THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

Almost two-thirds of people in Britain fear race relations are so poor tensions are likely to spill over into violence, a BBC poll has suggested

Of the 1,000 people asked, 60% said the UK had too many immigrants and half wanted foreigners encouraged to leave.
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Britain: We must regain control of our borders - now

We have lost control of our borders. There was a time this claim could have been considered anti-immigrant, because, until the second half of the 1990s, it was not really true.

Indeed, this is the first time in our island's history that the very concept of borders is losing its meaning.

John Reid, the Home Secretary, has described mass migration as "the greatest challenge facing all European governments". He's right.

Mr Reid also says: "We have to get away from the notion that someone who wants to talk about immigration is somehow a racist."

The Government lacks the political will to tighten border controls - but is it too much to ask that it managed to police one railway tunnel?
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Fires erupt in Danish cities over Mohammed cartoon

Danish Justice Minister Lene Espersen Friday said a recent wave of fires deliberately set in several cities amid a new row over the Mohammed cartoons was 'completely unacceptable.'

During the past week, cars and trash containers have been set on fire in Copenhagen and overnight Friday several other cities, including Aarhus, also reported burning cars and dumpsters.
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Britain 'a soft touch for home grown terrorists'

"The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a body of the country's leading military and diplomatic figures, says the loss of British values and national identity caused by "flabby and bogus" Government thinking has made the country vulnerable to attack from Islamic extremists.

"Misplaced" policies on multiculturalism have failed to "lay down the line" to immigrants, leading to a fragmented society opposed by "implacable" terrorist enemies.

The report was welcomed by Baroness Neville-Jones, the shadow security minister and former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, who said it showed how multiculturalism had been a "disaster" for Britain.

She said: "This report sends a powerful message to the Government that leadership is badly lacking at a time of significant threat to our country.

"The Conservatives agree that multiculturalism has been a disaster for national cohesion and has increased our vulnerability to the terrorist threat."
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Muslim Britain is becoming one big no-go area

Perhaps it had to be someone like Michael Nazir-Ali, the first Asian bishop in the Church of England, who would break with convention and finally point out the elephant in the room.
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Riots Point to Racially Divided France

In the name of equality, France has so idealized the melting pot that it has made its minorities invisible - on paper at least. The country does not compile statistics on the foreign-born or their French-born children. France, a nation of 60 million people, has the largest Muslim community in western Europe but does not know how many Muslims live here. The number is estimated at about 5 million - though some experts disagree.
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Spain's riots - isolated incident or warning?

It's a potential nightmare for both immigrants and politicians in Spain: the prospect of heightened tensions in the country's major towns and cities leading to outbreaks of violence between the native Spanish population and members of the immigrant communities.
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Why all's not well in the banlieues of France

One year ago, France experienced an unprecedented wave of violence when youths in many of the country's poorer banlieues (suburbs) took to the streets, setting light to motor cars and throwing stones and other objects at the police.
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Paris: the ticking time bomb goes off

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Dis-United Kingdom - Multiculturalism isn't working

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Europe has suffered for decades from an influx of illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers, very many abusing the system. It is estimated that 50% of immigrants in Europe currently are illegal. The elimination of border-controls between most of the European countries makes this even more difficult to control. European countries are desperately trying to stem this influx and come up with ways to deal with it.

Germany and France, for example, only recognise persecution by the state as a reason for giving asylum. Inter-ethnic violence, persecution by rebel groups etc. will not be recognised by them.

Britain has shown great alarm recently at the record levels of asylum-seekers she is receiving. Many asylum-seekers who have got as far France are absolutely determined to get across the Channel to Britain. Britain has introduced a voucher-system instead of money payments and will insist that asylum-seekers stay in specified areas.

Italy suffers nightly invasions of her coast. Many of those who arrive move on to Germany etc.

Italy is a country which holds a special lesson for Ireland. Until the early 80's she was a country of almost no immigration. In less than 10 years she had a sizeable immigration problem.

Spain is targeted by boats from Africa. Also, she has two tiny enclaves on the African coast which are part of her territory and therefore part of the EU. People from the surrounding African countries are constantly crowding into these enclaves hoping to cross to Spain.

The desperate efforts of these countries to stem this flow contradicts the propaganda we hear about the great "plus" that cultural diversity or multiculturalism is. These countries, Germany particularly, speak of "burden-sharing". This is not a word you use about something you experience as a plus.

There are two important lessons for Ireland in all of this
1. Other European countries have found illegal immigration and asylum a bad experience. We in Ireland must insist that our government does whatever it takes to avoid Ireland being dragged down the same road. 2. We cannot allow a situation where Ireland has a softer system than other countries. If we do we will be targeted. There is evidence that this is happening already.