MSc funding is never easy to get, especially with a 2:ii, even in the pure sciences. I would back pamplemousse and suggest that you don't play the discrimination card, it will not endear you to anyone. If you were a strong candidate you would get the funding somehow; we've all hit brick walls at some point. And look at it this way, compared to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences you guys in pure science are totally spoilt. Imagine if everyone studying those subjects said they were discriminated against by narrow government ideas of what academic research is.