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.”
___________________________________________________________
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.
_______________________________________________________
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
___________________________________________________________
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.
