Fees are fees for a' that

The heated row in Scotland over university fees - to have them or not - has a hidden benefit for united Irelanders

The heated row in Scotland over university fees - to have them or not - has a hidden benefit for united Irelanders. When Britain's Labour government reintroduced university fees there was an outcry in Scotland and the dispute between Labour and the Lib Dems held up the formation of the new administration. The parliament eventually compromised and decided there would be no fees for Scottish students (although there would be an obligation to pay back £2,000 to a special fund later), but fees would be charged for those coming from the rest of the UK.

But under EU law the Scots can't discriminate against other parts of the EU, so that means no fees for students from the Republic or from France, Germany etc. Students from Northern Ireland must pay, but those with a Republic of Ireland passport go free. So, ask some, will we have a big increase in applications for citizenship from the very type of young Northerner who until now wanted nothing at all to do with the Republic?