Statement from the Advisory Board of SSEES

As Members of the Advisory Board of SSEES, we share the view of the Director that a decision to leave the EU would be most damaging to higher education in the UK. The great strength of UCL, and in particular of SSEES, is that it is an international powerhouse of ideas and scholarship. 

Leaving the EU would diminish UCL’s world standing and cut us off from vital research funding and European collaboration. The EU has played a key role in maintaining peace in Europe after the horrors of the last century. It has welcomed Central and Eastern European countries to its midst and helped to bring prosperity and the rule of law to Europe. 

This is a time for Europe to stand together. The Referendum vote will determine our future for a generation or more. Whatever your position, please do not stay passive. We urge all at SSEES to vote.

Sir John Birch, Chair
Neal Ascherson, writer and historian
Jonathan Steele, former senior commentator for The Guardian
Ursula Woolley, former Director of Pushkin House