UK Guardian: Minister retreats after criticising Nutt sacking

[BurtWorm]

:hide:

It took balls to sack Nutt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/03/brown-johnson-nutt-drugs

Lord Drayson says attack on Alan Johnson's decision to sack David Nutt was merely his 'initial' reaction and he has since received assurances from the home secretary

Science minister Lord Drayson today rowed back from his criticism of the decision to sack government drugs advisor Professor David Nutt, as the prime minister publicly backed the move.

In a written statement Drayson insisted an angry email exchange in which he urged Gordon Brown to reverse Alan Johnson's decision had merely been his "initial" reaction and he had since received assurances from the home secretary.

"I have spent the last few days in Japan, where on Friday I saw initial reports of Professor Nutt's departure from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs," Drayson's statement said.

"Over the weekend, I was contacted by various people from the science community and my comments in the email exchange were my initial response to what happened without full knowledge of all the facts.

"I have now talked to Alan Johnson and he has assured me of the importance he attaches to scientific advice and his respect for scientific advice, while being the person who has to take the final difficult decisions."

The statement followed reports in the Sun today that a "bitter cabinet feud" had erupted over the decision to sack Nutt, after he claimed that LSD, ecstasy and cannabis were safer than alcohol.

[kenny blankenship]

1. After Nutt sacking scandal, who's left holding the bag?

[Dogtown]

2. Is "Nutt Sacking" anything like "tea bagging"?

My joke finished, the firing is total political bullshit.

K&R

[BurtWorm]

3. Is the Nutt sacker in hot water?

[damntexdem]

6. In this case, the Nutt sacking was more like douche bagging.

They got rid of someone who committed the unforgivable crime of telling the truth.

[Flaneur]

4. Pun fun notwithstanding, there is serious issue at play here.

The head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has basically been fired for heresy for daring to say that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than marijuana, that drug policies should be based on actual harms, and that the Labor government is distorting scientific evidence for political ends.

Looks like Gordon Brown and Home Minister Alan Johnson are the real nutsacks here.

[BurtWorm]

5. They deserve a good swift kick.

[Arugula Latte]

7. Johnson v. Nutt, eh?

I thought they were supposed to work in tandem. I guess drugs interfered with performance.

:hide:

[The Straight Story]

8. Hmm this was posted the other day by someone but moved

As was the story about kraft trying to buy cadbury.

:shrug: