quinta-feira, 9 de janeiro de 2020

A curiosa mas injustificada irritação do eurodeputado alemão Hans-Olaf Henkel


Em Maio de 2019, ainda antes de ter criado este blog, recebi um email pouco simpático de um septuagenário eurodeputado Alemão (Hans-Olaf Henkel), queixando-se que eu teria interpretado mal as suas palavras. Troca de emails essa que se reproduz no final deste post. Pelos vistos ainda está para nascer um politico que não diga que foi mal interpretado !

O que me interessa porém relembrar agora, não é tanto esse episódio mas o email anterior, na altura enviado a muitos (incluindo a muitos eurodeputados alemães) que originou a resposta  irritada daquele e onde eu tinha então escrito:“…if Europe was able to cut tax evasion by half that would mean annual revenue of around 500 billion which is more than the annual total net income of 15 Google champions. Furthermore, it was exactly that self-devouring obsession​ for champions, unlimited growth​ ​, and comfort ​that has brought Humanity on the verge of its own destruction. We need fewer champions, less growth and above all less comfort.”


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De: F. Pacheco Torgal
Enviado: 10 de Maio de 2019 8:54
Para: HENKEL Hans-Olaf
Assunto: RE: 2019   Univ. Oxford_Prize Essay_Justifying public funding for science

Honourable Deputy Hans-Olaf Henkel

thank you for your email. Please be aware that i just commented your words as published by Science Business. Of course if Science Business has manipulated your own opinion then they are the ones to be blamed.

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De: HENKEL Hans-Olaf
Enviado: 10 de Maio de 2019 8:24
Para: F. Pacheco Torgal
Assunto: Re: 2019   Univ. Oxford_Prize Essay_Justifying public funding for science

This is a complete misrepresentation of my statement. These billions of first ECUs and later Euros were spent exactly FOR those „industry champions“ I am wrongfully accused by you to be obsessed of. Rarely have I been confronted with such a blatant manipulation of my opinion.

Von meinem iPhone gesendet

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De: F. Pacheco Torgal
Enviado: 10 de Maio de 2019 6:18
Assunto: 2019   Univ. Oxford_Prize Essay_Justifying public funding for science

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/british-academy-brian-barry-prize-essay-justifying-public-funding-for-science/48994F86EF5718923E218280FDCA1B2A

Important essay in the link above by Zeynep Pamuk at Oxford University. She makes an excellent case on the public funding of science still its worth mentioning that the German and retiring MEP HansOlaf Henkel just said that European public science spends billions on research with “no result”. https://sciencebusiness.net/ framework-programmes/viewpoint/viewpoint-eu-spends-billions-research-no-result

Of course let´s not forget that what he means is that no european champions (cash cows) like Google are being generated as a result of those billions. Probably the fact that he spent more than 30 years in the industry explains why he´s so much obsessed with industry champions. He has a hammer like vision no wonder then that all he can see is just nails. He forgets that if Europe was able to cut tax evasion by half that would mean an annual revenue of around 500 billion which is more than the annual total net income of 15 Google champions. Furthermore, it was exactly that self devouring obsession for champions, unlimited growth and confort that has bring Humanity on the verge of its own destruction. We need less champions, less growth and above all less confort.