zzzzzzzzzzzzz... oh sorry, were you saying something Frank?

It's strange how the advocates of MC go on endlessly about how immaterial MC is while failing to answer to the numerous ethnic and cultural councils dotting the Australian political landscape and the existence of a federation of Australian ethnic communities councils who's main page states it's function as being, "The Federation monitors a wide range of issues including: social welfare; employment; language policy and immigration. In undertaking this work, FECCA monitors a wide range of issues including:

* Government and Opposition policy positions
* Access and equity issues
* The media
* cultural institutions;
* community harmony;
* social welfare and justice;
* health services;
* immigration, refugee issues and citizenship;
* racism, and
* youth and women’s issues.

The government has agencies managing and monitoring these. Any observer can plainly see such ethnic and cultural councils as another layer of government and not a benign ethnic wardrobe and dance affiliation. If, as some like to suggest, that there is no 'real' working essence to MC. Then why the duplication of effort on behalf of ethnicity and culture? MC is government policy! Why the need for ethnic and cultural watchdogs if they have no 'real' teeth? And who's actually dumb enough to believe they exist absent of influence in government policy and direction

FrankGol

I don’t think you are right when you say that most of the anti-multiculturalists really are anti-immigration. No doubt there are plenty who are. But tarring us all with the same brush is a cheap tactic. No doubt there are just as many people who support MC because they like Chinese food or because they want a larger population for their products.

Only the minority are racists. The large and mostly silent majority are not impressed by the failure of MC to live up to its promises.

You make my point very well. I totally agree that people of any race, religion or ethnic background should have the opportunity to migrate to Australia. Individuals do make their own negotiations. My only proviso would be that they want to become Aussies. What I mean by that is that they want to become an integral part of our community and respect the values of secularism, liberal democracy, rule of law, equality, in fact all the basics of living in a western democracy. This would entail a willingness to learn our culture and language.

Australians who are anti MC are generally most upset that we have guests in our country who, at best, look down on our culture and traditions and have no intention of integrating with us. They have come to our country because MC permits them, in fact encourages them, to live their lives as if they never left home.

I agree we need to be tolerant and accepting of others cultures. But this does not mean we should value all cultures as equally appropriate for living in THIS country. MC hasn’t created a better Australia by removing the divisions along cultural divides. By merely extending the idea of what it is to be Australian to cover ANYBODY, which is what multiculturalism did you have just legitimized this divide.

Migrants should be Australian first, and then recognise their background later. Ie an Australian with Greek heritage rather than a Greek Australian. I don’t think that is too much to ask, and has the added bonus of bringing us closer together.

Tribal instincts seem to be a common human genetic trait.
People seem to cling to the past, but change is certain.
The pope wants more little Catholics, some whites want
more little whites etc, all very primitive instincts.

I see the many positives of a genetic potpourri. Genetic
diversity within a population has huge advantages!

So perhaps Australians will land up in general
yellowish-light brown is skin colour. So what?

Look at say Barack Obama, a product of a genetic
potpourri. Is he such a liability to his country?

What about those beautiful and intelligent Eurasians?

The bottom line is that once people get over their
tribal instincts, a genetic potpourri can have
enormous advantages. Perhaps that is what will
define future Australians. So be it!

aqvarivs

Notice how easily you elide 'ethnicity' and 'culture' - four times no less? They are different. Moreover the mere existence of 'ethnic and cultural councils' does not render them 'another layer of government' any more than a national network of RSL branches makes them another layer of government.

Paul.L

You say: 'I don’t think you are right when you say that most of the anti-multiculturalists really are anti-immigration...But tarring us all with the same brush is a cheap tactic.' Another false elision - my 'most' becomes 'all' to you. 'Most' and 'all' are significantly different, so whose 'cheap tactic'?

You say: 'The large and mostly silent majority are not impressed by the failure of MC to live up to its promises.' Multiculturalism is a policy. Only people make promises, so any failure is the responsibility of people. Has democracy 'failed to live up to its promises'? If so...what follows?

I agree with you that immigrants should 'want to become an integral part of our community and respect the values of secularism, liberal democracy, rule of law, equality...all the basics of living in a western democracy. This would entail a willingness to learn our culture and language.' I know of no multicultural policy that opposes that view, do you?

If, as you say, 'we have guests in our country who, at best, look down on our culture and traditions and have no intention of integrating with us', they are foolish. However, you wrongly argue that 'They have come to our country because MC permits them, in fact encourages them, to live their lives as if they never left home.' Immigration policy permitted them to come to this country. Multiculturalism encourages them to integrate.

I agree with you that not all cultural practices are equal. Australian law rightly outlaws some - and multicultural policy is rooted in respect for Australian law.

I respect your preference for 'Australian with Greek heritage' over 'Greek Australian'. Not much hinges on it. They both acknowledge that Australians come from many different origins and the diverse blend has been remarkably free from conflict.

The long history of obsession with the idea of creating and preserving a mainstream 'Anglo' culture has always been a ridiculous goal and a claim that it could ever truly be achieved is equally ridiculous.

Trawling through the posts here it’s clear that many want to hold on to this silly goal.

I've called it a white fantasy elsewhere, but I'm sure it has other characteristics.

The official policy towards immigrants up until the 1970's was 'assimilation' and from this sprung that phrase 'new Australian'.

This reminds me of that startling finding by a news poll at the height of One Nation and Pauline Pantsdown juggernaut. It found that more than 70 % of Australians supported MC.

As if a minority section of the 21 Million people who populate this continent can truly believe that they (holding their Aussie flags and beer coolers) can hold back the tide of ethno-globalism that is already upon us.

Are those pigs I see flying over there…?