The people of the United Kingdom will today wake up a nation divided and looking for a new leader.
The EU referendum has not only divided the electorate but the very member states of the United Kingdom.
52% of the population have voted to leave the European Union, whilst 48% voted to remain.
In the historic poll England & Wales have returned leave votes whilst Northern Ireland & Scotland voted to remain within the EU.
In the morning after the night before, David Cameron has announced he will be standing down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in October. He said that he would act in a caretaker role over the coming months but stressed that a new leader for the country must be in place for the next Conservative Party Conference.
Scotland voted in unaminous numbers to remain within the European Union. Every local authority in Scotland returned a remain vote with an overall 62% of Scots in favour of remaining within the EU.
Since the early results started to be announced, speculation has overgrown with what this means for the future of the United Kingdom.
The NUS Scotland president, Vonnie Sandlan, has stated: “This was a UK-wide vote, but the voices of the positive majority in Scotland cannot be ignored. In the coming weeks and months it is vital that the UK Government works closely with the devolved governments, and with all of us who stood up proudly for our EU membership ensuring we do all we can to stem the damaging consequences we know this result could have.”
With such a clear will of the Scottish people being surplanted by the wider UK vote, the first whispers of a second Scottish independence referendum have already begun to emerge from the SNP camp. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that “the people of Scotland see their future as part of the EU.”
The SNP manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election stated that they would only call for a second independence referendum following the 2014 vote if there was a “significant and material change in circumstances”, in particular “such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.”. Speaking before the bulk of the results were announced, former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said to the BBC that “If there was a Leave vote in England, dragging us out the EU, I’m quite certain Nicola Sturgeon would implement the SNP manifesto.”
It is now expected that a two year exit-negotiation with the European Union will take place. So what does this result mean for EU and international students studying in Scotland and at GCU?
A study taken by the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that there were 7,855 higher education students in Scotland that are from other members of the European Union. Figures indicate that GCU has over 600 registered EU students and over 1,500 other international students currently studying at the university.
GCU Principal Pamela Gillies released a statement today which said that there will be “no immediate change to the immigration status and funding arrangements of EU staff and students. This includes prospective students with a place to start in academic year 2016/17 and 2017/18 and those studying on an Erasmus programme.” She also said that the university will “continue to reach out across Europe and beyond,” as part of the universities’ international engagement plan.
Feature photo credit: pixabay.com
