| Well this is one of the problems with immigration in Europe these days, i.e. the 'multiculturalization' of once fairly homogeneous societies. Some of the groups moving to European countries (not all of these groups Muslim, but well...) are considerably less tolerant and liberal-minded than the societies into which they're moving, which automatically spells trouble one way or another. And there's always a small, misguided segment of the indigenous population who say stuff like "Well, maybe we should allow them to perform female circumcision because it's part of their culture", etc.
No. Immigration is inevitable for various reasons (in the case of the Brits their own imperialist past) but not at any price. If immigrants come, they have to embrace the liberal values of the societies to which they move. Otherwise forget it.
Meantime, Blair does seem to have gone out of his way to kiss Bush's ass and thus alienated a huge segment of the already-present (indeed British-born) Muslim population. So now them chickens is a-comin home to roost.
"I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything."
-- Viscount Melbourne |