Geek Manifesto - go help

This post initially appeared on Science Blogs

Mark Henderson of The Times is embarking on (what I think is) a great project - highlighting the contribution that the science savvy can have and are having on public discourse. The intersection of science and politics is a growing interest of mine, though I don't have nearly as much credibility as many others around the blogosphere (but give me a break - I'm still in grad school). Go help him out, he wants to know

• What are the best examples of geek activism, what have they achieved and what can we learn from them?

• What else can geeks do to hold politicians and civil servants to account, and to promote better use of science in public contexts?

• What are the best examples of bad practice, where poor use of evidence or poor awareness of the methods of science have led to policy failures?

• Where have politicians and civil servants done well? Are there examples that could be emulated elsewhere?