind and I find it incredible that it is treated with such disrespect by the Government.
Albert Leach, Southampton, Hampshire, UK

Has anyone noticed? It's the countries that invest heavily in science and technology education and research that are the wealthiest and happiest? What does UK do? Close university chemistry departments and fund art galleries and theatre groups.
Michael Papworth, Evesham

I was funded by PPARC (the predecessor of STFC) to study my Astrophysics PhD and I am appalled by the continuing stories of cuts and projects under threat. Fundamental physics research is so important to the UK – not just economically but also culturally. This £80 million shortfall represents less than 0.1% of either the NHS or social welfare budget! Why can't the government just write STFC a cheque?
James Steel, Clitheroe, UK

I'm a science teacher. The government has provided incentives for certain science undergraduates to specialise as science teachers because of a predicted shortage, and all that implies for the UK's future. In parallel we have crisis-management by STFC members, talk of "taxpayers' money" and that "taxpayers have a right to a return." What constitutes this future "return" is not clear, nor even how they predict it, but it's news and there is no disguising this fatuous situation from my students: not one of them wants to be a scientist, or a science teacher.
David Marshall, London

I'm a science teacher. The government has provided incentives for certain science undergraduates to specialise as science teachers because of a predicted shortage, and all that implies for the UK's future. In parallel we have crisis-management by STFC members, talk of "taxpayers' money" and that "taxpayers have a right to a return." What constitutes this future "return" is not clear, nor even how they predict it, but it's news and there is no disguising this fatuous situation from my students: not one of them wants to be a scientist, or a science teacher.
David Marshall, London

Reading the above article it seems to me that what we don't want is investment into research being dictated by media interest lobbying and vested interest. The job of deciding the level of resources in the various area's will always be contentious however, I would think that it would be important to make the decisions transparent and for changes to take place over a three to five year time frame to enable the changes in the number of research graduates needed in each area to be planned for. There is only one thing that you can guarantee and that is the decisions will be wrong at least 30% of the time. I personally think to much of our research funding is being spent on particle and astro physics.
T Carlin, Suffolk

Just to make it clear the funding body have been given an 11% rise in latest 3 yr budget by Government.
Mark, Sheffield UK

The point is 'Was the government made fully aware of the impact of introducing FeC during the spending review?'. Also short-term funding problems become long-term problems as expertise lost is not easily regained.
G Burt, Glasgow

Do we/industry make any money out of the projects, if the answer is NO then it must get the chop are other EU partners doing the same or similar research if the answer is yes it must be the chop
Alan, morpeth

In this interview Professor Mason comes across as being the mealy-mouthed puppet of a weasel Government that is cutting science budgets, hiding behind terms like "Full Economic Costing", "Flagships" and "Visions". Is this man a champion of the UK science or a champion of his government masters?
Alastair Donald, Abingdon, UK

From now to the end UK will depend of USA Crumbs.
Gustavo Mendoza, Lima, Peru

We can waste billions of pounds on Iraq and the Olympics but can't find what is a relatively small amount of money to support our technological future. It's time our government woke up.
W Bates, Poynton, UK

£1bn was found for the millennium dome, £9.3bn for the Olympics, £100bn to bail out Northern Rock. And yet £80m, spread over 3 years, can't be found to cover a science budget shortfall. Where are the government's priorities? If they were truly committed to science, this money would be made available immediately!!!
Chris Johnston, Belfast

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Sixty facts about a royal marriage

Buckingham Palace has revealed 60 facts to mark the diamond wedding anniversary of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

THE ENGAGEMENT

1.The Queen is the first British monarch to have celebrated a diamond wedding anniversary.

2. Princess Elizabeth and Philip first met when they attended the wedding of Philip's cousin, Princess Marina of Greece to The Duke of Kent, who was an uncle of Princess Elizabeth, in 1934.

3. The engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN was announced on the 9 July 1947. Philip was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. He joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and after the war, in February 1947, became a naturalised British subject. Philip was required to choose a surname in order to continue his career in the Royal Navy, and adopted Mountbatten, the name of his mother's British relatives. He was created Duke of Edinburgh by King George VI on marriage.

4. The platinum and diamond engagement ring was made by the jewellers, Philip Antrobus, using diamonds from a tiara belonging to Philip's mother.

5. Philip had two stag parties the night before the wedding – the first at the Dorchester to which the press were invited and the second with his closest friends at the Belfry Club.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

6. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November, 1947 at 1130GMT with 2,000 invited guests.

7. It was the first, and so far only time in British history, that the heir presumptive to the throne had been married.

8. The Queen was the 10th member of the Royal Family to be married in the Abbey. The first Royal wedding to take place in the Abbey was when King Henry I married Princess Matilda of Scotland on 11 November, 1100. On 26 April, 1923, the Queen's parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (then the Duke and Duchess of York) were married there.

9. The eight bridesmaids were: HRH The Princess Margaret, HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Lady Mary Cambridge, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, The Hon. Pamela Mountbatten, The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone, The Hon. Diana Bowes-Lyon.

10. There were two pages: HRH Prince William of Gloucester and HRH Prince Michael of Kent, both aged just five.

11. Guests attending the wedding included the King and Queen of Denmark, the King and Queen of Yugoslavia, the Kings of Norway, Romania and the Shah of Iran.

THE OUTFITS

12.The Queen's wedding dress was designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, who had submitted designs for the dress in August 1947.

13. The fabric for the dress was woven at Winterthur Silks Limited, Dunfermline, in the Canmore factory, using silk that had come from Chinese silkworms at Lullingstone Castle.

14. The Queen's bridal veil was made of tulle and held by a tiara of diamonds. This tiara was made for Queen Mary in 1919. It was made from re-used diamonds taken from a necklace/tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood and Co and a wedding present for Queen Mary in 1893. In August 1936, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth from whom it was borrowed by Princess Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947.

15. After the wedding, the dress was exhibited at St James's Palace and was then shown in the capital towns of the British Isles and in Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Preston, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Huddersfield.

THE FLOWERS

16. The bride's wedding bouquet was supplied by the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and made by the florist MH Longman. It was of white orchids with a sprig of myrtle from the bush grown from the original myrtle in Queen Victoria's wedding bouquet. An identical copy of the bouquet was made and presented to The Queen on her Golden Wedding in 1997.

17. The grave of the Unknown Warrior was the only stone that was not covered by the special carpet in the Abbey. The day after the wedding, Princess Elizabeth followed a Royal tradition started by her mother, of sending her wedding bouquet back to the Abbey to be laid on this grave.

18. The bridesmaids wore wreaths in their hair of miniature white sheaves, Lilies and London Pride, modelled in white satin and silver lame. They were made by Jac Ltd of London. The pages wore Royal Stewart tartan kilts.

19. The bridesmaids' bouquets, prepared by Moyses Stevens, were of white orchids, lilies of the valley, gardenias, white bouvardia, white roses and white nerine.

THE SERVICE

20. The bells of St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, hailed the arrival of the carriage procession. The Queen arrived at the Abbey with her father, George VI, in the Irish State Coach.

21. Other music at the wedding included: Psalm 67 (God be merciful unto us and bless us) sung to a setting by EC Bairstow; the motet We Wait For Thy Loving Kindness, O God, by Dr William McKie, organist and master of the choristers of the Abbey; the hymn The Lord's My Shepherd (to the then relatively unknown Scottish tune Crimond); the anthem Blessed Be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by SS Wesley was sung by the Abbey choir and members of the choirs of the Chapel Royal and St George's Chapel Windsor; and after signing the register in St Edward's Chapel, the procession made its way out of the Abbey to Mendelssohn's Wedding March.

22. There were 91 singers at the wedding, made up from the Abbey Choir, the Choir of HM Chapels Royal and additional tenors and basses. They sat in the organ loft as the choir stalls were occupied by various dignitaries.

23. William McKie, the Abbey organist, had been summoned to the Palace four days before the wedding so that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret could sing the descant to Crimond to him so that he could note it down as no other copy was available.

24. The two Royal kneelers, used during the service, were covered in rose pink silk. They were made from orange boxes, due to war time austerity, and date stamped 1946.

25. The altar was hung with the white dorsal given in 1911 by King George V and Queen Mary for their coronation and the 1937 coronation frontal given by the Princess' parents. The Abbey plate was displayed on the altar.

26. The bride's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold which came from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau.

27. As not all the people to sign the register could fit into St Edward's Chapel, only the bride and groom, the King and Queen, Queen Mary and Princess Andrew of Greece (the groom's mother), the Archbishop, and the Dean of Westminster signed it at this point. The rest of the signatures were added later at Buckingham Palace. They included: Princess Margaret, Prince George of Greece (the groom's uncle), Henry (Duke of Gloucester), Alice (Duchess of Gloucester), Princess Marina (Duchess of Kent), Lady Patricia Ramsay, Alexander Ramsay, Alice Mary (Countess of Athlone), Earl of Athlone, Victoria Milford Haven, Nada Milford Haven, Edwina Mountbatten of Burma, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, King Haakon (of Norway), King Michael (of Romania), Queen Ingrid (of Denmark), King Frederick (of Denmark).

28. Trumpet fanfares were introduced for the first time at a Royal wedding in the Abbey. A white flag was waved in the organ loft to signal the fanfare once the register had been signed.

29. The position of the BBC microphones had to be carefully checked as at the 1934 Royal wedding, the Abbey cross had hit the microphone suspended above the altar steps. Radio commentators shared the organ loft with the choir.

PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS

30. Thousands of people lined the processional route and were able to file through the Abbey after the service. Millions listened to the live radio broadcast.

31. The film of the wedding was watched by many thousands of people at cinemas across the country.

32. About 10,000 telegrams of congratulations were received at Buckingham Palace.

WEDDING GIFTS

33. The Royal couple received over 2,500 wedding presents from well-wishers around the world. Most were put on display for a few days in a charity exhibition at St James's Palace. From India, there was a piece of crocheted, cotton lace made from yarn personally spun by Mahatma Gandhi. The central motif reads "Jai Hind" (Victory for India).

34. Other gifts from abroad included a gold and jade necklace given by King Farouk of Egypt, a writing desk from the Government of New Zealand and pieces from a Chinese porcelain dinner service printed with characters denoting "double joy" given by President Chiang Kai Shek of the Chinese Republic.

35. As well as jewellery from their close relatives, including the King and Queen, the couple received many useful items for the kitchen and home, including salt cellars from the Queen, a bookcase from Queen Mary, and a picnic case from Princess Margaret.

36. Other gifts, kindly made and given by members of the public, included a hand-knitted cardigan, two pairs of bed socks, and a hand-knitted tea cosy.

37. Over 200,000 people visited the special exhibition of wedding presents at St James's Palace.

THE WEDDING RECEPTION

38. The "wedding breakfast" was held after the marriage ceremony at Westminster Abbey in the Ball Supper-room at Buckingham Palace. The menu was Filet de Sole Mountbatten, Perdreau en Casserole, Bombe Glacee Princess Elizabeth.

39. The bride and groom sat at the main table with the bride's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the bride's grandmother, Queen Mary, her sister Princess Margaret, the groom's mother, Princess Andrew of Greece, the groom's uncle, Prince George of Greece and the Kings of Norway, Denmark and Romania.

40. Individual posies of myrtle and white Balmoral heather were placed at each place setting as "favours" (gifts to the guests).

41. The flowers decorating the tables were pink and white carnations, donated by the British Carnation Society.

42. The string band of the Grenadier Guards played music during the "wedding breakfast" under the direction of Captain FJ Harris. The King's Pipe Major also played at the lunch.

43. The official wedding cake was made by McVities and Price. Eleven other cakes were given as presents. With post-war food rationing still in place ingredients were sent as wedding presents from overseas, for example the official cake was made using ingredients given as a wedding gift by Australian Girl Guides. Pieces of cake and food parcels were later distributed to schoolchildren and institutions.

44. The cake was nine feet high in four tiers, with painted panels of the armorial bearings of both families, and included the monograms of bride and groom, sugar-iced figures to depict their favourite activities, and regimental and naval badges. The cake was cut using the Duke's Mountbatten sword, which was a wedding present from the King.

45. United Biscuits, which now owns the former McVities and Price brand, will be making two cakes to mark the diamond wedding anniversary in 2007. The first of the cakes will be on display at the lunch for members of various Royal Families at Buckingham Palace after the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on the 19 November. The second cake will be distributed to members of staff.

THE HONEYMOON

46. The bride and bridegroom left the Palace showered with rose petals. For the Princess' going-away outfit, Hartnell designed an ensemble of a dress and matching coat in mist-blue with mushroom-coloured accessories.

47. The couple departed from Waterloo station with the Princess's corgi, Susan, for their honeymoon.

48. The newlyweds spent their wedding night at Broadlands in Hampshire, home of Prince Philip's uncle Earl Mountbatten. The second part of the honeymoon was spent at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.

MARRIED LIFE

49. Early in 1948 the couple leased their first marital home, Windlesham Moor, in Surrey, near Windsor Castle, where they stayed until they moved to Clarence House on 4 July 1949.

50. After marrying Princess Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh continued his naval career, reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in command of the frigate HMS Magpie.

51. Although he was the Queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh was not crowned or anointed at the Coronation ceremony in 1953. He was the first subject to pay Homage to Her Majesty, and kiss the newly crowned Queen by stating "I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God."

52. Prince Philip has accompanied the Queen on all her Commonwealth tours and State visits, as well as on public engagements in all parts of the UK. The first of these was the Coronation tour of the Commonwealth from November 1953 to May 1954, when the couple visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar, travelling a distance of 43,618 miles.

53. The Duke of Edinburgh is only one of a few consorts to reigning female Queens in British history. William III was co-Sovereign with Mary II, although she, as daughter of James II, was nearer the throne than him. The husband of Queen Anne was not given the title of King, but remained Prince George of Denmark. Prince Albert was created Prince Consort by Queen Victoria in 1857.

54. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have four children: Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales (b. 1948), Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (b. 1950), Prince Andrew, The Duke of York (b. 1960), and Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex (b. 1964).

55. With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning Sovereign to give birth to a child since Queen Victoria, whose youngest child, Princess Beatrice, was born in 1857.

56. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have seven grandchildren – Peter Phillips (b. 1977), Zara Phillips (b. 1981) Prince William (b. 1982), Prince Harry (b. 1984), Princess Beatrice (b. 1988), Princess Eugenie (b. 1990), and Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003). The Earl and Countess of Wessex are expecting their second child in December.

57. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary in the year of the coronation, with a dance at Clarence House given by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. They left on their Commonwealth tour three days later.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

58. A service of thanksgiving was held in Westminster Abbey for both the Silver and Golden wedding anniversaries.

59. There will be a service of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey on the 19 November 2007 to celebrate the Diamond Wedding Anniversary. On the 20 November, the day of their wedding anniversary, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel to Malta where they lived as a young married couple from 1949-51 while the Duke was stationed there as a serving Royal Naval officer.

60. Five choristers who sang at the 1947 Wedding Service in Westminster Abbey will be serving at the Service of Thanksgiving on the 19 November, 2007 in Westminster Abbey.

The politics of happiness

Conservative leader David Cameron says there is more to life than making money, arguing that improving people's happiness is a key challenge for politicians.

The science of happiness poses huge questions for politicians.

Governments have succeeded in delivering greater and greater wealth but that has not translated into extra happiness.

Now research is suggesting ways in which societies might try to maximise well-being – ideas which often challenge some of the basic principles of modern life.

Increasingly, politicians from all sides are taking notice of the findings and discussing how they might capture the elusive feel-good factor.

Back in 1999, Tony Blair wrote about achieving "a better quality of life", adding: "Money isn't everything. But in the past governments have seemed to forget this.

"Success has been measured by economic growth – GDP – alone.

"Delivering the best possible quality of life for us all means more than concentrating solely on economic growth.

"That is why sustainable development is such an important part of this Government's programme.

"All this depends on devising new ways of assessing how we are doing."

The leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron told The Happiness Formula programme: "We should be thinking not just what is good for putting money in people's pockets but what is good for putting joy in people's hearts.

"When politicians are looking at issues they should be saying to themselves 'how are we going to try and make sure that we don't just make people better off but we make people happier, we make communities more stable, we make society more cohesive'."

Economics

The idea that politics should be about creating "the greatest happiness of the greatest number" goes back to the end of the 18th century and the philosopher Jeremy Bentham.

However, no-one could work out how to measure happiness, or how to weigh one person's happiness against how other people feel.

So economics, which is built on objective measurement, took hold instead.

In the past few years figures close to government in Britain have been arguing once again that policies should take account of how happy – or unhappy – they make people.

In 2002, The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit held a "life satisfaction" seminar in Whitehall discussing the implications of a "happiness" policy.

A few month's later, Downing Street published an "analytical paper" which considered how happiness might affect different policies including:

• A happiness index
• Teaching people about happiness
• More support for volunteering
• "A more leisured work-life balance"
• Higher taxes for the rich

  The authors were careful to say that the ideas were not government policy, but Tony Blair's policy adviser who helped write the paper, David Halpern, told The Happiness Formula it is inevitable that in future governments will be judged on their success in making people happy.

  "Put it this way, if government doesn't measure it, other people will and already are."

  Already one government department has defined its purpose as improving people's "health and happiness".

  The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working on a happiness index.

  Furthermore, every local authority in England and Wales has wide-ranging powers to promote well-being.

  The Happiness Formula has been looking at how different politics would be if government tried to make people happy rather than just rich.

  Tax makes you happy

  Research has suggested that one of the key reasons why wealth has not translated into happiness is that we tend to compare ourselves with people who are richer than we are.

  As a result, even though we may be better off ourselves, we still do not get any happier.

  If we want a happier society, so the theory goes, we need to reduce the gap between rich and poor.

  And the way to do that is to redistribute wealth from the rich to the less well-off.

  So some close to government are now arguing that, believe it or not, taxes make us happy.

  "We tend to think of taxes as bad," said the PM's adviser David Halpern.

  "I know it's difficult for us to believe as we take out our chequebook at the end of the year, but it looks like, at least at a certain level, taxes are likely to increase the well-being of the population."

  The leading economist Professor Richard Layard of the LSE explains why: "We should try and discourage people from comparing themselves with other people … and I think the tax system can help us in that way."

  Do not panic though – both Mr Halpern and Professor Layard reckon the current tax rates are about right for maximising happiness.

  Banning advertising

  The science of happiness suggests advertising is a major cause of unhappiness because it makes people feel less well-off.

  According to Professor Layard some advertising should be banned.

  "I don't see that we need to allow pictorial advertising which conveys very little information because it makes people feel poorer."

  In the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where government makes policy on the basis of Gross National Happiness, most street advertising is banned – particularly when aimed at children.

  In the UK, the National Consumer Council is campaigning to ban advertising to children below the age of 10.

  "We already regulate alcohol to children, we should also regulate and I think ban advertising of junk food to children," said Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of the NCC.

  "There is no case, in terms of health or wellbeing of children for advertising like this."

  In fact, says Mr Mayo, the council's own research suggests advertising to children can make them more unhappy.

  "Children that are more brand aware, are more consumerist, came across as less satisfied in other parts of their lives – were unhappier".

  Commuting less

  According to scientists commuting is really bad news for happiness.

  Not only is the journey to and from work often a pretty miserable experience in itself, it has knock-on effects which limit the happiness of the rest of our lives.

  It appears that our happiness is closely linked to what researchers call our "social capital" – the sum of all our connections and trust in other people, our personal family ties, our friends, and our acquaintances.

  Professor Robert Putnam of Harvard University has calculated that every 10 minutes of commuting cuts all forms of social involvement by 10% – so 10% fewer family dinners, local club meetings, and other involvement.

  Once politicians encouraged us to "get on our bikes" and look for work.

  But the science of happiness suggests we might be better off staying close to our families and friends.

  There are implications for whether government should support communities where traditional industries have failed.

  Questions, too, for business and individuals as to whether they should move to new areas.

  It is arguable that planners and politicians should try to discourage people from living far from where they work.

  Encourage marriage

  The science of happiness suggests marriage is so good for your well-being that it adds an average seven years to the life of a man and something like four for a woman.

  To maximise happiness, it is argued, government should certainly do nothing to discourage marriage; arguably it should promote it.

  However, in Britain, any financial incentives to get married have been taken away.

  Politicians seem reluctant to make moral judgments about domestic relationships.

  "The married tend to be happier," said Mr Halpern.

  "In my view, it's not so much necessarily for government to say you therefore should be married, but it's perfectly reasonable [for the government] to say … if you do these you'll probably be happy, if you do these you'll probably be miserable, you decide."

  Rethinking the health service

  Research also suggests there is a powerful link between happiness and health.

  It is suggested that making people happy could do more for the health of the nation than all the exercise, diet and anti-smoking campaigns rolled into one.

  And that argues for a big re-think in the priorities of the NHS.

  Policies aimed at making people happier – or at least less unhappy – should be encouraged in an effort to prevent people becoming ill in the first place.

  One idea is to massively increase access to a relatively new form of psychotherapy called CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy, which aims to help people avoid dwelling on negative thoughts and find ways to overcome them.

  Lord Layard, author of Happiness: lessons from a new science, believes the science is so conclusive the government should immediately employ another 10,000 therapists.

  "We're talking about for a course of CBT a thousand, £1500 with something that can change somebody's life.

  "It really is important that we should try and have a major nationally organised training programme for more therapists."

  Making people happy

  But just how far should a government go?

  In Bhutan they have banned a whole series of TV channels such as wrestling and MTV. The country has even banned plastic bags.

  One reason Bhutan has been able to take such dramatic steps is that it is run by an absolute monarchy.

  In the West, if politicians, acting in the name of happiness, were to impose bans and restrictions on people's freedom, governments would be more likely to encounter resistance.

  Some argue that the logic of happiness research would be the ultimate in nanny states – an argument the Prime Minister's strategy adviser is keen to contradict.

  "I'm sure lots of ministers would be nervous about that.

  "But it turns out that some of the key determinates of what make us happy, are things over which we as individuals have relatively little control about prevalent levels of community safety, they're safe when they go out.

  "How do other people in general behave, about the way in which our whole economy may be locked into a given path.

  "These are things that as individuals we can't determine, but we can determine as a society together, and that basically means government is in the game."

  Mark Easton presents The Happiness Formula series which is broadcast on BBC Two on Wednesdays at 1900BST.