Scottish referendum results: Majority of Scottish academics relieved at result

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The majority of Scottish academics will have greeted the “no” vote in the Scottish referendum with a sigh of relief.

A poll of 1,000 academics conducted by Times Higher Education found that 55 per cent were planning to vote No, with just 42 per cent in favour of independence.

Support for the No campaign was strongest amongst those working in the field of science, who feared the loss of UK-wide grants to fund their research if Scotland voted to go it alone. Some said they were ready to seek jobs in the south as a result.

Primary and secondary education remains unaffected by the vote, as indeed it would have done even if the vote had gone the other way. Scotland already has autonomy from the English system.

Ironically, concern switched following the vote to the future of the education system in England if plans to restrict voting on English issues like education to English MPs are brought forward.

Teachers’ leaders argue it would make it difficult for Labour in particular to push any reforms of the education system through the House of Commons.

One senior teachers’ leader said: “They need the votes of those Labour MPs in Scotland to get things through and - if they were not there - it could be a disaster.”