Multiculturalism has failed in Britain -Cameron

LONDON,  (Reuters) – State multiculturalism has failed  and left young Muslims vulnerable to radicalisation, British  Prime Minister David Cameron will say today, arguing for a  more active policy to heal divisions and promote Western values.

Cameron, in a speech to a security conference in Munich,  will argue that Britain and other European nations need to “wake  up to what is happening in our countries” as well as tackling  terrorism through military operations overseas.

“It is time to turn the page on the failed policies of the  past,” he will say, according to extracts from his speech  released by his office.

“So first, instead of ignoring this extremist ideology, we  — as governments and societies — have got to confront it, in  all its forms.”

His comments echo those made by German leader Angela Merkel  last year and reflect a push by European governments to better  integrate immigrants, given persistent domestic tensions between  different cultures.

Conservative leader Cameron will also deny that cuts to  defence spending as part of efforts to tackle a record budget  deficit mean that Britain was retreating from an “activist”  global role.

“That is the complete reversal of the truth,” he will say.  “Yes, we are dealing with the deficit, but we are also making  sure our defences are strong.”

Aides say his comments on multiculturalism and  radicalisation give a direction of travel for future policy, and  it remains unclear how the Conservative-Liberal Democrat  coalition intend to turn his vision into a reality.

Critis point out that Western foreign policy in the Middle  East and beyond, not just a clash of cultures at home, has  played a big part in stirring up anti-Western sentiment.

“Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism, we have  encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from  each other and the mainstream,” Cameron will say.

“We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they  feel they want to belong … All this leaves some young Muslims  feeling rootless.”

Some members of Cameron’s centre-right Conservative party,  activists in right-wing movements and some voters believe that  Britain has become a safe haven for people with anti-Western  political views.

Others argue this tolerant approach is the lifeblood of any  open and thriving democracy, fearing a crackdown on civil  liberties would undermine the kind of society the government was  seeking to establish.

Cameron said it was time to replace Britain’s “passive  tolerance” with an “active, muscular liberalism” to send a  message that life in Britain revolves around certain key values  such as freedom of speech, equal rights and the rule of law.

“A passively tolerant society … stands neutral between  different values,” he will say. “A genuinely liberal country  does much more. It believes in certain values and actively  promotes them.”