priorities and physiotherapy research

It said in the news that there's been a switch of funds from research to paying to keep firms going like Rover. This makes me really angry . The UK needs research to support its future. But this is not the full reason I feel angry. 10 years ago I had a passionate interest for physiotherapy reaserch and I went on and did some. However, as time has gone on my interest in research has slowly dwindled away not because I think research is boring or unimportant (I think the opposite on both points) but for another reason. Where I work research is not a priority, and in my appraisals any mention about wanting to do research get treated as a optional extra that I can do myself if I want to but not something which will be supported. Over the years I've become tired of the lack of opportunities and support for an activity which requires significant amounts of one's own time; if I am willing to give up my leisure time for a work related activity why should I have such a struggle in getting it recognised as a priority? The situation at work is also a reflection of the Government short sightedness in cutting research investment to bail out failing businesses. The NHS these days only seems to be concerned about counting costs and has lost sight of long term priorities. It lives for the next financial year and short term local political objectives. Politicians only want to talk about the immediate, the here and now. I think this is a threat to the future of physiotherapy because with so much of physical therapy needing better proof that it works, in the future politicians might justify cuttting physiotherapy services because there is no proof that do what they think they do.