Science is indeed vital!

I've been in near-hiding the past couple of months, since I've just been plain overwhelmed with work and life.  I'm coming out of my blogging exile not just for the cause of procrastination (I have a grant proposal due to our Office of Sponsored Programs on Friday, though the actual deadline is the 13th!), but to support the Science is Vital movement.  I'm British.  I was born in Britain, grew up in Britain, did all of my education, including my PhD, in Britain.  But I've never worked as an astronomer in Britain.  My first job was in France.  Then I did a brief stint in India.  Then I moved to the USA.  And well, I'm not the only one. Funding for science in the UK is constantly being cut.  Politicians think that fundamental research like the sort I'm involved in is "useless" and an economic drain.   Yes, we're in an economic crisis, but I seriously don't think that cutting funding to science and engineering in a society that is increasingly meritocratic and knowledge-based is the way to rebuild confidence in the UK.  And its certainly not the way to encourage people like myself to come "home" and contribute to the system that made us who we are.  Why should we, when our own government doesn't value our knowledge and skills?