Just because someone has been wrong in the past, doesn't mean they can't ever be right again, and Dominic Greive fits that mould quite nicely. I believe that it was he who recently said that local authorities weren't using their RIPA/snooping powers enough. I will temporarily forgive him that ridiculous point of view.
He has today been quoted as saying that the mania for multi-culturalism in the UK has left a terrible legacy that has allowed extremism to flourish. That is a statement that is difficult to disagree with, however the article is more about the squeezing of Christianity than anything else. It does raise some interesting points though.
He tells the Groan that a type of "cultural despair" has led "long-term inhabitants" and newer arrivals to feel alienated and unsure of UK values.
It is unfortunate that our political masters are so desperate for the majority to change their lifestyle to suit the incoming minority, this dilutes the 'UK values' which the newcomers are expected to adhere to. It is perhaps slightly less objectionable to the French model where anyone is welcome in France as long as they are a white catholic. How can we expect people to understand UK values when we will shortly see stories in the MSM about Christmas being banned, (no doubt there have also been stories about over anxious managers removing references to pigs from the office environment during the current Ramadan period) and so on?
These newcomers must be scratching their heads in disbelief thinking 'What on Earth is going on here?' My other half used to work for an organisation with a very high proportion of Muslim members of staff, and those members who were not Islamic would always be invited for the chow down at sunset during Ramadan. Who do you think were most involved in the organisation of, and most excited about the prospect of the office Xmas party? Yes, that's right, the Muslim staff members. They would bury the office in Xmas cards, very sincerely wishing the native population a happy Xmas and containing essays enquiring as to the health and fortune of the recipient's family.
It is peverse that newcomers to these islands, with a different faith, language, value system and culture should be so willing, if not desperate, to embrace this new culture and include the established population in their own festivals. Indeed they would alter their festivals to include others. My other half attended a Kurdish-Muslim wedding where all the cultural formalities were observed and the bar was opened for the non Muslim guests.
What is sadder is that this country has a most enviable track record in the absorption of incoming cultures and this can be traced back as far the Romans, Saxons, Normans and Vikings. There is still a French chapel in Canterbury Cathedral which has been operating since the Huguenot came over. The Irish have been absorbed completely, Jews and Afro-Caribbeans with little trouble these days, the Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani are well on the way and are now no longer the new kids on the block. The new wave of Somali, Iranian, Afghan and Iraqis are experiencing culture shock and difficulty, as all new arrivals do, but the current regime of enforced integration does nothing to help either side.
Forget the first generation, they will not integrate, our ways are too different, the second generation will be more comfortable, but still of the 'other'. By the third generation the process will be almost complete. It is what the British do best, just look at our new national dish - Chicken Tikka Massala, a dish with its roots thousands of miles away but unmistakably British, made in Britain and adopted with great gusto. Could you see the French altering their gastronomic tastes like that?
Look at the English language, its very popularity and enduring success is the language's ability to asorb, its thirst for, new words from other languages to come in and join the party. English has a vocabulary that is stuffed with Latin, French, Norse, Germanic and Indian words, plus a whole host of strange words that have snuck in. It is the British speakers that do this.
We have demonstrated, time and time again that we do not need cajoling into accepting new cultures into our midst, we've always done it, and will continue to do so. There is initial resistance as people are naturally wary of the new and strange, but that soon passes. By constantly pointing out the differences and saying 'Ooooh, you can't do/say/think that' all you do is spread mistrust and make the process of acceptance and bedding in longer. Of course people should be protected from discrimination, and it is there in law. We all know this, so stop banging on about it, won't you?
Another example of superfluous interference in how people live their lives. We are British, we will accept newcomers, we will embrace the best of their language and culture, and make them our own. In a few years you won't even see the join. Why not just let us get on with it? Multi-culturalism is a pup, it doesn't exist, there is only one culture in this country, the British culture, and it encompasses so many strings from so many places, that it means we have a race-relations and tolerance record that is envied by the rest of the world. This isn't down to the righteous holding our hands and talking down to us, it is inspite of them, it is our national psyche.
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