issue 04 / volume 41

A divided, but still united, kingdom

» How Scotland voted with their wallets and stayed within the UK

Patrick Vaillancourt
Columnist

historic referendum on
the future of Scotland

rejected the idea of forming
their own country, opting
to stay within the United
Kingdom. In the end, the
result wasn’t near the razor-
thin result we here in Canada
are used to in sovereignty
referenda, but Scotland sent a
clear message of displeasure
to both 10 Downing Street as
well as Buckingham Palace.
The victory of the “Better
Together” campaign shouldn't
be viewed as a sign that Scots

the campaign may have been
about Scottish sovereignty,
the ballot box question was
an economic one, and Scots
voted for the safer bet.
Sovereignty referenda are

questions than the campaigns
have answers for. In Canada’s
example, having gone through
two questions of sovereignty
in Quebec, the separatist

side made bold claims about

keeping the Canadian currency : referendum was the youth vote.

: This was the first time youth

: as young as 16 were allowed

: to participate as members of

: the Scottish electorate, and

: polls indicated that the over-

: whelming majority of young

: Scots favoured independence
: by nearly four to one. It seems
: Phillip Larking was right

and entering into a “sovereign
association” with the rest

of Canada, both proposals
stemming from an inability
to answer the electorate
concerns on these issues.
Scotland was no different in
that it proposed to keep the
British pound as its currency,

ia proposal which England
: wasn't prepared to entertain.

Had Scotland voted for

: independence, the British

: pound would have no doubt
: plummeted in the currency
took place last week, and Scots : markets, and investors across

: Britain would be feeling the

: pain in their pocketbooks. If

: one is to believe, as I do, that

: the Scottish referendum was

: truly an economic question,

: then the “No” victory comes

: as no surprise. There are rich

: people in Scotland too, and

: many of them are heavily

: invested in the British market.

Political analysts were

weary of making any kind of
: projection as to how Scotland

would vote, saying that the
feel welcomed in the UK. While :

referendum was too close to

: call. The polls did show a race
: that was within the margin of
: error, but the pundits failed to
: factor in how the undecided

: would vote. Anyone who

has taken a political science
confusing for the general public :

because they bring about more undecided voters typically

: sway toward the status

: quo—in this case, giving the

: “No” campaign a much bigger
: lead in the polls than was

: reported by the media.

101 course would know that

The one wild card in the

: failed referendum,
: Scotland does end
: up winning out. The
: British government has
: already agreed to devolve

: when he said: “People born
: after Braveheart voted Yes,
: everyone else hates freedom.”

It wouldn't be enough,

: however, to turn the tide. The
: undecideds, perhaps reluc-

: tantly, voted for the safety of
: staying within the UK,
: despite Scotland not
: being given the same
: kind of attention

: from Londonas the

: rest of England.

Despite the

ee,

1 ft

: more powers to the Scottish

: Parliament, and perhaps a

: new federalist model will

: emerge in the UK. This wasa
: wake-up call for Britain, and

: it might just spur a newfound

      
     
    
 
  

[eS Ss

opinions // 15

: sense of urgency from political
: leaders in London to share its

: vast wealth with Scotland,

: Wales, and Northern Ireland.

ts
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\

 

 

Shaming the pursuit of knowledge

» Why all degrees are useful

| Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

Mc. college majors are
often thought of as “bad”

or “useless.” Degrees not in high

 

demand—basically anything not
: status of competition, closed-
: mindedness, and extreme

: rationality. Higher education’s
: top priority has never been

: about finding a high-paying,
satisfying job until the last

STEM- (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) or
business-related—are seen as
“soft” options. They’re perceived
as easier to earn and worthless
when it comes to landing a job
after school.

Certainly, some majors
are much more likely to get
a job relating to their field
out of school quickly. Many
programs are specifically
tailored to include job training
and networking for companies

: recruiting recent graduates.

But that is not the point of

: an education. That has never

: been the primary purpose for

: post-secondary, and anyone

: who says so completely

: misunderstands a large portion
: of education and the pursuit

: of knowledge. Furthermore,

they limit themselves to a

century or so, and especially

: in the last couple decades.

: Amazingly, knowledge was

: considered important soa

: person could become more
: open-minded about the

: world, think independently,
: and improve their overall

: intelligence, instead of it being
: the key to instantly succeeding
: in the real world.

A degree by itself is often

: not helpful in finding a career,

: especially with the abundance

: of them in the job market today.
: It’s the experiences, internships,
: and skills developed during the

: post-secondary years that can

: be just as important as having a

: degree—another reason why the
: specific field is not important.

On the other hand, a degree

: states that an individual had
: the work ethic and skills to

complete four years of school.

: Regardless of the field, all

: degrees require a great deal of

: effort and commitment. There
: are common degrees, but there
: are certainly no easy ones. In

: fact, some of the degrees that

: are perceived as the “easiest” or

: “most useless” are the ones that
: take the most time and effort to
: obtain, such as anything relating :
: to art. :

Not all degrees relate

: directly to one field or job. In

: fact, many of them specifically
: tie into many fields; a diverse

: educational background is

: an asset in the workplace. All

: degrees teach something that

: can be applied in the real world. :
: If absolutely nothing else, they
: teach a basic element of work/
: life balance.

To imply that the secret to

: money and job satisfaction is a
: degree ina certain field gives no :
: virtue to the value of hard work
: and knowledge seeking. Many

: people with in-demand degrees :
: have unsatisfying jobs, and

: many people with “softer” or no
: degree at all couldn't be happier

To imply that the
secret to money and
job satisfaction is a
degree in a certain
field gives no
virtue to the value
of hard work and
knowledge seeking.

: with their current occupations.

We're all adults getting

: our post-secondary education.

: For many of us, this is the first

: time in our lives when we have

: complete control over our

: futures based on our desires.

: We have the freedom to do what
: we truly love and pursue our

: dreams. Why isn’t that more

: encouraged in society?