Slowly but surely its wake up time
I should update on the Free Expression meeting on Saturday. Gathered in a room, an old library in fact, under the watchful gaze of Voltaire no less..central London. Hatched a sort of plan about taking the free speech issues from the rally a month ago to 'the next level'. It seems like a very serious group, a very mixed group aswell. Its not often i find myself surrounded by socialists with the odd right winger. But lets face it the left are the agitators, the real do-ers.
Diverse mix of very useful skills for the cause with some excellent big ideas to take us forward.
We discussed what we view as our notion of free speech - are there any boundaries? Only incitement to violence imho. What our possible next steps would be. Very exciting i think.
And then i signed up to what sounds like a lot of hard work with the potential to really drive the message home. I even kind of, sort of, understood Peters position on the cartoons at the rally. (Im still glad people turned up with the cartoons though). He can see how wily the 'opposition' are, watching our every move. Its going to take some very smart strategy and posturing and he wanted this to get off the ground. Well it has.
More to follow on this as and when it develops.
I also enjoyed reading the Euston Manifesto over at Harrys Blog. Been circulating for a while now. Again the left are seeking action, doing something positive - and moving away from the poisonous elements in their ranks. This manifesto structured in Euston (North London) is a left wing charter aimed at fighting off anti americanism, seeing itself as pro interventionism with the aim of freedom for people where they are oppressed and the right to the values we all hold dear, they are pro the Iraq war (and have encountered fierce criticism as a result). I dont agree with all of it but id be much more inclined to listen to them than others on the left. I felt the same way about the meeting Saturday.
All together this all feels positive and encouraging. Moving in the right direction, pushed by a number of elements, including the blogosphere ;)
When will the Tories start to wake up. Chasing huskies and the green vote is either really really subtle and strategic or daft. Telling people, as Cameron has, to vote for any party but the BNP is plain ignorant and out of touch. No mention of 'Respect' when he was talking about parties you shouldnt vote for. Fascists are fascists Dave. And to totally misunderstand why people are moving in this extreme direction is baffling.
Multi culturalism, truly one of the biggest social policy failures ever.
Interesting times ahead.
posted by Alison @ 7:39 pm
11 Comments:
I've been looking at the Euston manifesto myself, it has many fine points but where it falls down for me is it doesn't seem very practical to me in some places. I won't go into it as I'll be rambling for hours but idealistic, simplistic ideals are all well and good but like many good intentions they pave the way to hell. Being an economist myself I think their social/financial proposals are economically naive and frankly their support for the Iraq war demonstrates poor political/military strategic understanding, as we will be learning over the next few months as Iran [inevitably] flexes its muscles. Still I'm glad to see someone making a stand on what they believe in this substance-less political era.
I agree with you on their socio economic proposals. What they seem to be trying to do is break away from the poisonous left who have had way too much influence. So even though it is only a set of ideals its an excellent move. I dont think it was poor understanding on Iraq necessarily - i think they are saying that 'whatever' re the complex causes of intervention a people still need delivering from the hands of murderous dictators in favour of democracy so they support the action.
Multi-culturalism allows people of different faiths and cultures to settle without integrating at all.
People pour into ghettos and through lazy policies are allowed to live exclusively from society to such a degree they view others as outsiders (in some cases 'filth' and 'decadent') and see their religion as above the Rule of Law.
It also takes as its supreme PC motto that all cultures are equal. They arent at all and to think so is so utterly naive its laughable. I dont view myself as equal to a culture that believes in stoning women for adultery, forced marriages & hanging gays.
For example that young women are happily adopting a way of life that subjugates them and restricts their freedoms shows that they have no understanding or respect for the society into which they were born where women are equal to men. That we permit women to go backwards so easily and readily is an inditement of those same policies. Did we not just leave that party?
The powers that be are given to encouraging distinctive identities rather than promoting Britishness. They arent interested in promoting a set of shared common values which incorporate equality, the Rule of Law, a shared vision of how we as a society progress and how we contribute to it.
In its relation to free speech - we are slowly allowing the erosion of a fundamental value - to protect the sensibilities of a religion. Having spent the best part of a few centuries unshackling ourselves from this. If we have no basis on which to challenge that religion through free speech then we cannot hope to ever pursuade women who accept the veil of the nonsense of what they are doing. If i were to do so I would be racist. Its all wrapped up in the same poisonous policy of multi culturalism. An outdated lazy policy (designed for vote chasing) that has failed us all very badly.
Multiculturalism is the stupidest idea EVER!
Instead of creating an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding, it breeds division instead.
And people are going to DIE because of it.
What's sad is that government educators in the US have embraced it with a passion.
And our schools no longer act as the acculturating agents for the waves of immigration we are currently experiencing.
One study showed that young Mexican immigrants were LESS likely to identify themselves with their new country the longer they were in school.
Doesn't that sound like a problem for our future?
One does not have to 'like' another but one MUST follow a set of rules as far as what acceptable behavior is. Rape is unacceptable and is prosecuted. Abuse of women is unacceptable and is prosecuted. Attempting to murder another is prosecuted. In all instances in the US one's right to defend oneself is recognized.
I'm curious to know if Jacqi believes that if we all just 'like' one another enough all the bad things will stop happening?
But those bad things in our culture we challenge Jacqui.
Dont you think those bad things ive selected are acutely worrying?
Also regards your example, such failures of our own cultures are constantly challenged as they already concern us.
To challenge the issues i have highlighted is deemed racism.
The key point i was making is that some immigrant groups freely take advantage of the prosperity and technology of globalised economies and liberal democracies and then utterly reject the cultures that embody these. Its not simply a case that they find aspects of our society to their distaste. People are moving into self segregating ‘communities’(ghettos) with people like themselves and building visible barriers to keep 'strangers' (anyone else) and surroundings out by choice.
Certain cultures are taking advantage of modernity, affluence and ‘freedoms’ to PRACTISE do it yourself tribalism. A sort of mini world within a world ~ with all its factuous elements, deep rooted racism, brutal chauvinism and all the things we need to move away from please. This in itself has an adverse affect on the indigenous population.
Re your last sentence I feel multi culturalism has a lot to answer for in that respect.
You'll never manage to simply make complex human problems away. You need to diminish fear and mistrust in humans to lessen the divide not increase them. Its a huge complex task and its being poorly managed by this failed ghetto policy. It has clearly and demonstrably made problems much more acute.
repetitious at the top but blogger comments are all over the place today: that should read with the question first.
Hi
Bloggers all screwed today i think. I lost my original comment.
The multi culti policies nurture the ghettos. And in turn nurture the prejudice. The policies dont even attempt to integrate people or break down prejudices. They go to great lengths to KEEP the ghetto mentality and say well its okay, you live how you want and we'll live how we want and we can be totally seperate. Those communities then take advantage and cut themselves off completely. The mistrust then grows.
And the issue is that we are criticized/censored for speaking out. I find it amazing that a group like the Muslim Action Committee can move to shut down free speech for example.
"What if the "different groups" of people have a perfectly valid reason for disliking each other? (i.e. one group thinks the other group is inferior to them by their culture and treats the other group like shit, etc., one group throws garbage on women who don't wear burqas, etc., one group thinks it's entitled to live on welfare for the rest of their lives and the other group doesn't want to pay the taxes to support them -- all of which we know is happening in our multicultural paradises all the time.)"
So true. There is no equality and that has created ALL the anger. Plus weve spent the best part of a long time doing down our own culture. Of course if we voice any concerns we are shouted down as racists. Absurd.
I also agree with you about monocultures. Eek! May i be outcast, drowned and then hung!!
One final point. These are not deprived people. Growing up in Britain they are enormously wealthy by the standards of their grandparents, privileged with the values of this GREAT civilisation. They have been cosseted by a thumb twiddling leftist society afraid to criticise their attitudes and behaviour, even their most reactionary, BARBARIC views on women. Yet despite all this pandering, they attack the very country they are so lucky to live in. Im fed up with it. Its a fiasco by realist standards and im a realist. Its probably TOO LATE for us to repair the damage. I get a slightly sick feeling thinking how many people died in WW2 for such values so a bunch of air headed bitter lefties could so quickly chuck it down the toilet.
Ill reply to you later on tonight Jacqui unless anyone else would like to of course! Im off for a curry :) and then on to see Mission Impossible III multi media
You and Jo seem to have quite a different take on politics btw. Would i be correct in saying you are slightly more to the right?!
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