UK Cabinet office to gag scientists

Science is our best tool for understanding the world, and scientific results can be inconvenient, like in these cases from the Guardian:

These critics highlight examples such as those of sociologists whose government-funded research shows new housing regulations are proving particularly damaging to the homeless; ecologists who discover new planning laws are harming wildlife; or climate scientists whose findings undermine government energy policy. All would be prevented from speaking out under the new grant scheme as it stands.

These policies go into effect in Britain on May 1st unless something changes, and that would be a grand shame.

Update 4/26/16

Thank goodness:

Ministers have exempted thousands of scientists from a controversial “gagging clause” that would have prevented the academics from trying to influence government on public policy matters.