Multiculturalism has failed, says Angela Merkel. Has it failed in Britain?

[mycounty]

"The Approach to build a multicultural society and live side by side has failed, utterly failed". Says Ms. Merkel. Has it failed in Britain? Particularly when we remember that all of the 7/7 bombers were British born? It appears the bombers had no allegiance to this country.
I think it has failed, just as it has in Germany.

Do you know what happened as a result of Phillips saying that multiculturalism wasn't working? Was policy changed, did things move towards a French integration model or have things stayed as they were or is there another model that they changed to?

My children all attended schools with a mix of hindus and muslims and all manner of other cultures

I had to comment as am just really shocked by some of the ignorant and quite racist comments in this thread . What is more sad is that you are presumably parents who will be passing these intolerant views on to your children. Shame on you

What views are parents who use private schools passing onto their children?

That children from poorer families aren't "good enough"....

Most parents want the best education they can get for their dc, that's completely normal imo.

complimentary, your opinion of Argyle primary bears no resemblance to my experience of it.

Have you ever been there? Are you a teacher? How do you know if the teacher struggles to get their point across? I'm not saying that EAL children do not come with issues, just that your perception of the reality does not seem to be grounded in fact.

You are also ignoring a huge factor affecting most children in London, particularly Camden- poverty.

Were we a truly successful multicultural country, we would not have 'pockets' of immigrant communities (usually within big cities), but a more homogenous multicultural society.

DP, I think private schools should be dissolved for precisely that reason. But, to be fair to the OP, that's another thread.

you lot know third-generation turkish immigrants were, until very rently, denied the vote in Germany? if you do shit like that, of course multiculturaluism isn't going to work

i think multiculturalism takes time.

i used to live in the midlands where there are lots of ethnic minority groups just getting on with it. the british there seemed much more used to it and rarely had issues with sharing their communities with immigranats - it was just a way of life.

now i live in plymouth (sigh) and people here think immigration is the END OF THE WORLD - i hypothesise that its because its a much newer issue/plymouth is isolated/deprived with lots of unemployment and so on and so on

DP/THE

not all private schools arelike that. mine taught me everyone was equal and to be tolerant and open minded. the real world was a nasty culture shock when i left school :-(

It's not what goes on in private schools which irks me sungirl- rather it's the concept of private education itself.

But that's another thread

sungirltan;

I think you may have missed my point...infact, I know you have.

I think the majority of British people are remarkably tolerant and accepting of other cultures and faiths. It's part of the British heritage - most white "British" people will have Roman or Saxon or Viking or Norman blood. The Germans don't have a similar history of invasion and subsequent amalgamation - maybe that drives the difference.

Well not similar but obverse ...:)

Was that stuff about selling your soul to Barclays meaning that you've gone private, DP?

But I don't know what the alternative is? We are a multicultural society. End of. We aren't all white, Christian, European etc etc. So unless we are all going to pretend to be those things what is the alternative?

No, not private, I have 4 dc so too expensive, although I would have, money permitting.

We moved to an area with very good schools.

Massive mortgage

DP - ohhh, i think you mean passing on the not good enough thing by default that they pay for eduacation rather than actually spouting it at their kids. that what you mean?

TEC. Totally disagree with you. This country has only 5 percent of people from ethnic minoritites, so how can it be multicultural. Even if you want it to be.

Who is TEC?

'Multi' simply means more than one- the opposite to mono(culturalism). Which, with 5% (or even 1%) of people from ethnic minorities, we are certainly not.

I'm guessing you're not a teacher.

Nothing wrong with private schools, visited two just recently. The children were delightful, and of course the school could set it's own curriculum, thus children were able to study history and take GCSE in it(got rid of by socialist teachers and labour govt, thousands couldn't sit it, not on curriculum)this school does offer a lot more than the state schools, and I'm glad I can afford to send my children there!

What are you on about, complimentary? You sound off your rocker. History got rid of by socialists?! ROFFLE.

No we haven't moved to the French model. Yet.

But then again europe is essentially provincial (when you go to paris you feel you are in france, if in Madrid you note it's very Spanish etc) London is a world city and that must, to a degree, influence other UK cities.

I'd rather stay like this ta. My son has no friends who look like him - doesn't make him or they any more or any less British. I'm pretty sure there are load of kids in his class with no english but they soon will have.

One poster stated that it's adults who have a issue and not the kids. Too true.

I'm sorry, I understood about 5% of that.

Could you please answer my questions I put to you upthread about Argyle instead of trying to derail the discussion please, complimentary?

The 5% was to complimentary. Obviously

Gosh this thread has been revelatory. First I discover that I'm a socialist, then I discover that socialists abolished history. Did I really do that?