logo
Taxpayer cash spent on studying whiteness and helping women called ‘witches'

Taxpayer cash spent on studying whiteness and helping women called ‘witches'

Scottish Sun28-06-2025
'Unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg'
TAXPAYERS' cash is being blown on studying whiteness in South America and helping women called 'witches' to sing, a dossier reveals.
An investigation found £16.5 million is being spent on 21 'woke' research projects at UK unis.
They include almost £85k on a Newcastle University project called 'Combating Witchcraft-Related Violence through Song'.
It looks at how singing helps elderly women in South Africa abused for being a 'witch' due to their ageing features.
Over £1million has been earmarked for a University of Nottingham project 'decolonising' photos from British Malaya.
A further £246k has been put aside for Sheffield University to develop a city tour app exploring 'whiteness' in statues and monuments in Chile.
Nearly £783k is being spent by Queen Mary University of London on a scheme looking at 'Military Decarbonisation'.
And £379k is going towards a Birkbeck College programme on children's crafting in West Africa.
Cash was handed out by quango UK Research and Innovation.
They were uncovered by founder of Doge UK Charlotte Gill, who said taxpayers will be 'fuming' to see where their cash goes.
She said: 'Unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg, with thousands of similar taxpayer-funded grants being awarded under the UKRI - never mind the vast sums spent on the rest of the public sector.'
A UKRI spokesperson said: 'International research collaboration is vital to help us tackle global challenges in a complex and interconnected world, improving security and prosperity in the UK and internationally.
"Projects are prioritised for funding through independent expert peer review, as set out in the Higher Education and Research Act.'
Woke Scottish Government staff demanded POOL & pay rise to return to office for just TWO days a week
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UK researchers work to save one of the world's most beautiful snails
UK researchers work to save one of the world's most beautiful snails

STV News

time17 hours ago

  • STV News

UK researchers work to save one of the world's most beautiful snails

UK scientists are working to save one of the world's most beautiful snails which is at risk of extinction due to the popularity of their striking shells. The snails, known as Polymita, are endemic to Eastern Cuba and feature shells with vibrant colours and interesting patterns. The shells come in many different colours, from yellow and pink to red and black. But these patterned shells have become popular among collectors and poachers who sell the shells to tourists or trade them overseas. Despite it being illegal to remove these snails from their native habitat under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, it has not stopped the international trade of the shells. Researchers from London Zoo and the University of Nottingham have travelled to Cuba to meet local scientists to assess the conservation status of the six vulnerable painted snails, as well as better understand their evolution and how to breed them. The Polymita sulphurosa is the most endangered of the species. / Credit: University of Nottingham The Polymita sulphurosa snail, which has a lime green, blue and yellow shell, is considered the most endangered of the species and is at risk of extinction. There are believed to be fewer than 30,000 remaining in the coastal forests of Cuba, which is the only place they live. It is illegal to remove Polymita snails from Cuba but the international trade of their shells has continued. / Credit: University of Nottingham University of Nottingham's Professor of Evolutionary Genetics Angus Davison is hoping to get the species put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list. 'It's all part of a global effort to be proactive about the species conservation,' Professor Davison said. 'One species of painted snail is the most threatened – it was touch and go, but we were very fortunate to finally find them.' The shells are often sold to collectors overseas and sometimes made into jewellery / Credit: University of Nottingham The experts also hope to establish a conservation breeding programme in a lab to help save the invertebrate from extinction. London Zoo's Dave Clarke said the Cuban painted snails were 'incredible' and he was very keen to conserve the species. 'Finally finding a population of the rarest species in a remote location was a relief, however we also saw evidence of fresh habitat destruction,' he said. 'We hope these exceptional snails can be successfully reared in the lab to learn more about them and provide a failsafe against the threats in the wild.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

'World's most beautiful snail' is at risk: What UK scientists are doing to save the species
'World's most beautiful snail' is at risk: What UK scientists are doing to save the species

ITV News

timea day ago

  • ITV News

'World's most beautiful snail' is at risk: What UK scientists are doing to save the species

UK scientists are working to save one of the world's most beautiful snails which is at risk of extinction due to the popularity of their striking shells. The snails, known as Polymita, are endemic to Eastern Cuba and feature shells with vibrant colours and interesting patterns. The shells come in many different colours, from yellow and pink to red and black. But these patterned shells have become popular among collectors and poachers who sell the shells to tourists or trade them overseas. Despite it being illegal to remove these snails from their native habitat under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, it has not stopped the international trade of the shells. Researchers from London Zoo and the University of Nottingham have travelled to Cuba to meet local scientists to assess the conservation status of the six vulnerable painted snails, as well as better understand their evolution and how to breed them. The Polymita sulphurosa snail, which has a lime green, blue and yellow shell, is considered the most endangered of the species and is at risk of extinction. There are believed to be fewer than 30,000 remaining in the coastal forests of Cuba, which is the only place they live. University of Nottingham's Professor of Evolutionary Genetics Angus Davison is hoping to get the species put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list. "It's all part of a global effort to be proactive about the species conservation," Professor Davison said. "One species of painted snail is the most threatened – it was touch and go, but we were very fortunate to finally find them.' The experts also hope to establish a conservation breeding programme in a lab to help save the invertebrate from extinction. London Zoo's Dave Clarke said the Cuban painted snails were "incredible" and he was very keen to conserve the species. "Finally finding a population of the rarest species in a remote location was a relief, however we also saw evidence of fresh habitat destruction," he said. "We hope these exceptional snails can be successfully reared in the lab to learn more about them and provide a failsafe against the threats in the wild.'

Study confirms women in politics receive more attacks and abuse on social media than men
Study confirms women in politics receive more attacks and abuse on social media than men

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Daily Mirror

Study confirms women in politics receive more attacks and abuse on social media than men

The research, which analysed millions of posts, also found that the language aimed at politicians in the UK contained more abusive words than those in other countries Female politicians in Europe receive more identity-based attacks than other politicians, according to new research. The study analysed 23 million posts on X addressed to politicians in the UK, Spain, Germany and the US, and found that women in Europe experience online "incivility" regardless of how well known they are. ‌ Incivility has been defined as posts which contain hate speech or assign stereotypes, undermine or exclude a social group, or threaten someone's rights. It also includes posts that name-call (such as 'weirdo' or 'idiot'), cast aspersions ('liar' or 'traitor'), use pejorative speak, sarcasm, and all-caps. It comes after Nigel Farage unveiled an ex-Tory who made racist remark on WhatsApp as its newest defector. ‌ This incivility faced by female politicians can include everything from misogynistic and sexist comments to violent threats, or attempts to defame or humiliate. ‌ Lead researcher of the study, Maarja Lühiste, associate professor of politics at Newcastle University, said: "We noticed that female candidates targeted with abusive language typically receive more morality-focused words, such as 'vile,' 'shame,' 'shameful,' 'disgraceful,' 'hypocrite,' and 'deluded.'' Lühiste added: "They also receive messages with more references to personal attacks—including words like 'kill,' 'destroy,' and 'rape'—rather than simple swear words." ‌ The study, published in Politics & Gender by Cambridge University Press, found that the posts aimed at Spanish and German politicians appeared to use fewer deliberately abusive words than those aimed at US and UK politicians. Lühiste explained: 'Both men and women politicians experience incivility and, overall, the more famous they are, the more abuse they receive. BUT women in Europe receive uncivil tweets even when they're not well known.' For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. ‌ She added: 'Political culture and electoral rules may matter, too: German and Spanish politicians in our sample receive less incivility than their UK and US counterparts. And the incivility in less personalised systems - especially in Germany - is relatively 'polite' compared to the other countries in our sample.' Multiple female politicians in the UK have opened up about experiencing online abuse. In 2019, Heidi Allen said she would be stepping down as MP after experiencing 'utterly dehumanising' abuse. ‌ Nicky Morgan also announced that she would no longer be serving as an MP that same year, saying: "I think the role of being an MP has changed. I think the abuse, because of the platforms, because of how strongly people feel about the current political situation, that has changed enormously in the almost 10 years since I started." Angela Rayner has previously spoken up about facing such abuse that she barely read online posts. In 2023, she said she believed female politicians experienced more abuse, explaining: "Whether it's a Conservative MP, SNP or Labour it doesn't matter, it's mainly women that get the abuse. They want to silence us.' Rayner added: "The one thing I'm asked every time I visit a school is 'how do you deal with the abuse you get?' and that shouldn't be the first question young people ask me." Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store