Thanks to everyone who send emails submitting your thoughts on the UK Government’s Nano Stakeholder Forum and to Steve Morgan from DEFRA for his post. The 10 views, which are printed unattributed and verbatim can be found, together with my interpretation and personal views on urgent action points in a short report which is available here
Basically, the Nano Stakeholder Forum lost its way, and we all let it happen. Government is criticised for failing to make it work, but we have to take responsibility for just grumbling a bit over coffee, but doing nothing at all about giving it teeth and making our voices heard.
We have an opportunity now to reinvigorate it and to give it a real purpose which actually counts. It should be an important focus for deliberation about the development and implementation of the UK Nano Strategy and the commercial, HSE, social and ethical issues which will underpin its ongoing implementation.
It’s now over to the Government to consider and act upon this feedback. But the NSF is ours too, we need to make sure it works the way it needs to in order fulfil its purpose to deliver effective stakeholder input and influence on government policy. Let’s get stuck in!