UK – Scotland in need of immigrants

[winterbadger]

10 November 2004

The first minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, is determined to bring Scotland back on the map as a country where foreign skilled professionals would want to live and work. Without immigrants, the Scottish population is expected to decline drastically over the coming years.

McConnell's Fresh Talent initiative aims at promoting Scotland enough to attract 8,000 foreign professionals each year from now to 2009. There are also plans to grant visa extensions to foreign students who wish to stay after graduation. The first minister is presently discussing with the UK Home Office on a number of immigration initiatives.

Still, Scottish opposition leaders say McConnell's Fresh Talent will not solve the declining population problem in the country. They say Scotland is in need of 10,000 new immigrants every year just to keep the population steady.

Comments

[selki.livejournal.com]

I'm no fan of incessant whinging, but, ick.

[winterbadger]

Yeah, well, Blue is very English, as his given name (Sean) and those of his brothers (Shay and Patrick, aren't they?) indicate. :-)

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

My youngest brother's name is Chay and if you're being accurate my name is spelt Séan *wink*

And yes, as my friend points out I'm 100% purebred English with no Gaelic blood at any point in my lineage...Well, apart from all my mother's family, who are either still in Co. Cork or definitely pikey enough to play a part in the sequel to Snatch...
So, I do joke about my heathern brethern, especially the kilt wearers and the leek wavers, but it is genuinely in fun *soft smile* apart from Gordon Brown who really, truly ought to be deported to Devil's Island...*evil chuckle*

[selki.livejournal.com]

Mmm, kilt wearers! The two guys I'm seeing wear kilts. To dances. Yummy!

But, um ... "leek wavers"?

[winterbadger]

Welsh. For some reason (I forget why) one of the symbols of Wales is the leek. It's on the pound coin that represents Wales; Flewllyn refers to it in Henry V; and in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, new guests to the mess on St. David's Day have to stand on a chair and eat a (raw) leek. :-)

And they say the Scots are crazy...

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

The leek is the national 'flower' (shouldn't that be root vegetable) of Wales and you'll see on St David's Day plenty of Welsh people waving their leeks. I know it's strange, but no worse certainly than having a rose as your emblem (England), the shamrock (Ireland) or a thistle (Scotland). If you look at the rugby jerseys of the respective countries you'll see they display them with pride...

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

Aha! My European humour strikes...I was of course kidding, as you'll see if you look at my reply to J's reply to this...