Way to go, Tony!
He may be overthrown and that platform doomed, but it's good to see someone from a western culture with backbone!
Pardon the skepticism but what would be the chances of that happening here?
Yeah, right... Wish in one hand, p*** in the other...

I think it is important that the leader of one of our closest allies put this out there. Perhaps we might also hear from Australia.

To DaveD:

Actually, Blair is following suit after similar announcements from Australia!
They were even less PC about it!
Doubt if it'll happen here. Were too cickensh**!

The truth is "mutli-cultural" is just a pretty code word for segragation and racism.

Unfortunately this is being done in a way entirely typical of Tony Blair's 'New Labour'. Tony announces his new change of direction from one day to the next, but the entire apparatus of multicultural legislation, rules, codes of conduct, reporting by the police on their own and others' activities, etc are left in place.

In other words, it is left to ordinary people to figure out how to execute the change of direction, under the risk of being subsequently judged and handed penalties because they 'got it wrong' in some way, especially if Tony or his successor decides to execute another U-turn.

The leading characteristic of this form of government is a total abdication of responsibility by the political class in the UK.

It's a great scam from the politicians' point of view, actually. The consequences of a decade spent constructing the multicultural straitjacket in which the public in the UK are now expected to live can be evaded by making a single speech, without introducing or implementing a single measure likely to change anything.

As liberals are usually quick to back whatever those smarter, more refined and sophisticated europeans do, it will be interesting to see how this plays in America... especially since the right has staked out this ground already. Talk about a rock and a hard place for liberals: smack a cultered European for his xenophobic pronouncements or align themselves with conservatives here at home?

PG, you are right. My big mistake. And, yes, they HAVE been less PC about it.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step."

Although I understand some peoples despair over immigration, I believe that TB's statements signal the beginning of a realization that the open arms policies of many nations over the last 15 to 20 years are frought with problems.

Why hasn't Bush made similar statements? The Democrats wouldn't dare, would they.

I love PM Howard of Australia. There is a plain spoken guy who gets it.

"Why hasn't Bush made similar statements? "

Because the totality of Republican non-economic domestic policy revolves around saying whatever they have to to win elections. Saying that would alienate and destroy valuable new inroads made with the new arrivals, particulary the Latinos, that Republicans salivate over and feel they have an appeall with on "family values" issues.

Don't wait for Bush or anyone else. Stand up and refuse to play the game anymore.

We can't change things overnight. But we can refuse to go along with this cultural suicide.

Refuse to participate in anything "multicultural". Refuse to "celebrate diversity". Stand up for OUR culture and OUR way of life.

If enough people do this, then "diversity" day will get smaller and smaller everywhere...unless you work for government, of course!

Blair's comments are pure idiotic. If he's so concerned about immigrants, then try exercising some control over the flow of immigration to his country.

The writer of this blog post conveniently left off the last couple paragraphs of the news article linked:

"When it comes to our essential values, the belief in democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all, respect for this country and its shared heritage -- then that is where we come together, it is what gives us what we hold in common; it is what givesright to call ourselves British," said Mr Blair.

"At that point no distinctive culture or religion supercedes our duty to be part of an integrated United Kingdom."

I'm curious if the conservatives commenting on this story agree with Blair's views as expressed in those paragraphs.

Some of the chatter I've seen suggests that a lot of U.S. conservatives feel our country's roots in Christianity gives reason for the U.S. to maintain Christian traditions at the forefront (swearing on a bible instead of a Koran, for example) -- while Blair's statement seems to put the state above and higher than any one religion... despite the UK's Christian heritage.

I suspect there are many who would not agree with Blair, and that think the U.S. should not be fully integrated and devoid of any one predominant religion. True?

Lee,
Please I beg you, stop it with your "fact smacks".
The "truthiness" crowd here may not be able to handle it. Their world view is already crumbling all around them, there's no need to rub it in.

Lee:

You realy don't get it, do you?

The conservatives at this site would totally agree with the PM's statements. It isn't that they want to have a predominent religion, it's that we don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. We simply see no reason to throw away 200+ years of tradition, so that a small minority of people won't possibly be offended.

Being an American doesn't mean being homoginized into one race/religion/ethnic group, it means living by a certain set of principles, and having respect for not only other people, but for the traditions that have made this country great. When you are so convinced that you have all the answers, and that your forefathers got it all wrong, you are doomed to repeat most of the errors that they had to suffer through for your benefit. Tradition is there as a guide for how to do things. Tred carefully when you mess with tradition. The Italian, Germans, Pols and many other peoples managed to assimilate into this society without loosing their identity, but become Americans first.

Thanks to the right wing neocon propoganda smear and fear machine the hatred of others who are so different than the right wings own "sanitized" distorted version of cultural identity in the name of Jesus has mestatisized into a bitter vengeful antiseptic white imperialism.

The extremists in this affront to humanity come in all flavors and Americans have their own contigent of fundamentalist believers who use their religion as a cover for policies which have incited violence and retribution throughout the world.

Essentially this world is now full of hateful religionists of many guises in all countries who continue to play to peoples fears and cause even more violence and retribution.

Peace will only be attainable when religious ideology is not used as the raison d'etre for cultural assimilation not matter the country of origin.

Can anyone name a time when the world was not full of hateful religions in mortal combat?

Can anyone name a time that religion was a reason for cultural assimilation in the country?

Can anyone make sense of the paradoxical and contradictory delusions of a lunatic shrouded in civil behavior?

I skip civil behavior's posts due to their insipid nature.

I only read Lee's because they provide good entertainment. Usually he either misconstrues the argument, misreads it, or flat out says something so inane, that no one really can understand how he came to think in his own "special way."

On this thread, I refer you to USMC Pilot for all you need to know regarding the subject here. Well put.

As far as Mr Blair's statement, its talking about closing the barn door long after the horses have galloped away.

Just incase you have forgotten "pucker puss" (lee lee) & "dead@10" belong to the "club".

Lee, I would guess that if we elected a President not of the Christian faith, he/she would have the option of swearing the oath of office before his/her God on a copy of the appropriate sacred text. I think the Bible is used because all Presidents have been Christian. This is jjust an assumption on my part.

God forbid we assimilate and understand other cultures.

Let's bomb them to kingdom come instead.

Less insipid for you Mitchell?

Foolish Americans like yourself just don't get the complexity of it.

They get it CB, they just lie about getting it for the benefit of their political party -- just like the GOP leaders in Washington lie to get re-elected.

America is sick of lying slimeballs - 11/7/06 proved it, as will the next election.

DaveD, - I'm glad to hear you say that elected officials should be able to choose the scared text on which they swear their oath. Many on the Chrisitan right disagree with you.

Keith Ellison hasn't even started his new job, and he's already under fire. When America's first Muslim congressman, a Democrat from Minnesota, let it be known he will carry a Koran to his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 4, conservative pundit Dennis Prager called it "an act of hubris ... that undermines American civilization."

In a web column, the talk-show host said, "Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."

"Undermines American civilization", wow -- what an amazing piece of right-wing bullshit. No wonder the Christianistas are so vocal these days... they are all a twitter over the fact that their hypocrisy is forcing people to disassociate themselves from their religious symbols.

Instead of furthering their religion's outreach, the Christianistas are causing the removal of religious symbols from public view. More and more people are choosing to not be associated with their symbols anymore.

"If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress.""

So if you aren't going to swear an oath on the Christian text then you shouldn't hold public office? Sign that guy up as a writer for Wizbang, please!

Yet no such statement from Bush. Reason, both Democrats and Republicans like the status quo. Immigrants can be exploited. Illegals will work for less than minimum wage, they cannot sue, and require no benefits. While illegals are busy picking your spinach, tomatoes, and onions, people are getting sick. All in the name of rock bottom Wal Mart style production costs. What ever happened to standards? Immigration is not a Liberal plot, misinformed blog readers. The blame lies with Corporate America and both parties in the US government. In a time of increased national security, why do they do NOTHING about the immigration and border PROBLEM?