British State Multiculturalism has Failed, says David of Clan Cameron

David Cameron's latest swipe at multiculturalism is to be welcomed, just as long as it is a swipe at state, doctrinal, multiculturalism and not an attack on freedom and individualism. However, it does raise some interesting questions. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, as its name suggests, an intrinsically multi-national and multi-cultural state, and so far David Cameron has failed to understand this, as Andy Mycock points out:

Though Cameron claims the Conservatives are not about to enter a ‘my flag is bigger than yours’ contest, he follows a long tradition of party leaders who believe they are the natural patriotic party of the Union. However, it is clear that he is hindered by an enduring Anglo-Britishness which fails to acknowledge the complexity of debates across the UK concerning identity and citizenship. While Cameron derides Brown, it is striking how similar their constructions of Britishness are. Cameron draws on a narrative that is almost identical in its emphasis on British values, institutions and history.

David Cameron believes that one of the criteria upon which we should judge the liberalism of an organisation is "Do they believe in democracy and the right of people to elect their own government?". But don't expect Cameron and the the British government to look at themselves and extend the principle of self-government to the people of England, because Cameron is only interested in strengthening British identity. If you happen to live in the self-governing parts of Britain (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) there's little need to listen to, or care about, what Cameron has to say on the subject of British identity, you probably won't be affected by it.