Britain's brain drain remains as contentious as ever. British scientists overseas, led by those in the US, say they have been driven abroad by a shortage of cash for science in Britain. The government disagrees. Ministers say British science is healthy - it must be because Britain attracts more scientists from abroad than it loses.
Both sides are entrenched. Earlier this year, 1600 expatriate scientists of the lobby group British Scientists Abroad warned the Prime Minister, John Major, that: 'Unless the government acts to halt the decline in research, we fear that Britain will become a minor player in technological research.' Ministers gave the alarm the usual brushoff.
Surprisingly, both sides in the dispute are right. Take a look at the worldwide scene, and the picture immediately becomes clearer. Indian researchers work in Toronto, Germans in Sydney and Kenyans in Britain. There is a worldwide market in scientific talent. If ...
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