date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 00:51:28 +0100
from: "Tim O'riordan" <t.oriordan@uea.ac.uk>
subject: Re: Tyndall Research Strategy
to: "Mike Hulme" <m.hulme@uea.ac.uk>


  Dear Mike,

I am so sorry to be elusive. It is just that I have been in demand recently,
notably with Leverhulmem and I am off to Salzburg for the Business and
Environment programme all next week.

I am afraid I cannot make the ECF in October. I have told Martin Welp. I
have a Cambridge Programme meeting on the 2nd and the morning of the 3rd,
and it is Sian Pearce's farewell in the afternoon. I cannot miss that as she
has been simply wonderful for CSERGE. In any case I could only get these for
the Wednesday and one day at 600 quid fare is too much to ask.

I have read the Research Strategy. I confess my heart sinks. It is very
heavy going with no easy language or graspable ideas. Also the political and
institutional aspects are almost non existent. It does not look as it we are
engaging with the UK, or EU or international global policy machinery. Yet
our work will have no relevance if we do not do this. It is not just a
matter of linking with business and ngos. It is the policy think tanks and
politicians and media opinion formers that we need to study and to interact
with.

It is also not clear that we will examine the strengths and weaknesses of
institutions of decisionmaking and political bias in the UK, E and UN in any
of our work. That would give us a very  lopsided image.

I am so sorry to sound so negative,

Cheers, Tim