David Cameron: ‘Multiculturalism Has Failed’
And you thought the only lesson Americans could learn from our cousins across the Atlantic was the need to cut back on government in the face of gigantic debts. It turns out that our Europals are also unafraid to deal with one or two other subjects that inspire only blithering bromides in the U.S. — such as the consequences of multiculturalism and the clash of Islam vs. the values of liberal democracy.
The next time you hear a politically outraged Hollywood personality threatening to flee the U.S., it may be a conservative in search of a more ideologically congenial home in Europe.
On February 5th, British Prime Minister David Cameron stated an obvious truth that few public figures have the courage to call attention to: that a happy coexistence of Islam and the West will happen when Islam accepts and adapts to our ways, not the other way around.
In remarks delivered in the (wittily chosen) city of Munich — historical HQ for appeasement — Cameron said, “When a white person holds objectionable views — racism, for example — we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who isn’t white, we’ve been too cautious, frankly too fearful, to stand up to them.”
He added, “Some organizations that seek to present themselves as a gateway to the Muslim community are showered with public money despite doing little to combat extremism.” For those groups that do not share a commitment to our values, such as integration and “universal human rights, including for women and people of other faiths,” Cameron said there should be “no public money. … We must stop these groups from reaching people in publicly funded institutions — like universities and prisons.”
Cameron’s address is becoming known as the “multiculturalism has failed speech,” although he did not use those words. I propose instead that we think of it as the “muscular liberalism” speech, because the crux is in this passage:
Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism. A passively tolerant society says to its citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone. It stands neutral between different values. A genuinely liberal country does much more. It believes in certain values and actively promotes them. Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights regardless of race, sex or sexuality.
His speech followed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s even harsher analysis last October: “Multiculturalism has failed utterly,” she said, adding, “We feel bound to the Christian image of humanity — that is what defines us. Those who do not accept this are in the wrong place here.” And French President Nicolas Sarkozy labeled multiculturalism a “failure,” saying:
Of course we must all respect differences, but we do not want … a society where communities coexist side by side. If you come to France, you accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France.
All of these leaders are at least taking the first rhetorical steps in response to a problem that isn’t deeply rooted in the U.S. — yet.
Segregated Muslim communities from Birmingham to Berlin operate by their own codes, breeding resentment, extremism, and, in some cases, terrorism. But those communities owe their intellectual legitimacy to an element that is as powerful in the U.S as it has been in Europe — the cringing, unproud, relativistic left, the “What right do we have to lecture anyone?” crowd. Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins explicitly rejected the melting pot metaphor in favor of the “gorgeous mosaic.”
How’s that working out? Last year, in Dearborn, Michigan, which has perhaps the most prominent Muslim presence of any U.S. city, four Christians believe they were arrested on a trumped-up charge of “breaching the peace” for proselytizing to Muslims at a festival, which is illegal under Sharia law but a cherished freedom under ours. Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly replied that his city was “under attack” by the proselytizers, who were guilty of “aggressively engaging passers-by in confrontational debate.” Moreover, he said, there was a “free speech zone” at the festival for any nitpickers interested in the First Amendment. Last August, in Wichita (!), a pastor was arrested for “loitering and failing to disperse” (can one person disperse?) while handing out Christian materials outside the Islamic Society of Wichita.
Today these are isolated incidents, just as they would have been in Britain until recent years. Tolerantly, we open our arms to the intolerant, slipping from a culture of e pluribus unum to one of “Dude, you have no Koran,” in which a legal act (burning a Koran) is deplored but an illegal one (theft of same to prevent said burning) is celebrated. Tomorrow we may wake up to discover we’re Birmingham or Amsterdam or Marseille.
Multiculturism will be the death of America if it is not stopped. At least Germany, the UK and France can clearly see this. Only the fools in the Obama adminstration, the schools & liberal press don’t get it here. And, they simply don’t want to get it. In their eyes it is Islam is good, Christianity is bad. Every other culture is great, but America is racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and intolerant. Just wait 20 yrs. or so till the muzzies in Michigan start to impose Sharia law. Then people just might wake up. Until that time it will be zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….
Wow, this Cameron is my new hero. Too bad we have to build a statue next to the ones called ‘liberty’ and ‘justice’ and call it ‘common sense’.
Some 85% of our population increase in the last 10 years has been minorities from the Third World. I say shut off that tap entirely.
Jeffersonian and peaceful productivity are not concepts that one can put on like a suit of clothes, being issued a passport or by touching American soil.
I am not a baggage handler at an airport at the service of a multicultural Third World. My culture is just fine and doesn’t need refinement. Keep it intact and others out.
It would be nice if Pajamas Media got a clue. What gibberish this thankfully brief article is. Cameron is just playing politician, he senses which way the political wind is blowing, he has no principles, it’s all about votes. Duh. In the same speech Cameron pretended that Islamic extremism had NOTHING to do with Islam and the extremists have just hijacked the ROP for their own agenda. Did Boot knowingly leave that bit of his speech out, or was it just an innocent slip? In other words Cameron buys into the selfsame multiculti ideology that he deems a failure! He contradicts himself and doesn’t know it.
Ditto Merkel and Sarkozy, when they put their money where their mouth is then and only then can they be taken seriously. sarkozy is considered a sell-out in France by the anti-dhimmis (ie the few in the know) for talking tough on PC multiculti stupidity, but doing nothing when in office (except bash Israel). Sorry but banning burquas is not enough, not nearly enough.
Let’s not forget that Cameron made a disgracefully anti-Semitic speech in Turkey, pandering to his anti-Semitic audience, his speech was filled with all the usual slanders and lies about Israel whilst whitewashing the tyranny and bloodlust of Israel’s very real enemies. It wasn’t any different to standard Guardian and BBCspeak. The Tories are every bit as anti-Israel as Labour, Cameron fits right in with the anti-Semitic elite public school (that’s private school to non-Brits) miseducated pro-Arabist twits.
In the UK nothing is gonna change, the brave EDL will continue to face harrassment from Cameron’s government whilst Islamists (ie Muslims who are true to their faith) will remain at large and their useful idiots in the BBC will continue to broadcast pro-Muslim propaganda.
Just because Obama is even worse than Cameron (or is Cameron just more cynical?), doesn’t mean Cameron gets it, he doesn’t, he’s a know-nothing anti-Semitic cynical politican who condemns multiculturalism in the language of multiculturalism.
2 things stand as a litmus test:
1 Israel – if you go along with the multiculti pro-Islam anti-Semitic lies on Israel (as Cameron does) whilst bashing pro-Islam multi-culturalism, you are hypocritical and deserve your multicultural hell, a pox on your house frankly.
2 If you continue to pretend that Islam is NOT inherently extremist and fanatical, and that Muslim extremism has nothing to do with Islam, you are buying into multiculti ideology whilst pretending to condemn it, all in the same breath.
Cameron is guilty of both failures. Under his leadership things will continue to get worse in the UK. Under Obama, America is hardpressed to overtake the Europeans and Brits into lala land.
Larry you remind me of the many libertarian and old time conservative Brits I’ve read and communicated with. Cameron is only seen as an opportunist politician’s politician. I’m the only regular American participating in ConservativeHome.com for Brits and although I give him some slack, I understand a lot of the discontent. Even though Britain sank to new lows under 13 years of Labour, Cameron and the Coalition are now well behind in the polls.
I respect John Boot’s values but he is displaying an all too common ignorance of not really understanding present day UK. It should also be noted, most residents there don’t consider us their cousins and that’s putting it polite.
Maybe he’s not my new hero.
At least Cameron joined the other major European leaders in saying it. Our self-described mutt is as silent on this urgent subject as the grave.
Okay then maybe he is my new hero.
Larry in Tel Aviv put the case very sharply. I didn’t know about Cameron’s views on Jews, but don’t find it implausible. I too noticed that he was vague about correcting multiculturalism. I write about how it came about in the U.S. all over my website, but here is my last blog about reversing multiculturalism: http://clarespark.com/2011/02/11/undoing-multiculturalism/. And contrary to the author (Boot), multicult is thoroughly institutionalized in the U.S. He is thinking only of Islam, as opposed to a much larger social policy that resegregates minorities seeking integration, not intellectual and moral ghettoes.
Here is an index to the institutionalizing of multiculturalism in the U.S.: http://clarespark.com/2010/07/15/index-to-black-power-blogs/. It all boils down to what we mean by “liberal nationalism” and federalism. In this year of the sequicentennial of the Civil War, I predict that this celebration will be used by highly placed “liberals” to link the Republican Party to Southern fireaters and the Klan, i.e., to the extreme Right who want “states rights” and the perpetuation of slavery.
Clara Spark predicts that the sesquicentennial of the Civil War ‘will be used by highly placed “liberals” to link the Republican Party to Southern fireaters and the Klan.’ This will be hard to do since the Republican Party was founded as the anti-slavery party; it abolished slavery, passed the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, and always support equal rights under the law. The Klan arose in the Democrat south.
(except bash Israel).
I’m glad that there are progesses, at least, he isn’t accused of anti-semitism now, some water passed under the bridges, the Hawks that made their butter on the French during the last decade have lost some feathers.
And, sorry, France has a Arabs policy, you know they are so numerous, and ignoring them, would be dumb
While Cameron is at it he should admit that “liberalism” has failed too since mulitculturalism is just another touchy feely aspect of that strain of crap. How about the National Health Service has failed. How about the European Union too.
It could be too late for the Brits.
The damage done to their society and culture is most likely permanent.
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
Actually, my impression of Cameron after that speech is that Eternal Lieutenant John F. Kerry was right when he said that the entire political spectrum of Europe would fit comfortably within the Democratic Party. (On the principle of a stopped non-digital clock- you know, the kind with a dial and hands?)
Cameron’s take was basically that multiculturalism has failed in Britain because the British just haven’t tried hard enough to “embrace the other”. This is one of the more shopworn arguments of the “enlightened elite’”, i.e. “Why aren’t you peasants following our magnificent example?”
His passing remark about other cultures not “showing a commitment to our values” was the sort of window-dressing I’d expect from The One. A nod and a wink to the radicals, as in “I have to say this to placate the rubes, but you know I don’t mean it, don’t you? Nudge, nudge, say no more.”
One day perhaps Britain will have a leader who does not blame the British people for the wrongs done to them, either by a group of “homicidal Utopians” who seek to burn Western civilization to the ground, or by the bureaucracy created by their own “enlightened ones” to keep a boot on their necks forever, as per Orwell. “For their own good”, of course.
David Cameron isn’t it, unfortunately. He’s too busy playing Lady Astor to The One’s Neville Chamberlain.
And in spite of their insistence that the Sun is rising but the rest of us are just too blind to see it, the lights are nonetheless going out. And not just in England.
clear ether
eon
I hate these politically correct morons who are trying to force us to live in a multicultural world where every religion and every custom and every lifestyle should be treated the same. No one culture is better than the other.
To people who believe in multiculturalism, I say you are a bunch of dangerous fools. Take a good, hard, look at how people are treated under Shariah law in Muslim countries. Not all cultures ARE the same. Some are worse than others and some are simply reprehensible. There are head hunters still living in the jungles of New Guinea. Guess what? They are WRONG and their culture is NOT as good as ours. Sorry, but facts are facts. Sharia Law and the hideous, superstitious, homophobic, misogynistic morons who believe in that junk are NOT the same as us, they ARE worse than us, and a more civilized world should shun these people. Are we perfect? Certainly not. But we don’t stone women for adultery or hang gays (as they do in Iran). If you tried half the things you’re allowed to do under Sharia Law in the United States, you’d probably be arrested for assault or murder. Nope, we ARE better than they are and we should start saying it. We are the last best hope for humanity and our president should promote that, rather than constantly apologizing for it.
The first US politician to make this statement, will be a shoo-in for the White House.
One can only assume that multiculturalism has failed if one assumes it had good intentions in the first place.
Exactly, Mark v! “Intent” is 4/5 of the equation and the 1/5 on the surface might look like a ‘failure’ to the untrained eye, but, for the rest of us wide-awake in la-la land…this is a home-run for the subversive Commies and they are loving every bit of the fiddling whilst we haplessly scramble to save Rome from burning.
Here is the first alinea from dr.Mack, Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Occasionally one thinks that, perhaps because it has become so tedious, multiculturalism has begun to pass from the scene. Unfortunately, such thoughts seem entirely too optimistic in light of the great extent to which multiculturalist slogans have become culturally and institutionally ensconced, the great emotional and financial stake that multiculturalists have in perpetuating their visions, and the degree to which, usually under false pretenses, multiculturalists are able to initiate new believers into their sect. So it probably is still of some value to offer a dissection and critique of the ideology of multiculturalism—a dissection and critique that focuses on the rotten core rather than the surface that is polished for marketing purposes”
http://www.tulane.edu/~phil/faculty/mack.html
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/what-is-multiculturalism/
To do this successfully in the U.S., someone should state initially that multi-Theism has failed. Or simply call out Islam for its ills. Right or wrong, that task is easier in Europe because they dont have the vast Black christian,Hispanic catholic, and increasing Asian non-muslim population blocks that can misread (take umbrage with) a reasoned call for traditional Judeo-Christian precepts and assimilation into the larger culture.
Too late,idiot.”Cool Britannia”, a contemptible welfare state run by corrupt bankers,multicultural enthusiasts,and managed by cowardly temporizing politicians like you, is done. Better the wife a burkha, and get ready to bow and scrape. LOSER!
Multiculturalism is a deliberate strategy to create anger in populations and turn them against each other and specifically, against the country where they live. It’s a variation of divide and conquer. Carve out a sub-group. Infuriate the sub-group by showing how the sub-group is “oppressed” and “taken advantage of” by others. Offer them the solution to the problem, i.e., money, status, “rights”. The sub-groups can be defined in a myriad of ways, often in ways they were never aware of before they were “organized”: ie., race, religion, sexuality, economic, work type, medical condition, labor vs management, political philosopy, age, ethnic background, marital status, etc., etc. You could probably read about that strategy somewhere.
Let’s see, is it something that helps people to get along? To be loyal to their country? To share resources? To work for the common good? Would politicians ever use a strategy like that? What kind of politicians? Certainly, the leaders of a country would never do something like that, would they, particularly since the leader of a country is bound by oath to protect and serve it?
rhetorical questions.
This calls for a community organizer! Is one ‘present’?
I believe that “multiculturalism” was actually invented by Prime Minister Pierre Eliot Trudeau in Canada to deal with the problem of separatism in Quebec. He maintained that Canada was made up of many different groups, not just French-speaking and les Anglais. It has since taken on a different meaning.
“MultiCulturalism” is a variant of “Political Correctness” which
was orignally something called “Cultural Marxism”. The origin of
Cultural Marxism is the Frankfurt School. German Jewish Marxist
created Cultural Marxism as the primary weapon against the West
when the hope of armed worker rebellions faded. The plan was
the slow takeover of Western institutions from withing. The
Univerisities primarily. Then though University graduates,..the
takeover of Government (Clinton, Obama..etc) then the destruction
of all internal cohesion of the West…via mass immigration, mass
debt, loosening of Constitutional strictures..etc. Sound familiar?
Trudeau was a product of Cultural Marxism..which he packaged in a
happy face, just like our own Clinton and Obama, and all the European
Socialists.
I must be racist,because I hate what this black president has done to America. I hate what the Muslims are doing to the world. WAKE UP.
It would be far better to have a Mexican as a neighbour than a Muslim.
It would be far better to have a Mexican as a neighbour than a Muslim.
Damn straight! I’ll take some delicious tacos, homemade pico de gallo and lots and lots of pork chorizo any day over lamb kabobs.
Wow….such patriotism, such conviction. Give away your country, your heritage, and
your history, all for some burritos.
But…but… but, you get refried beans with that.
As a Brit I can say that most of us have mixed feelings about Cameron’s speech.
On the one hand, he’s made a start. It has been said, and he knows that by making this speech he’s going to get some stick – not from the public who are, by and large, sick to death of multicultural, politically correct stuff – but from the so-called Intelligentsia, the Opposition and various other organisations – particularly those of dubious intent who have been funded in the past.
In openly saying that multi-culturalism is a failed experiment, he has at least enabled others to do the same and that is a pretty big part of the battle. I don’t know what it’s like in the USA, but I think you may have been hit by the MC/PC wave a little later than us, but until recently what Cameron has said would have been seen as highly controversial. Again – not by the public but by those I’ve already named.
So, there is definitely some progress here!
On the other hand, how is he going to deliver the changes? That’s the real test and we will have to see if he can put his money where his mouth is. He has several years left as PM so he won’t get off this particular hook easily. His next term – if he seeks it – will depend on his performance so he’d be mad to do nothing.
As for Israel and Jews, Cameron himself has Jewish ancestors and prior to being elected was always pro-Israel. As the Jewish community in the UK is so tiny, it is highly unlikely that he was being and opportunist and just pitching for votes. Yet, when he gets through the door of No 10 he seemed to change – as evidenced by his bizarre speech in Turkey. That said, I attended an event where Ron Prosser – Israel’s ambassador to the UK – was a speaker. He said the relationship between the two governments is good. It’s the NGO’s that cause the problems.
What the Brits dont seem to understand is that MultiCulturalism
isnt an “experiment” that didnt work. Its not an episode to move beyond.
It is the end of your country and your history. You are not going to expel millions of muslims. They are British subjects
now. They are out outproducing you at about 5 to 1. The book they
carry in their heads and hearts, the Koran, isnt going to be modified.
Its commandments..subdue the unbelievers, refuse to submit to the infidel,
wage war in the name of Allah..will not change. Great Britain took 1500 years to build. You have destroyed it in 20 years. A century from now
Britons will be living in the same relationship of fear, apprehension,
anger,
puctuated by episodes of terror, the other scenario will be Civil War.
Your history will be relativized, your religion something you must hide,
and all for what? For What? A “feel good” moment? Great Briton stood up to Napoleon, and Hitler but it couldnt stand up to the vacuous face of Tony Blair.
What do you mean ‘For what? A ‘feel good’ moment? When did that happen under Blair? I must have missed it.
This isn’t just happening in Britian. Almost every country in Europe is in the same position; Netherlands, for example, is in a far more volatile position with one politician dead, another having fled for her life and another, Wilders, unable to live without 24/7 security. And as you know, he’s currently on trial for what amounts to heresy – in the 21st century, no less. I have heard – but cannot confirm – that there are also journalists who are too nervous to report the facts and intellectuals needing the same type of protection as Wilders. Only the UK had Tony Blair – not Europe.
I could understand your comments if Canada and America had been warning us for years and were free of this problem themselves but a) you didn’t see it coming either and b) you’re not free of it. You seem to have the same type of government and elites now that – as ours did – try to tell you that the Emperor is fully clad when you can see quite well that he’s naked.
Land-wise, you’re much bigger so perhaps it’s less in your face than on a tiny island like the UK. If, as you say, we are being outbred at a ratio of 5:1, then that is not specific to the UK but a part of the whole ideology and culture. It wont – and isn’t deviating from country to country.
America, though, has time, land space and its people have a certain type of spirit that seems to spark up more quickly than that of Europeans. This is definitely something we need to take on board and learn from.
There is only one real question. Is Britain prepared to do what
is necessary to survive? Will you survive
or will you die? Yes/No. Can Britain muster the will to begin the
mass deportation of muslims? Can you strip them of their citizenship
compensate them fairly for property lost, pay resettlement costs
and ship them bck to Pakistan, and Iran? Listen to the howls of NAZI and HITLER? Can you
Ignore the pleas “that all muslims arent the same” etc. Becuase that
is the cost. The alternative is worse, it is the destruction Christian
Britain over the next 2 generations.
By the way EDH, don’t read too much meaning into my use of the word ‘experiment’. It was intended to convey sarcasm.
Conservative Europeans and Americans were saying exactly this 100 years ago.
And do you know the element they identified as the invasive, alien culture?
The Jews.
God, you ignorant provincials–you don’t even know you’re borrowing the arguments of Victorian Tories who despised your great-grandparents!
Grady, I’m pretty sure the Jews weren’t hard at work trying to undermine Western Civilization while instituting Shari’a law in the UK.
Argument fail.
Grady:
What I am hearing is more “Progressive”
thought that is so deep in the bones of the European Left
they have no way of being aware of it. Modern history isnt
“progressing” it is trapped in house of mirrors, and “tolerance” has become synonymous with befuddlement and apathy. Relativism is not
wisdom..its is decay.
Islam is not just another religion
like Christianity.. its a macabre totalitarian nightmare where
religious inspiration and political power and military force
are one.
“We must Americanize in every way, in speech, in political ideas and principles, and in their way of looking at relations between church and state. We welcome the German and the Irishman who becomes an American. We have no use for the German or Irishman who remains such… He must revere only our flag, not only must it come first, but no other flag should even come second.”
— Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President
His Position on immigration appearing in a 1894 article on immigration.
Irishman, Italians, Germans, Danes, Poles were Christian, and European.
A great commonality of emotion, spirit, culture, and, yes, basic
intelligence. Teddy Roosevelts demands werent hard to meet, especially since the immigrants were desperately eager to assimilate. And if they die not assimilate, they starved. Now compare
the muslim immgrant..whose every religious commandment and
every cultural norm tells him to defy and hate the culture of the USA..or the Third World immigrant whose first stop is the Welfare Office.
There is almost no similarity to immigration into the USA in 2011 from
what occurred in 1911.
EDH, that’s a whitewashed version of US history you’re selling. Roosevelt was talking about the Irish, who insisted on remembering their origins and were considered violent, ignorant, and worst of all, Roman Catholic. That was anathema to the Yankee sensibility, because Catholics were, by the very doctrines of their church, “loyal to the Pope of Rome rather than to America” and could never be assimilated.
The parallel to Muslims is pretty obvious.