Farewell Jodrell Bank?

Moves to close the observatory at Jodrell Bank have been described by its celebrated founder, Professor Sir Bernard Lovell, as disastrous and absurd.
Jodrell Bank achieved international importance 51 years ago when it succeeded in tracking the USSR's first Sputnik satellite, and in 1959 its telescope received the very first pictures transmitted from the far side of the Moon.
But due to an £80m shortfall in science research, an assessment panel has listed its flagship eMerlin project - a country-wide network of seven giant astronomy dishes - as a "lower priority" for UK physics and astronomy. Nearly £8 million has already been spent on eMerlin, which is now set to go to waste.

We need to get our priorities sorted out. I cannot understand how Jodrell Bank could be threatened with closure, while £9.3bn is earmarked to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London, which will drain £2.2bn from lottery causes.
Jodrell Bank fears funding loss