Here’s one for the asylum scaremongers: The Herald reports that if current immigration rates stay constant, Scotland’s population will still plummet by half a million between now and 2042. That’s a pretty significant drop for a country of around four and a half million people, and it has serious implications for the Scottish economy: a dwindling and ageing population – the number of over-75s will rise from 7% to 14% of the population – means fewer taxpayers and more strain on the state.