Following the referendum result,leave campaigners gave assurances that a post-Brexit Britain would remain “open to the world”. Instead, we have witnessed increasing signs over the last few days of a Powellite drift towards insular ((adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off) nationalism, or with UK universities as easy targets. We have seen proposals for restrictions on the number of abroad students and for organisations to be forced to reveal the proportion of their workforce which is “foreign”. And most recently (Foreign experts are excluded from advising UK on Brexit,8 October) evidence has emerged that UK-based academics will be excluded from consultations with government on specific issues if they are not British citizens.
For centuries, scholars have considered themselves part of an international community of learning. Universities have thrived when – like British institutions in recent years – they have been able to play a full part in this international exchange of ideas and people. But when, and for ideological reasons,governments have sought to isolate them, they have stagnated, and with them the intellectual and creative life of the societies they served. This will be Britain’s fate unless we defend the outward-looking nature of our universities,and the rights and dignity of all academics in this country. It might be naive to hope that the undertaking to preserve the UK’s engagement with the rest of the world will be honoured. But it would be kind to believe that not all the promises of the Brexiteers were outright lies.
Professor Philip Murphy
Director, Institute of Commonwealth StudiesContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com