The early days of fascism

Speaking of David Cameron, did you hear his speech about the failure of English multiculturalism and the need for a stronger national identity? The BBC has the details.

That’s a really alarming thing for a national leader to say in this day and age – and I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to start a fight with my leftist English wife. It was only a couple of days ago that we noted the distinction between full-blown fascism and its warning signs, and in light of that post, I want to make it clear that Cameron’s statement does not in itself constitute fascism in the UK.

But it’s definitely a warning sign – and in a country that actually grants a party like the genuinely fascist BNP a place in its popular discourse, it’s a warning sign worth watching.

Look, we can talk about the threat of authoritarian systems all we like – and in doing so we’re bound to get away from the matter at hand. We can and should acknowledge that movements like the Tea Party and the Christian right have proven that the fascism of today has abandoned the flavour of Mussolini and Hitler in favour of the feel of democracy, but that’ll only get us bogged down in the same old semantics.

Instead, let me make a brief and possibly smug point about multiculturalism. Cameron’s not the first world leader to say that it’s failed in his country, and nor was Angela Merkel when she said the same thing about Germany back in October. But as I said back then, I happen to think I live in a country that proves that multiculturalism can not only work, but can also prevail as a model for national identity.

In fact, as the technological and psychological borders between nations keep on eroding, the whole “we don’t care where you’re from as long as you’re invested in where you are now” thing that Canada calls its own may well become the key to success for nation states all over the world.

Now, that’s admittedly a bit of a broad response to Cameron’s statement. So let’s just say for the moment that if anyone out there tells you that multiculturalism has failed, or doesn’t work, or whatever, then the last thing you ought to do is pin the blame on multiculturalism as an idea – and the first thing you ought to do is ask why the person and/or government in question is so eager to do so.

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