Whose cultures?
David Cameron declared multiculturalism a failure last week. But where does the idea come from?
— In the late 1960s the Canadian government set up a Royal Commission into ‘Bilingualism and Biculturalism’ to unite the English- and French-speaking parts of the country. It suggested a policy to champion other ethnic groups, too. Prime minister Pierre Trudeau welcomed this as ‘the most suitable means of assuring the cultural freedom of Canadians’.
— Canada set up a Multicultural Directorate in 1972, then a Ministry of Multiculturalism in 1973.
— One of the fundamental themes was that Canadians of all ethnic backgrounds should learn at least one of English or French.
Order in court
Lord Hoffman has called for Britain to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights. How bad is Britain’s record at the court?
Judgments Cases with at least in 2010 one rights violation
278 Turkey 228
217 Russia 204
98 Italy 61
42 France 28
29 Germany 6
21 UK 14
1 Norway 0
Source: ECHR
Admissible evidence
The government wants to force universities to admit more students from poor backgrounds.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in