Arts & Ammo

The Pot Is Melting

Enoch Powell has once again become the subject of debate in Britain. Powell is best known for his April 20, 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech in which he warned of cultural unrest that would result from the immigration policies of the U.K. That speech earned him the label of racist, cost him his seat in Parliament, and failed to reverse the tide of immigration. Forty years later, Powell is all over the news.

In his 1968 speech, Powell made dire warnings about what would happen in parts of Britain if mass immigration was allowed to continue.

He painted a picture of disaster for the nation, including a reference to the Roman poet Virgil, warning “like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood”.

The comment was taken as a warning of escalating crime and violence on the streets, and Powell’s observation that Britons were becoming strangers in their own country sparked protest marches to Westminster by workers, declaring Powell’s views were right.

The event making Powell once again newsworthy is a recent poll by the BBC, released on the anniversary of Powell’s speech, that shows growing resentment of immigration and fear of violence. According to Reuters:

Almost two out of three Britons fear race tensions could spill over into violence and half the population want immigrants to be encouraged to leave, a poll showed on Friday. . . . Of the 1,000 people sounded out by Mori pollsters for the BBC, 60 percent said Britain had too many immigrants.

Tony Blankley comments today and on this poll and the rising Euro-Muslim tensions.

In a similar poll taken for the Davos World Economic Forum, stunning numbers of Europeans fear a “threat” from Muslims with whom they “interact”: 79 percent of Danes, 67 percent of Italians, 68 percent of Spaniards, 65 percent of Swedes and 59 percent of Belgians.

* * *

These disturbing polls from BBC and Davos should constitute another undeniable warning to the gutless, defeatist European leaders. Take action to protect your people and their cherished Western values, or the people will take matters into their own hands. And for us in America, impending European unrest should be seen as a cautionary tale.

The fact that Britons are voicing these concerns more openly may be a harbinger of worse things to come or may provide the impetus to begin addressing the issue more intelligently. The current fashion of pretending that immigration has no consequences and dismissing opponents as racists is not a good strategy.

A more intelligent approach would start with the acknowledgment that Western values matter and should be preserved. They are the pot, which must retain its form. If the pot itself melts along with its contents, there will indeed be chaos. Once that preliminary matter is settled, a more reasoned debate can take place over how much the pot will hold and how much heat it can withstand.

The ultimate goal should be to welcome as many people as possible, of whatever origin, to the enormous benefits that flow from a culture that prizes individual rights, liberty, and the rule of reason. It is not merely a question of immigration; it requires us to regain the moral confidence to export those cultural assets once again.

April 23rd, 2008 Posted by Fitzroy | Politics | no comments