Scotland's population decline

Scotland needs immigrants to halt its population decline:

The next stage of the scheme to attract young people to work in Scotland has been set out by the first minister.

Jack McConnell launched the Relocation Advisory Service in Glasgow, which offers support and advice.

It is part of the Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent plan to help reverse the population decline.

The service has already taken 1,000 calls from people overseas, most of which were about visas, work permits, housing and other relating information.

Six staff are employed by the service, including two secondees from the Home Office and the Immigration Advisory Service UK.

Most of the queries came from the US, India, Poland and Nigeria.

Mr McConnell also announced that the two-year visas being offered to overseas students will apply to diploma students as well as graduates.

There will be a new government fund to help universities and colleges mentor overseas students and encourage them to settle in Scotland.

This will be open to all Scottish higher and further education institutions. The first awards will be made in time for the start of the new academic year in 2005.

Mr McConnell said: "Tackling our declining population is a priority for the Scottish government which is why I want Scotland to be the most welcoming country in the world."

The question is why is Scotland looking to Asia and other parts of the world for new immigrants when there are hundreds of thousands of unwanted British colonists in the north of Ireland? If the British government would resettle those colonists back in Britain - where their ancestors came from - then they could be used to help Scotland with its demographic problems. This would also allow the indigenous Irish Catholics to form an united and independent Ireland which they have been waiting for since the British partitioned Ireland back in 1921.