‘We are slowly coming to our senses’: Readers on the Erasmus scheme’s post-Brexit return

Independent Readers generally welcomed the decision to rejoin Britain’s Erasmus student exchange programme, with many describing it as a long-overdue corrective to the damaging Brexit term choice.

Some commentators have argued that the UK should never have left Erasmus, portraying the initial withdrawal as ideological rather than practical and harmful to students who did not have a say in the referendum.

For these readers, re-engagement is seen as a clear win for young people, universities and cultural exchange; It helps to rebuild ties with Europe and restore opportunities to study, study and live abroad.

Others emphasized that this move, while positive, was modest rather than transformative. Some have questioned the government’s reluctance to go further by rejoining the customs union or agreeing wider mobility arrangements, and warned that Erasmus alone could not offset the wider economic and social costs of Brexit.

A smaller number criticized the deal, arguing that Britain risked paying too much or accepting unfavorable terms. Still, many agree that it signals a gradual return towards closer cooperation with Europe.

Here’s what you need to say:

Good news for young people

Excellent news! This will be great for young people in the UK and Europe and will help us build a closer alliance with our closest neighbors and allies.

In these difficult times, with an unreliable and unstable president in the White House, this provides some hope for the UK and Europe going forward.

we will not succeed

open minds

I am lucky to have worked in three European countries; I was welcomed in every country and had opportunities that I would never have had if I had stayed in the UK. More than once I have met Erasmus students who opened their minds to other cultures and new ideas.

It’s a shame that there are still some people angry about this plan.

PJB

Too little, too late!

Too little, too late!

Now how about helping businesses trade with the EU? Believe me, if Starmer was trying to run a business post-Brexit we’d be applying to rejoin already!

pateleylad

Bad deal for England

When we were last on the programme, the UK had to fund two places for EU students for every British student studying in the EU.

It’s a bad deal for the UK, but it means a complete reset of Starmer’s Brexit: a series of humiliating deals for Britain.

Ian Robinson

It comes to our mind

We are slowly coming to our senses.

We are slowly reuniting with our friends and neighbors on the European mainland.

There will soon come a day when we won’t believe we were crazy enough to even consider leaving.

Roll on that day.

hurricane8

To go forward

Every small step towards common sense is progress. This won’t help the young people betrayed by Boris Johnson and the Brexiteers, but it will help the next young people to see and experience Europe.

The pro-Brexit pensioners brigade and their crooks will be furious.

bobbertson

We should never have been apart in the first place

England should never have deviated from this plan in the first place. This was an act of pure lies and vandalism by the former Tory government. There was no logical justification for this whatsoever; A decision taken by political pygmies.

AndrewB

collateral damage

It is very meaningful to read the comments here. The article is about the Erasmus student exchange program and reversing the loss of access to it; This is a loss that affects young people who cannot vote and naturally expect their parents to act in their best interests.

These were collateral damage of their elders’ choices, but they aren’t even mentioned in the entire comments section (apologies to anyone who does). It seems that those responsible will prefer to continue the decade-long fight.

ouleejit

It’s not a big step

This is hardly a “big step”; I think it is a very modest step. As I recall, earlier this year EU diplomats and officials made clear in EU capitals that a youth mobility agreement was seen as an important indicator of whether the UK was negotiating in good faith with the EU. Worryingly, the government has refused to even rejoin the customs union.

This is certainly a positive step, but it only affects young people: what about the elderly? I am an EU citizen so I am not personally affected, but I feel sorry for those who are affected. Brexit remains a complete disgrace and this is just one small step.

Musil

Burglary or daylight robbery?

£570,000,000 per year.

There are approximately 2.1 million university students residing in the UK. The remainder (over 700,000) already come from abroad, mostly from non-EU countries, but with this initiative this is likely to change.

So that’s over £250 per year per student in the UK.

Some will say it’s a robbery, but others will say it’s a daylight robbery (there’s a difference!).

My personal view is that this is not a huge amount to pay, representing a very small fraction of what is spent on education and training in this country, but there will be many more who think otherwise!

scholar

rebuilding the relationship

Joining Erasmus again is excellent news. Leaving the plan was a purely ideological subversion move by Boris Johnson and a truly stupid idea. It is good for both UK students and UK universities. If we are to rebuild the UK’s relationship with the EU, in whatever form it takes, it must start with encouraging young people to re-engage.

Tanaquil2

Some of the comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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