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Multiculturalism hasn't worked: let's rediscover Britishness
Mod - you might want to hold this one over for Monday - it's worthy, I'd say.
Gradually, however, people are gaining the courage to defy the diktats of political correctness and to question the assumptions of what should be acceptable in Britain today. In Bournemouth last week, David Cameron admitted to feeling uncomfortable about the segregation that now exists in many cities, where people remain isolated in ethnic communities. Jack Straw has publicly raised the veil on an issue that, privately, many will have admitted to finding disturbing. And even the Church of England, it seems, may be rediscovering sufficient backbone to assert the importance of its role as the predominant faith in the country. Multiculturalism, as an increasing band of influential voices is prepared to say, has not worked. Both Labour and Conservative politicians have now stressed the need for all immigrants to learn English, but merely speaking the language is not enough. For the country to feel comfortable, there needs to be a sense of cohesion. That is unlikely to be achieved by the Commission on Cohesion and Integration set up by Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Communities. The omission of any representative of the Church of England on the 14-strong Commission, which includes the secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Great Britain, indicates that it may be starting from the wrong place. To start from the right place requires a degree of confidence in core British ideals. That does not mean harking back to John Major's Hovis-style vision of bicycling delivery boys doffing their caps to village worthies. But we should reassert Britain's claim to be a country that believes in tolerance, politeness and compassion, and one in which, even if the church-going habit has faded, Christian values prevail. Multiculturalism was on its way to destroying that ethos, as became apparent to me several years ago at my daughter's school in south-east London. Academically selective, it had students of a variety of races and religions and, in their early years there, they seemed oblivious to their differences and friendships ranged widely. Sadly, as they grew older, the groupings became less mixed. By the time they were installed in the sixth form, the differences were so -pronounced that a dispute over Christmas decorations had to be taken to the head-mistress. The majority of the girls had wanted to festoon the common room with streamers and festive fripperies; the Muslim girls objected. The headmistress's judgment was a cowardly compromise: the room was to be divided and half could be decorated. All over the country the politically correct have abandoned Nativity plays, decreed there must be "season's greetings" rather than "Happy Christmas" messages and tried to abandon our traditions in an effort not to cause offence. The result has not been the creation of a happily integrated society. Immigration is not new to Britain and people from many countries have, over the years, been welcomed and assimilated. In its current guise, though, multiculturalism militates against such assimilation and keeps communities separate. Clothing can be a tangible demonstration of that separateness. It need not be a barrier to integration: in a society in which just about any style of dress imaginable is now seen on the streets, there is no reason why a turban or a shalwar kameez should look out of place beside a T-shirt or a tartan mini-dress. But a full veil is something different and Jack Straw was absolutely right to point this out. If a woman should wish to shroud herself in black from head to foot and cover her face all but for a slit for her to peer through, then it is her right to do so. Britain has long given up insistence on any particular dress code in public places, apart from the requirement that total nakedness should not be seen on the streets. The chador-clad female might argue that the opposite style of attire to her own, in which great swathes of flesh go unclad and bra straps and thong tops are displayed, is far more likely to cause offence than her modesty. But Mr Straw's argument is that the full veil prevents him having a proper face-to-face conversation with the wearer and thus limits his understanding of what is meant rather than what is just being said. He is surely right. The veil forms a barrier that limits the creation of relationships. It unites those who nestle behind such garments and makes it harder for them to integrate with the bulk of the population. It may be that there are many Muslims who choose to wear the veil but also want to play a full role in British society. They should realise that they are making that more difficult because of the uniform they choose to wear. That this has not been the subject of public debate before shows what a hold political correctness has had on the country. And still does in some areas. Only this week a Conservative councillor was forced to resign after implying that a modern Noah's Ark would have to accommodate some gay animals. "How offensive", came the howls of outrage. Political correctness is no joke. Posted by: .com 2006-10-08 |
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