Posted on 02/17/2011 8:53:15 PM PST by JLS
At the New York Conservative Party conference in Albany the other week, I was asked about the party's role in state politics. I replied that in a multiparty system it's very important to have some sort of force to the right of the right-of-center party - to arrest the tendency of the "mainstream" right to drift across the spectrum and wind up taking the rest of us to the same destination as the lefties want to go but at a slightly slower speed.
A useful illustration of that role can be seen in Europe's current debate. Asked on TV about David Cameron's recent attack on "multiculturalism", I said flippantly that it was heartening to hear the Prime Minister sounding like a six-year-old Steyn column. Of course, he didn't go quite that far. But, because I and Melanie Phillips and Henryk Broder and Thilo Sarrazin and Geert Wilders and a relatively small number of "extremists" did go so far, it's become possible for a lot of folks in the mushy middle to meet us halfway. Hence, the bizarre new phenomenon of European heads of governments stampeding to denounce multiculturalism: If it's Tuesday, it must be Angela Merkel. That multiculturalism is a failure is the new conventional wisdom, the centrist position.
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
Mark Steyn ping.
Freepmail me if you want on or off the Mark Steyn ping list.
Also Steyn has a follow up:
http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/3735/26
“ADVENTURES IN MULTICULTURALISM
Steyn on Canada and the Commonwealth
Further to yesterday’s musings on multiculturalism, Barbara Kay takes up the theme. Mrs Kay is one of the smarter writers at the post-Conrad National Post, but, as Kathy Shaidle says, “seriously?” The subject is federal funding for a shelter for women fleeing “honour-motivated abuse” by second- and third-generation members of certain immigrant communities. “Honour” violence is a rich, vibrant “cultural tradition”, but not one of the ones that looks quite so good at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. This is a good example of what David Cameron means when he says we need to work harder at integrating immigrants: more government spending for desultory and politically squeamish attempts to reverse deeply entrenched pathologies. Nevertheless, in the course of praising it, Barbara Kay writes:”
Hit the link for the rest.
And the transcript of Mark Steyn on Hugh Hewitt:
http://www.hughhewitt.com/transcripts.aspx?id=caf7a8ff-423c-4869-a4b9-9b04c5faf58b
Finally you can listen to Mark Steyn on this weeks Ricochet podcast:
http://ricochet.com/ricochet-podcast
Episode 57 How about a Sweater
Well I am married too so you have to wait your turn until my wife is done. Seriously, I am glad it gave you a chuckle.
Another great Steyn article PING!
You know what would fix Europe? They should put Jeremy Clarkson in the EU Presidential chair. :p
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