STFC cuts ILC funding

The STFC have cut UK funding into the ILC. ILC stands for International Linear Collider, it is going to be the next generation big partilce physics experiment, intended primarily, although not only, to precisely measure the properties of whatever the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) discovers.
With the STFC withdrawing all funding they have wasted all the U.K investment in this project, which must have been considerable, I know of several members of my department who were involved in it. In addition and perhaps more seriously, some smaller areas are being dropped altogether, solar-terrestrial for instance. This is a terrible blow for U.K science and gives lie to the prime-ministers statement that he wants the U.K to be a world leader in science.
It worries me that numbers of young people choosing to pursue physics, even to 'A' level have continually declined while interest in subjects which have little or no actual value has continually increased, now funding for the most fundamental of physics reasearch is being cut. This country is going to be short of highly educated numerate graduates, and have a surfeit of media studies graduates (let's face it, anything above 0 is frankly too many). Giving £5000 golden hello to attract a few more, probably not very good, physics graduates to the teaching profession is not going fix the damage that under-investment will cause.
Furthermore there are serious problems breewing with the STFC, which has managed to alienate many members of the physics community already. There have been complaints of a lack of dialogue with the scientific community and more seriously incompetence in allowing the £80m black hole to develop in the first place.
Further reading physicsworld, new scientist and interactions and a 10 Downing street petition is here.