Entirely predictable that the privately educated, former commodities trader and self-proclaimed man of the people Nigel Farage should host a fundraising lunch at the Ritz. And even more predictable that Farage should be in the company of some highly dubious people including the far right ‘influencer’ Amanda Eliasch, who strongly endorses Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, says that muslims should integrate or ‘get out’ of the UK and adds that ‘ethnic diversity is a huge problem.’ She’s a nasty piece of work but I think it’s worth seeing whether she has a point.
You may think it odd that a soggy left of centre mainstream (former) Labour supporter should oppose multiculturalism and yet I do. I see multiculturalism for what it is: a barrier to integration, a whole raft of exemptions to the law of the land, special privileges for groups, the acceptance of laws and practices that differ to the law of the land.
I am not saying any group or followers of any religion should make the choice; integrate or ‘get out’ of the UK. That paints an image of the state forcibly removing people from the country, deporting them to who knows where. I support the multiethnic society, I welcome diversity, I respect different countries provided everyone lives under the same laws with absolutely no exception. Everyone is free to attend the church, the mosque, the temple, the synagogue, the any type of religious place of worship that floats their boat. That is not saying to anyone ‘integrate or get out’. It is saying that these are our laws under which we all shall live. You can have no opt outs, no special privileges.
This means, for example, no religious schools of any kind. We have recently seen the disturbing sight of fanatical muslims protesting outside a Birmingham school demanding their children do no receive sex education. The government nor the local authority should back down in any way at all. If people have opinions about sex education that do not fit in with the national education system, too bad.
This will mean there will be no catholic schools too, as well as no muslim, sikh, Jewish schools. I can imagine some people objecting to this, but what kind of country do you want? I want a fully secular society where everyone is treated the same, no one is permitted religious privilege or opt outs and where religious people can freely practice their religion as long as it has no effect on anyone else. Who could possibly disagree with this?
‘Ethnic diversity’ is not a ‘huge problem’. In fact, diversity is in every sense A Good Thing. Less people give a toss about someone’s colour than at any other time in my life.
The arguments about integration should not be a matter of political left and right. It is about how we bring about integration that matters.
Multiculturalism has been an unmitigated disaster for this country. It is not about kicking anyone out of the country, just making it clear that we are one people first and foremost and anything that follows, such as religious preference, has to fall within one set of rules and laws.
The left’s failure to acknowledge this issue has allowed the right to dominate the argument. However, it should not be solely a left/right issue. Integration requires compromise, but more than that it requires that our country operates for everyone under one law being treated equally, regardless of religious superstition, colour, creed, sex and all the rest.
