The prime minister will criticise "state multiculturalism" in his first speech on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism since being elected.
Different cultures are encouraged to live apart, and objectionable views met with "passive tolerance", he will say.
"Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the prime minister will say.It's fashionable (and fairly easy, too) to be cynical about the Coalition and their lack of delivery of all the things that many were hoping for in the new government. But it's a long time since I have heard a British Prime Minister uttering such sentiments, and expressing them in such unambiguous terms. Rome wasn't built in a day, and at least it's a start. I am mildly encouraged.
A genuinely liberal country "believes in certain values and actively promotes them," Mr Cameron will say.
"Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights, regardless of race, sex or sexuality.
"It says to its citizens: This is what defines us as a society. To belong here is to believe these things.
"Each of us in our own countries must be unambiguous and hard-nosed about this defence of our liberty."
He will say that under the "doctrine of state multiculturalism", different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives.
"We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values."
Emphasis mine.
So the prime minister is now saying what the BNP has been saying for ten years. As a BNP member, does this mean I am no longer a racist, Nazi, xenophobic, fascist, Nazi, fascist, Nazi, knuckle dragging, bigoted, Nazi?
ReplyDelete"It's fashionable (and fairly easy, too) to be cynical about the Coalition and their lack of delivery of all the things that many were hoping for in the new government. But it's a long time since I have heard a British Prime Minister uttering such sentiments, and expressing them in such unambiguous terms."
ReplyDeleteMeh! Talk is cheap, iDave. Show me...
He's full of hot air. Wait for the U-Turn and denials.
ReplyDeleteHe's obviously been told the peasants are beginning to revolt and is trying to placate.
TOO LATE DAVE!
I agree with Sue. Something I have done a lot recently.
ReplyDeleteYes sorry Richard. All hot air from cast iron. He's just saying what he thinks will make him look popular with the sheeple.
ReplyDeleteNothing will change. And even if cast iron wanted change it couldn't happen because we're signed up to the ECHR. Any attempt at interfering with our 'multicultural' ghettoisation will be strictly fought off and costly to taxpayers.
It's the odd thing about the liberal left/ BBC etc. They want multiculturalism for the UK but will defend Indians, Pakistanis etc to their taxpayer funded dying breath, to allow them to maintain their unique cultures in their ancestral homelands. So Asians can fly home and enjoy their culture. safe in the knowledge that the UK hates it's own culture llowing them to do what they want in the UK.
lsn't there an EDL march today? Maybe it's pure coincidence Daves speech has been leaked.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, folks! I'm not praising Cameron; the 'cast-iron' promise I remember prevents me from doing that. I said I was mildly encouraged, that's all. It's a start, straws in the wind, and all that. I'm with Julia - I'll believe it when I see it - but there's no reason not to give a small cheer when something is said that needs to be said. The outraged reaction of the Left suggests that the speech has had some effect, after all, even if it's only hot air.
ReplyDeleteI'm with the others. I don't believe that a word of what he says will translate into action. There is nothing to be encouraged about, mildly or at all in fact. He is riding high on the hog on the trappings which he sees as only his due. Those are what matter to him. Once in a while he will throw a few scraps to the hungry, just words as Julia M says, then betray them some more when he thinks they are still scrambling after the scraps.
ReplyDeleteThere's no real disagreement, I think. If what he says here is translated into action, then there will be cause for optimism. If not, then your/my/our cynicism will be justified. But look at the phrases I've put in bold type above, and ask yourself if they don't represent a distinct change in tone from the last lot. If nothing else, they have upset the Left, and that's a win in itself. Apparently, the phrases above are 'racist' and 'doing the BNP's work for them'. Shows you just how far out of touch the Left are.
ReplyDelete" If what he says here is translated into action"
ReplyDeleteBut that's the nub of the matter Richard. How can he possibly do anything ? The ECHR gives all citizens the right to do what they want in Europe. He can huff and puff but he's fully committed to these rights.
And of course he's also trying to force through acceptance of Turkey into the EU which will give 200 million muslims the right of abode and full access to all the benefits of the UK state.
He did a U turn on a referendum on the EU and is still trying to fool the sheeple into believing he can do anything about religious extremism. He is truly a vile individual.
I don't think I buy into the attempted populism theory, in all honesty.
ReplyDeleteI've seen no real signs, post-election, of the Coalition making much effort to win hearts and minds. Almost wilfully doing the opposite, in fact, given the determined and radical agenda they are forcing through at what is basically an unprecedented pace. But then, since that pretty much was what was on offer pre-election - a good deal of pain before things got better - it could be said they are already delivering what was promised.
From comments all over the (multi)media, a lot of people don't consider much of it to be the right sort of pain - at least for their own particular circumstances - and/or have much faith that it's going to bring about the "better" part. That could be true, in which case this is going to be a single-term government and no amount of sweet-talking around the edges is going to save it. Especially in the current climate, where there is a tendency to disbelieve everything said by all politicians, just as a matter of principle.
Credit where it's due, though. In political context, this is some pretty deliberate and strong language for the PM to be using. It's inevitably causing a backlash from all sorts of special interest and identity politics groups, who by their very nature are going to get more of a voice on it than the silent majority. Most of the latter, in any case, are waiting for results rather than words - except possibly the BNP and EDL, who aren't, face it, much of a voting base to work with.
Which sort of leads me to the conclusion that there's no real gain in simply saying this...so, just perhaps, the reason he is doing so is because he means it.
Whether that leads to any action is another question, but in the meanwhile, yes: mildly encouraging is a good way of putting it.
Don/William: I think you may be crediting the ECHR with rather more powers than it actually wields: such as the ability to dictate a strict format of multiculturalism to a member state. I may be wrong, but there does still appear to be a degree of national sovereignty available to most EU countries.
endemoniada 88
ReplyDeleteSadly no.
Any attempt to deport Islamists or try to get them to conform to Western values ( stop wearing the niqab etc) would be opposed by the ECHR.
We can't deport anyone to a country that fails to observe basic human rights.
We must house, feed, clothe and teach them despite the fact that they want to destroy us. It's hard to fathom but that's where we are today.
...and yet the French have a law banning the burqa - which their judiciary believe complies with the ECHR - and the Swiss, also subject to the ECHR, have banned construction of minarets...
ReplyDeleteIt's not the ECHR that is the problem (although it is a problem). It's our attitude of gold-plating everything that comes from the EU, and then adding some. We could simply ignore the ECHR, or apply its ruling when it suits us, just like the French do. What are they going to do? Throw us out? They are desperate for us to stay in the EU, and we could be using that much more creatively. We don't have to do everything Daddy says. Creative disobedience is an option.
ReplyDeleteIf the Govt (any Govt) grew a pair, there wouldn't be a problem.