Dr Phillip Lee is a
practising GP who has further degrees in Human Biology and Biological
Anthropology and has been on the Conservative Party’s Priority List of
Candidates since its inception in May 2006. He looks at the
professional backgrounds of Conservative MPs and candidates and notes a
worrying lack of those who have experience in the realms of science.
Margaret Thatcher is rightly remembered for many things. Primarily, it
is because she was the first female British Prime Minister. Of
particular interest to me, however, and somewhat surprisingly, Mrs
Thatcher was the first Prime Minister to hold a science degree. I
stumbled across this piece of information whilst watching the ‘Thatcher
Night’ on BBC 4 recently. Armed with this new fact, I thought it would
be interesting to ascertain the academic backgrounds of present
Conservative MPs and those of Parliamentary candidates. In view of the
many successes of the Thatcher government, based in her own words upon
a combination of those qualities needed for good scientific study, that
of logic and instinct, the results of my brief review make for
interesting reading.
I should declare up front that I am a proud possessor of a few science
degrees, and as a priority candidates list member from its inception, I
undeniably have a vested interest in highlighting the absence of
scientists on the Opposition benches and amongst our group of selected
candidates! However, despite admitting to my naked ambition, I do
genuinely believe that the absence of scientists from the Conservative
Parliamentary party is far from ideal.