Prince Charles may well be a little "woolly headed" in his attitude towards science and technology. This is because he feels intuitively the dangers to which hard-headed scientists like Prof. Steve Jones, whom you
quote, are blind (Scientists condemn Prince's 'woolly' lecture on GM food, 18 May 2000).

It is not surprising that most scientists are unable to appreciate the dangers that their work may pose. Like other mortals, they are afraid - largely unconsciously - to bite the hand that feeds them. Their material, social and psychological dependency on what they are doing, and what they have spent years training for, makes it almost impossible for them to form a rational or objective opinion about it.

It is very easy for Prince Charles, me or anyone else, to criticise when it is not our livelihoods or status that are under threat.

GM Scientists, like everyone else, whether share-holders, management or factory workers, are defending what they perceive as their vital self-interests - their source of income and social standing.

The tobacco industry promotes its products, despite their devastating effects on human health and longevity; the tourist and airline industries promote non-sustainable air travel, the car industry non-sustainable individual motorization; the media are full of sex and violence because they attract custom and promote business.

We all depend on industry, as a source of income or of products and services, and at the same time are threatened by it.

Notwithstanding that some industries are far more harmful (actually or potentially) than others, who among us is able to be rational and objective when his source of income and social status is being called into question?

Most people - including the Prince of Wales himself - are leading or striving after non-sustainable life-styles (if all the world's fathers were to give their sons and daughters a car for their 17th birthday the planet's life-supporting ecosystems would soon collapse under the strain!(Birthday Prince has a date with a diesel, 21 June 1999)).
In this we are encouraged by a billion dollar advertising industry serving an economic system that is inherently dependent on us pursuing non-sustainable life-styles!

The truth of the matter is that our economic system itself, along with many of  the values it is based on, are non-sustainable.

This means that unless we all do some serious self-questioning, and are prepared to make radical changes to our economic system and the values on which it is based, we are doomed.

Although I think he has yet to appreciate the full implications of his intuition, Prince Charles is on the right track. He, who speaks to the flowers is the one we should listen to, rather than he who would genetically manipulate them.  If we listen to that arrogant, scientific know-it-all, Prof. Steve Jones, we are doomed and will soon be off to join the dinosaurs.