Piers Akerman's can never be called a 'fair view'. He's a shock jock who's entire modus operandi is to sling mud at Labor and the Left. Which is fine, it's his prerogative, but let's look at some of the things he says in that article:http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/julia- ... 6007814780
A fair view here. What I fear are the inevitable witchhunts that will follow in the implementation of new policy.
Talk about a witchhunt. What exactly will I have to 'pay' to ensure that migrants can do whatever they please in this country??It is Labor... who want Australians to pay migrants to maintain their customs and traditions when they come to this nation.
If that's the case, why is the country still debating? It's an issue that has no easy resolution and it's certainly not helpful to suggest that one side has blown the other out of the water with cool-headed, rational arguments.Labor comprehensively has lost the debate on border protection and multiculturalism.
This last paragraph is ridiculously simplistic - I have no doubts that just like every previous wave of immigration to Australia the newly-arrived African and Muslim migrants will eventually integrate as productive citizens of this country. Various European and Asian groups have done in the past - while you'll see plenty of old European migrants who can't speak English, etc, their children and grandchildren are undoubtedly 'Australian'.Labor has not only noisily revisited the dismal and divisive multicultural policy, it has resuscitated the moribund multicultural council and promised to establish a national anti-racism strategy.
It doing so, it is sending the signal that the ALP believes Australians are racist and newcomers need government protection.
That we are the problem, not those who refuse to learn English and render themselves unemployable, those who cling to tribal culture, those who reject Western culture and values.
His whole argument is based around the fact that governments in Europe are rethinking their strategies around multiculturalism - and therefore Australia should step in line (rather than 'swim against the tide') and turn to the Right. There's a lot of emotive language around the issue but if you actually look at what Chris Bowen said, he's hardly proposing a social overhaul:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nationa ... 6007226044The minister said the debates in Britain and Germany were "of limited value" for Australia, which respected different cultures, but afforded ultimate primacy to Australian values.
"If there is any inconsistency between these cultural values and the values of individual freedom and the rule of law, then these traditional Australian values win out," Mr Bowen told an audience at conservative think tank The Sydney Institute last night.
He said Australian multiculturalism had as its premise the idea of full citizenship.
"We are not a guest-worker society," he said. "Rather, people who share respect for our democratic beliefs, laws and rights are welcome to join us as full partners with equal rights."
That strikes me as pretty fair, to be honest
