幸好没独立：“留苏格兰”学生不用卖肾了

Sound the bagpipes, raise a wee dram of whisky, or perform any other cliché you can think of: Scotland has finally said “NO” to independence. All those months of campaigning, days’ worth of televised debate, and thousands of newspaper articles boiled down to just a few hours of voting on Thursday. Of the 4.3million Scots registered to vote, 84% turned out to decide whether Scotland should become independent from the UK. Such a high turnout was no surprise given how incredibly close the fight for independence became. The day before polling stations opened, surveys put the lead for the NO campaign (with the slogan “Better Together”) at just 2 percentage points, with 51% supporting a united Scotland versus 49% demanding independence.

吹响风笛，高举威士忌，或者用其他你能想到的陈腔滥调来庆祝吧：苏格兰公投否决独立！数月来各种运动游行，一天到晚的电视辩论，还有成千上百的资讯社论，最终都凝聚为周四那短短几小时的投票。四百三十万苏格兰选民中，84%都投下了神圣的一票。鉴于此前独统两派缠斗日益激化，如此之高的投票率也并不令人吃惊。投票站开启的前一天，有调查显示，反对和支持独立的民众比例分别是51%和49%，反对独立的阵营（他们的口号是“在一起更好（Better Together）”）仅以2%的优势领先。

Thankfully for the “Better Together” campaigners - who range from Prime Minister David Cameron to Harry Potter author JK Rowling - their lead not only held, but also gained pace. Perhaps a few YES voters got cold feet at the last minute; the NO campaign claimed to have more factual evidence behind it, and accused YES leaders of relying on rhetoric and emotion. With all votes cast and counted by 6.08am on Friday 19th September, it was officially announced that 55% of Scots had voted to remain in the UK.

多亏了“在一起更好”的参与者们——其中有不少名人，包括英国首相大卫·卡梅隆和《哈利波特》作者JK罗琳——他们不仅坚持同独派对峙，还拉到了更多选票：一些原本支持独立的人可能最后临时改变了主意。统派称他们有更多事实依据来反对独立，并指责独派领袖只知道煽情和堆文砌字。9月19日周五早上6点08分，所有的投票都统计完毕后，官方最终正式宣布：55%的苏格兰人投票支持苏格兰留在英国。

GUARANTEED RESEARCH GRANTS

研究经费有保障

So what does this mean for students? Well, it is great news for those doing research doctorates. In the run up to the referendum, Scotland’s top university professors had split into two groups: the pro-independence “Academics for Yes” versus the anti-independence “Academics Together”. While the former argued that an autonomous Scotland would be able to better address Scottish academic interests, the latter voiced fears about cuts to funding: Scottish universities currently receive 12% of the UK’s annual £2billion research grants. The decision to stay united means these grants should remain secure.

那么这对学生来说意味着什么呢？对于忙着研究的博士们来说，这可是个好消息。在独立公投的过程中，苏格兰顶尖大学的教授们分为了两个阵营：支持独立的“独派学者（Academics for Yes）”和反对独立的“统派学者（Academics Together）”。前者宣称，成为自治国家更有利于苏格兰的学术研究发展。而后者则担心独立会导致研究资金短缺：现阶段，英国政府每年20亿英镑的研究经费中，12%都拨给了苏格兰大学，决定保持统一也就意味着这些研究经费得到了保障。

FREE EDUCATION FOR SCOTS, AND NO PRICE HIKE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

苏格兰人享免费教育，国际学生学费不涨价

Meanwhile, Scottish students do not have to worry about having tuition fees introduced. Scottish universities are currently free to both native and EU students, while students from the rest of the UK must pay up to £9,000. An independent Scotland would have been forced to take UK students free of charge on grounds of non-discrimination. This would have led to a huge increase in English, Welsh and Northern Irish students flocking to Scottish universities; why pay to go to Durham when a few miles further north you can attend Edinburgh for free? The subsequent massive reduction in income for the universities would have been disastrous - and may have forced them to dramatically increase fees for non-EU international students.

同时，苏格兰学生也不必担心自己得交学费了。目前苏格兰大学对本地和欧盟学生都是免费的，而来自英国其他地区的学生就必须交纳高达9000英镑的学费。一旦苏格兰独立，基于非歧视原则，苏格兰的大学就必须对英国学生免费。这会导致英格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰的学生们蜂拥而至：如果往北几英里就能免费读爱丁堡大学，干嘛还交钱上杜伦大学？随之而来的后果是灾难性的：苏格兰大学的收入急剧减少，很可能被迫大幅提高非欧盟国际学生的学费。（真是那样的话，只好去卖肾了有没有。）

PRESERVING INTERNATIONAL REPUTATIONS

保持苏格兰大学的国际名誉

Staying united has also safeguarded the international reputation of Scottish universities. A survey published in the Guardian earlier this year suggested that Chinese students feared a degree from an independent Scotland would be regarded as inferior, possibly impacting the number choosing to study there. United with the rest of the UK, it seems likely that the number of international students in Scotland will continue to rise - with China leading the way. Well over 6000 Chinese students now study at Scottish universities, with over 1500 at Glasgow University alone. It’s a cultural fusion which has been a big factor in Glasgow’s ever-improving world ranking.

保持统一也保证了苏格兰大学在国际上的名声。今年早些时候卫报的一项调查显示，中国留学生担心独立后苏格兰大学学位的含金量会下降（“留学英国”必须比“留学苏格兰”听起来更高大上。。。），这很可能会影响选择去苏格兰留学的中国学生数量。而保持统一似乎能让苏格兰的国际学生的数量持续增长——以中国留学生为首。现在在苏格兰各个大学留学的中国学生超过6000人，仅格拉斯哥大学就有1500人。这种文化融合是推动格拉斯哥大学世界排名不断前进的一个重要因素。

... AND OTHER BENEFITS

其他“好处”……

However, all of these benefits pale in comparison to the most important outcome of Scotland’s rejection of independence. As a United Kingdom, we English can continue to refer to that most horribly wonderful of delicacies as a “national dish”: the deep-fried Mars Bar. Let’s face it – battered chocolate was what the “Better Together” campaigners were really worried about losing.

然而，苏格兰拒绝独立还会带来一个至关重要的后果，让上述所有好处都黯然失色。作为一个统一的大英帝国，我们英格兰人可以继续“自豪地”把一道“美味至极”的菜肴称作“国菜”，那就是——油炸巧克力！面对现实吧，那坨黑乎乎的糊状巧克力才是“在一起更好”参与者们真正担心失去的东西！（油炸巧克力（the deep-fried Mars Bar）是苏格兰的著名黑暗料理，经常被英格兰人黑你懂的。）