Dr, No!

It seems that even chemistry professors can get carried away. It had never occurred to me that the reasons why nuclear power has such a bad reputation was because of the depiction of nuclear power in the James Bond movies. I thought that the Fukushima near melt-down after the Japan tsunami last March might have caused more damage to a reputation already tainted by Two Mile Island and Chernobyl. Still, I guess Professor David Phillips, President of the Royal Chemistry Society (RCS) knows more than I do, and that the fictitious Dr No in the first Bond film did indeed do more to tarnish public negative reaction to nuclear alternatives.

When James Bond blew up Dr No on his Caribbean volcanic island he could not, according to the professor - speaking on the 50th anniversary of the release of the film - erase the damage to public opinion caused by showing cinema audiences that a crazed power mad fictional doctor might get his false arm on the red button to detonate a nuclear bomb. That several rather dubious leaders of the real world have since been blessed with that very opportunity seems not to worry the professor one jot, nor does it that Ian Fleming wrote the Bond novels during the Cold War, which ended, it is alleged, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The RCS asserts that nuclear power must form part of the future of national energy policies, complemented by renewable sources. While it is true that Dr No could not have threatened the destruction of the world through fossil fuel chemical reaction, it is certainly true that the RCS wants to see a world in which fossil fuels will be eradicated to ensure we all live in a healthy environment.
Meanwhile, the Green Party maintain the view that the Bond movies stimulate discussion and debate about the nuclear options. It claims they show the dangers of having the option in the first place, and the ease with which it can be used for evil ends. Their spokesman, Richard George said: ‘A handful of Bond films haven't tarnished the nuclear industry's reputation. They've managed to do that all by themselves’.

I think he has a point. It depends on which side of the fence you sit. The RCS want to see a renaissance in nuclear power, so you can’t blame the professor for sticking the boot in on James Bond villains seeking world domination largely through the ultimate threat of mass nuclear destruction. Professor Phillips claims the popularity of the Dr No movie from 1962 created an enduringly negative image of nuclear power. Me, as a spotty 14-year-old, all I could recall of the movie was the heavenly Ursula Andress coming out of the sea! No need for implants in those days, thank the Lord.

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TweetIt seems that even chemistry professors can get carried away. It had never occurred to me that the reasons why nuclear power has such a bad reputation was because of the depiction of nuclear power in the James Bond movies. I thought that the Fukushima near melt-down after the Japan tsunami last March might have caused more damage to a reputation already tainted by Two Mile Island and ...

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About Society Matters

Provocative, relevant, current: for the last decade Society Matters magazine has been informing, engaging and annoying social sciences students in equal measure. Now, its move online has given us the chance to bring its lively mix of analysis and opinion to a wider audience.

Society Matters online started in October 2010 and has, so far, covered a wide range of issues and topics ranging from inequality and the big society to arms sales and foreign policy. All can be seen by scrolling down from the top of the Society Matters front page.

We have also illustrated many of these posts with the work of our two illustrators (see below). Serious analyses have been interspersed with posts on a less weighty issues which show both human folly and innovation.

Society Matters continues to be edited by its original creator, Dick Skellington. Dick, pictured above, was previously a programme manager in the social sciences faculty, walks the talk through an active involvement in the affairs of his home town of Stony Stratford, Bucks, and finds light relief through writing poetry and the occasional stage appearance in local productions.

Since many years at the coalface of journalism have taught us all that sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words Dick is aided and abetted by resident illustrators, Gary Edwards and Catherine Pain – both former OU students.

Catherine has drawn and painted all her life, and when she is not pillorying public figures for Society Matters paints animal portraits, works in stained glass and produces alphabet teaching posters for children. Her work is in several galleries in and around her current home in Cambridgeshire and her publications include an illustrated cookbook sold on behalf of the National Trust, a colouring book for small children, Alphabet for Colouring, and The Lost Children, a story for older children. Her website is at catherinepain.co.uk

Gary has written two best-selling books about his travels all over the world watching Leeds United FC, Paint it White and Leeds United - The Second Coat. His third title No Glossing Over will be published by Mainstream in September 2011. He has not missed a Leeds game anywhere in the world since February 1968 and married his wife Lesley at Elland Road.

Specialising in wall murals, Gary also holds diplomas from the London Art College, The Morris College of Journalism, has a Diploma in Freelance Cartooning and Illustration and is a contributing cartoonist for Speakeasy, an English-speaking magazine in Paris. During the 1970's and 1980's he collected hearses and is a long time member of the Official Flat Earth Society as well as the Clay Pigeon Preservation Society.

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