To Brexit or Not to Brexit, That is the Question
During re-election this year, the Conservative party promised that they would renegotiate the UK’s membership within the EU, and also hold an In/Out referendum in 2017.
Since then, various sectors and organisations have joined the discussion on whether it is best to stay in Europe, or leave. The debate has tended to cover issues such as trade, the EU Budget, regulation, immigration and influence.
It is difficult to truly speculate what will happen if the UK leaves Europe. The EU will continue to be a large institution, and as such, Britain will need to restructure its relationship with it. Those renegotiations and our bargaining power are what will drive the future of Britain, which is why there is plenty of uncertainty. Indeed, we could look to Switzerland (which has over a hundred bilateral agreements with the EU), Turkey (which has trade agreements), or other international countries’ which rely on the World Trade Organisation for access to EU markets, to speculate what will happen. But, again, it will be speculation.
How leaving the EU will affect Higher Education and research is yet another area which needs to be properly considered. Innovation and research are key contributors to the economy, employment opportunities and local/national/global progress. Universities, as strong societal actors, must actively engage in the discussion, and refrain from keeping neutral.
Universities UK has already launched a campaign in support of staying in the EU, with UUK’s President Goodfellow stating:
‘It is abundantly clear that the UK’s membership of the European Union has an overwhelmingly positive impact on our world-leading universities, enhancing university research and teaching…By supporting collaboration and breaking down international barriers, the EU helps universities to carry out cutting-edge research and make discoveries that improve people’s lives and enhance the UK’s global influence’.
However not everyone is happy for UUK, a charity primarily state-funded, to have such a clear stance in a political matter.
While it seems certain the UK will be able to forge new contracts with the EU, which includes being a recipient in some manner of EU funding, it has caused concerns. EU funding is incredibly important to UK research, and even more so during the increasing austerity measures the UK faces and a declination in grants and funding from UK sources (such as charities). It would be interesting to see university annual reports highlighting the changes in EU Government versus UK Charities over the years. Edinburgh, for example, has claimed that the ‘value of awards from EU Government and UK Charities were up by 72% and 44 % respectively’, which demonstrates just how important these EU funds are for the HE and research sectors. However that is not to say that these dependencies cannot be renegotiated, nor that the UK will lose out on international collaborations as UK HE holds a strong reputation internationally.
What is more concerning would be the flow of global talent across Europe. Leaving the EU would easily make it more difficult for immigration (which includes investors and start-up companies contributing to the UK), but also for emigration (which will harm employability for British students abroad).
HEPI published a report today, Should we stay or should we go?, which concludes that 70% of students say they would vote to remain in the EU. The report’s section on the duties of universities is particularly interesting, calling into question whether universities should encourage students to vote, and whether they should host debates with speakers on the topic. It may be worthwhile to explore the reasons behind a student’s decision, and whether these reasons are legitimate and valid, or whether they are based on ‘for’ or ‘against’ claims propagated by various media.
Without a doubt, discussion and debate prior to the referendum is needed. Vital questions should be raised, and people should be informed. A Telegraph article points out that ‘Academics should not only engage with and bring their critical insights to bear in all aspects of the discussion, but universities should be among the places where this discussion is carried out’. Universities should ensure that they always play a visible and public role in society, particularly for discussing and raising awareness on important national and international decisions.