December 30, 2008
Dutch left rethinking multiculturalism?
How long have we been told by the left that we should adopt the European ideas of tolerance and multiculturalism? It seems the left in Holland, after the deaths of Pimm Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh, are rethinking the left's views. From the International Herald Tribune, here is the view of Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch Labor Party's chairperson:
'Government and politicians had too long failed to acknowledge the feelings of "loss and estrangement" felt by Dutch society facing parallel communities that disregard its language, laws and customs.Newcomers, according to Ploumen, must avoid "self-designated victimization."She asserted, "the grip of the homeland has to disappear" for these immigrants who, news reports indicate, also retain their original nationality at a rate of about 80 percent once becoming Dutch citizens.Instead of reflexively offering tolerance with the expectation that things would work out in the long run, she said, the government strategy should be "bringing our values into confrontation with people who think otherwise."
There was more: punishment for trouble-making young people has to become so effective such that when they emerge from jail they are not automatically big shots, Ploumen said.'
Jack Kemp is not the politician of the same name.