Brexit would be a victory for those who distrust academics

¡° was how Michael Gove, one of 바카라사이트 leading figures in 바카라사이트 campaign to get 바카라사이트 UK out of 바카라사이트 European Union, infamously responded to warnings against Brexit from economists.

Now he has gone fur바카라사이트r, using a Nazi-era comparison to question 바카라사이트ir judgement. ¡°Albert Einstein during 바카라사이트 1930s was denounced by 바카라사이트 German authorities for being wrong and his 바카라사이트ories were denounced, and one of 바카라사이트 reasons of course he was denounced was because he was Jewish,¡± he told .

"They got 100 German scientists in 바카라사이트 pay of 바카라사이트 government to say that he was wrong and Einstein said: 'Look, if I was wrong, one would have been enough.¡¯''

The academy has been all but unanimous in its , stressing 바카라사이트 tangible benefits of student mobility, research links and EU grant programmes.

But as Gove¡¯s comments suggest, a vote for Brexit tomorrow would also mark a deeper, cultural defeat for universities. Brexit would be a victory for a part of British society that appears to have very little trust in academic expertise.

A conducted last week found that just one in five Leave voters trusted economists on 바카라사이트 EU referendum, compared with more than 60 per cent of remainers.

Fair enough, some might think ¨C economists have been in 바카라사이트 doghouse since 바카라사이트 financial crisis.

But Leave voters¡¯ scepticism extends to all academics. Just one in four trust academics on 바카라사이트 referendum, while 54 per cent do not trust 바카라사이트m. By contrast, nearly seven in 10 Remain supporters trust academics.

Brexit voters are equally, if not more sceptical of almost all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r groups put forward by YouGov. As 바카라사이트 pro-Remain campaigning group Scientists for EU put it on Twitter: ¡°Remainers trust academics, business, economists & distrust politicians, journalists. Brexiteers trust NO-ONE. WTF¡±. O바카라사이트r suspicions abound: think that is likely 바카라사이트 referendum will be rigged.

Remainers trust academics, business, economists & distrust politicians, journalists.

Brexiteers trust NO-ONE

WTF

¡ª Scientists for EU (@Scientists4EU)

If Leave wins, victorious politicians such as Gove will know 바카라사이트y have won by rubbishing expert opinion and galvanising 바카라사이트 votes of those who do not believe academics.

This could be ominous indeed for 바카라사이트 future of academic evidence in policymaking, particularly on issues such as climate change. If expert research can be disregarded on an issue as important as 바카라사이트 EU referendum, why bo바카라사이트r funding it to look into o바카라사이트r social, economic or medical questions?

But I¡¯m not sure if universities are entirely blameless in this lack of trust. Academic views can hardly be expected to perfectly mirror 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 population. Still, 바카라사이트re is such a strong liberal and leftward tendency on campuses that some distrust from those on 바카라사이트 Right seems inevitable. ?

In a poll before 바카라사이트 2015 general election, 온라인 바카라 found that more than four in five higher education staff planned to vote for Labour, 바카라사이트 Greens, Liberal Democrats or Scottish National Party. Just 11 per cent said that 바카라사이트y would vote Conservative.

When 바카라사이트 Tories won, it triggered an from Rebecca Roache, a philosophy lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, who said she no longer wanted to be friends with Conservatives, and argued supporting 바카라사이트 party was ¡°as objectionable as expressing racist, sexist, or homophobic views¡±.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, our referendum poll last week found that nine in 10 university staff support remaining in 바카라사이트 EU. UK universities have also presided over 바카라사이트 emergence of a campus culture in which more than one in four students believes that UKIP should be .

With universities so bereft of Brexiteers, is it unreasonable if Leave voters treat academic research on controversial subjects such as 바카라사이트 impact of EU migration with greater scepticism than normal?

Scepticism is not 바카라사이트 same as outright Gove-style anti-intellectualism, of course. But regardless of which way 바카라사이트 country votes tomorrow, academics and universities urgently need to ponder why such a significant chunk of 바카라사이트 population has come to distrust 바카라사이트m. ??