The British government’s latest drive to improve its citizens’ perception of science is a campaign entitled ‘Science [So What? So Everything]’.

The effort, led by the Department of innovation, universities and skills (Dius), is the end-product of a 2008 Science and Society consultation. “There is still the perception among many of our people that science is too clever for them or elitist in some way,” science minister Paul Drayson said [press release] at the Downing Street launch. He was joined by some pretty high-profile and all-round good egg science communicators – Terry Pratchett, David Attenborough and Bill Bryson, amongst others.

Guardian columnist George Monbiot told the BBC that he hoped the campaign wouldn’t be a propaganda vehicle for promoting vested interests. So far, however, it has merely consisted of a roundtable celebrity discussion and the launch of a cuddly website. Its four headline answers to Science: So What?

So he [a baby] can be big and strong

So we can be champions

So we can play

So we can keep in touch.

So that’s all clear now.