Multi-culturalism – not as a positive lived experience – but as a social policy is a politics of division. I agree.

It divides people into cultures and puts cultures (the most regressive aspects) before citizens. But in response, Minister Eric Pickles says a return of Christianity in Britain’s public life will bring about the community cohesion that is lacking under multiculturalism.

No it won’t. Especially because not everyone in a ‘majority’ or ‘minority’ group think alike.  In a plural society, with many beliefs and opinions, you need to keep beliefs out in order to bring about any sort of social cohesion.

And as a first step, you need a concept of citizenship that goes beyond people’s beliefs and to some extent keeps their beliefs our of the state and public insititutions. And you need secularism, which is a minimum precondition, for basic rights and freedoms.

But they will never learn…

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On a positive note, the fight back by those wanting a larger role for Christianity in the public space (as if having an established church and bishops in the house of lords is not enough) is because they are feeling the pressure of secularists. This is a very good thing. The other good thing is that all this talk of a return to Christian values will get secularists speaking out though they may have been silent when it was about Islam’s role in the public space due to bogus accusations of racism and Islamophobia…

So bring it on.