Date: 2024-05-13 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00016622
UK Quality of Life
Impact of multiculturalism
Has multiculturalism failed in the UK?
Peter Burgess
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Date: 2024-05-13 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00016622 | |||||||||
UK Quality of Life | |||||||||
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Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | |||||||||
| Has multiculturalism failed in the UK? http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-12371994 Chris Hall Chris Hall, lives in The United Kingdom Updated Apr 1 · Upvoted by Tony Jackson, lives in The United Kingdom (1981-present) and Mike Walker, lives in The United Kingdom (1963-present) I can only speak personally as a white male in his 60s who was born, grew up and worked in inner city Birmingham. I am not old enough to remember the white Peaky Blinder and other gangs that operated where I was born in Small Heath. Fortunately they had gone by the time I was born. It is much more peaceful now than it must have been at the beginning of the 20th century when such gangs had power. However, I have witnessed Birmingham changing from being largely white (with a fairly large proportion of immigrants from Ireland) in the 50s and 60s to being more multicultural now with families from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Poland, Bosnia, Somalia, the Yemen, for example, also living in the city. Speaking personally, but I know that I also speak for many friends and colleagues, my life has been enormously enriched by this change. Indeed, it has been a privilege to work with and try to do what I could to help and support students in multicultural schools and colleges. One could not have wished to teach and work with more wonderful people. Yes, there are times when a tiny minority of Muslims want to do things that go against British values. And it is always important, and will always be important, to be totally uncompromising in our defence of British values. But I have always found that the overwhelming majority of Muslims totally support those values. It is absolutely essential that we don’t assume that what a small minority do is representative of the majority (even though certain tabloid papers and extreme right wing groups would wish us to do so). I remember a few years ago when a guest on Fox News in the USA claimed that Birmingham was a no go area for whites. Fortunately, he was totally ridiculed and, to his credit, apologised admitting that he had been “taken in” by what we would now call fake news. So, has multiculturalism failed in the UK? No – not from my own experience. Indeed, it has been a success. And long may our British values of peace and respect live on. 36k views · View Upvoters · View Sharers Peter Burgess Recommended All Alex Denethorn Alex Denethorn Apr 23 · 16 upvotes I shall raise a cup of tea to your health! It’s a good answer, Chris. Chris Hall Chris Hall Original Author · Apr 23 · 4 upvotes including Alex Denethorn Cheers! Chris Hall Chris Hall Original Author · Apr 23 · 2 upvotes Cheers! Peter Murphy Peter Murphy Apr 1 · 34 upvotes including Chris Hall In my local Tesco the other day with a family in front of us, clearly Asian with Granny in full Asian dress two 7 to 10 year old children in western dress and the Dad clearly Asian but in western dress. The kids where being fractious as kids are in shops and were being told off roundly by Dad and Granny. Dad in English and Granny in whatever her home tongue was . The kids where arguing back in English and in Granny's mother tongue. It was quite spectacular to watch the kids switching between languages without even thinking about it. | |||||||||