Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

ONE CULTURE

Shoot me down in flames, but I do not believe in a multi-cultural Britain. Our country should have one culture: ever changing of course, enhanced and strengthened by new communities settling here as it always has been, naturally, allowing people to pursue their chosen religion, yes; but one dominant British culture for all of us irrespective of race, creed or wealth.

In saying this I have not suddenly signed up for the BNP, whose narrow minded bigotry I detest, but I am speaking up for common sense and setting out the only way we can survive as issues of ethnicity and religion threaten to overwhelm us.
We have over done the bending over backwards to accommodate diversity thing. It is time to recognise that social cohesion requires us to have in place nationally certain key values and traditions: not least language, law and love of country, to prevent us falling apart at the seams. If people want to live here – whatever their colour or religion – they should learn the lingo and make a good fist of embracing the British way of life (which is in itself hugely diverse and constantly evolving.) If not, please go and live somewhere else. This approach should form part of government policy in every department especially the Home Office. A uni-culture approach should be constantly reiterated and any government official who thinks differently can go and hand out bibles on street corners in Jeddah for a few years to “explore diversity issues more fully”.

Like the government adviser who spoke this week of certain towns being “unhealthily white”. As someone who represents an area where currently only 0.01% of the population is from an ethnic minority background these comments made my blood boil. Is it now our task to make sure there is an even spread of ethnicity in every community? Has the world gone mad? We are what we are down here and how dare anyone suggest that it is in some way unhealthy? Most people I know are very inclusive of diversity, make those from other backgrounds in our midst very welcome, but please don’t tell us we are racist or wrong because more people from Bangladesh don’t live here!

The danger is that if mainstream politicians don’t take a more common sense approach to this issue, then public frustration will simply grow and support will flow to the nasty fringes whose polices of hate will only bring long-term conflict

posted by Nigel on Saturday, April 29, 2006