Protests and progress

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst in a post-Brexit Britain, says Sarah Richardson in this week’s Research Fortnight leader.

From signs highlighting the international make-up of research teams, to the student immigration advisers protesting that they are “busy enough as it is”, the hundreds of thousands of placards carried through London’s streets on Saturday to urge the government to revoke Article 50 included plenty conveying the impact of Brexit on research.

As another week of turmoil looms, and the government struggles to break its deadlock on how, when or if to leave the European Union, the sheer number from the research community who turned out to support the march is to be applauded. As the adage goes, it’s not over until it’s over.