In the UK (probably the same in the US and other western countries) we are trying hard to fix problems that should have never been allowed to occur.
It is so sad really. Thousands lost their lives during two World Wars to protect the freedoms we so loosely take for granted these days. I read this morning of a 6 year old arrested in Myanmar as part of a group arrested for assassinating a member of the military junta there. So, there’s perspective for you. We still have things really good in the UK and it is the reason that so many are opposed to any measure that removes our humanity, even if our perceived lack of toughness is now being exploited by some.
It is very easy to go around yelling slogans: “take our country back” or “make America great again”. But what exactly do those slogans mean???
This week a Member of our Parliament in the UK raised the question of banning the Burka, which is the muslim outfit that some women choose to wear. All sides piled in as expected. References were made to European countries who supposedly banned the burka. Nobody asked if such bans have improved the situation in those countries?
We all know that what should have been done 70, 80 years ago, is that the UK (and other European governments) government should have been very clear that anyone who comes to the UK and everyone in the UK must equally observe and integrate into the British way of life and our circular society. But it must have been difficult to implement as the very freedoms we seek to protect, become useless, if we dictate what people can wear or end freedom of religion by asking people coming to the UK to abandon their religion when they come here. There may have been a way to, as a minimum, ask that people coming to the UK must be prepared to accept the British way of life or seek other countries to move to. It is of course, a very tricky balance to strike. It is easy to try to blame the government of yester years, but the reality is that it has always been, and will always be, very difficult to avoid losing our freedom in an effort to protect our freedom!
It really should have been a globally agreed principle, that each country retain its identity and culture. And everyone coming in, be it to visit or live, need to accept and respect that or stay where they are or only go to places they find conducive. It is possibly the simplest arrangement. BUT the reality today, is that it is not what obtains and as such, instead of fighting each other with LEFT or RIGHT ideology, we should try to see what can be done.
Years back, people thought the way to experience other cultures is to let people come in, be themselves, live freely and do what they did wherever they came from, and we all live happily ever after. Unfortunately, that approach hasn’t worked, and people are reluctant to talk about it, for fear of being called racists. The ones who choose to talk about it, do so in really nasty ways and just to cause culture wars and exploit the problem for their own personal gain (to make money or to gain votes). As of today, NOBODY, be it left or right, is prepared to sit down and sensibly discuss this matter, in a selfless manner that simply and solely seek the best for the country. There is no easy way, today, to forcefully wind the clock back and say: you shall not wear this or you cannot do that. Both sides (left & right) know this. Is it sustainable to have 40,000 people each year, rowing dinghies across the English Channel and getting into the UK? We don’t have the infrastructure (schools, hospitals, housing etc.) to cope with that, but more importantly, there is an impact on the local population, which is leading to an extreme rise in intolerance that’s no good for anyone. But on the flip side, the slogans and nastiness isn’t going to solve the problem either. Banning burkas isn’t going to do anything to help the situation either!
First, we need to secure our border! People should be able to come here to seek refuge, seek asylum, but not via lawlessly rowing across the English Channel, putting their own life in danger. That must be stopped somehow (I don’t have the answer). I have previously suggested that all cost expended by the government on migrants could be tabled as a long-term loan, which the ones who are vetted and allowed to stay, repay over time. But that proposal has its flaws, as it could lead to other forms of exploitation and hardship. But a solution must be found either way. Then we need to see how we assert our minimum requirement for people in the UK. Everyone. We still want to be British I think. So, the assumption is that people who move here, like what we are? I don’t believe it should be controversial if we find ways to implement that. People shouldn’t come here to be a detriment to our society. They shouldn’t come be here because they like what’s here and want to be a part of that. Nobody is saying people have to move here and only eat fish & chips and ditch the food they eat where they’re from. What I am saying is that if someone moves to the UK and what that person eats where they’re from, is an animal that cannot be eaten in the UK for instance, we should not look the other way or accept that. They can either stay where they are, find a different country that also allow the consumption of that animal or come to the UK and accept they won’t be eating that particular animal here.
Unfortunately, we have turned the debate into one side not interested in discussing it at all, and the other side wanting to call people names, be nasty to them and remove them, even if as it were, it’s just not doable (because we are not savages!).
There’s no middle ground, which is where solutions are. As such, we will just continue with the divisiveness! We will continue to tear each other apart. Label each other ‘left’ and ‘right’. Empathy’s in the gutter. Those exploiting us all (i.e. the people smugglers and people seeking to create culture wars for their own personal gain) will continue to do so.
Hopeless situation really!
Knowledge can improve the world we live in 