Cameron's Muscular Liberalism

Please read 'Cameron Declares Multiculturalism Dead'

The Confusion of Tongues,
by Gustav Doré.

Much is said about David Cameron's speech at the security conference in Munich. I wanted to make only two points here, because I fear that the discussion of his idea of 'muscular liberalism' is drifting towards discussing Islamic extremism only.

1. In the broad sense, Cameron is saying that liberal values must be vigourously defended against extremist – or yobbish, or politically correct – challenges from the left and from the right, from religiously, Christian or Muslim, or ethnically, white European or non-European, defined groups of whatever colour or persuasion.

2. In the narrow sense, it means no more spending of people's money* on extremist institutions or causes or institutions and causes that do not promote social cohesion, internally or internationally.

On both points Cameron was absolutely right to say what he had said. The problems will come when defining what and who is extremist, and where and how to withdraw public funding. But once the thinking is clearly stated, it certainly helps. 

Why Munich? Because the issue has a wide international significance. Making the speech in Britain would have limited its reach. Now Britain has expressed its readiness to take part in an all-European debate on the rise of the extreme right throughout the continent, including the non-EU countries such as Russia and Norway as well as Islamic extremism. It' not possible to tackle one without tackling the other, that's where liberal muscles come in.

Muscular liberalism sounded to me very much like Muscular Christianity,  ‘a term for a movement during the Victorian era which stressed the need for energetic Christian activism in combination with an ideal of vigourous masculinity.’ 

‘By 1901, Wikipedia says, muscular Christianity was influential enough in England that one author could praise "the Englishman going through the world with rifle in one hand and Bible in the other" and add, "If asked what our muscular Christianity has done, we point to the British Empire”.’ Rejected by Jack London and mocked by Sinclair Lewis, the movement went out of fashion and faded. However, replace ‘Christian’ with ‘liberal’ and I don't see why the idea of standing up for your beliefs cannot be brought back.

 *(i.e. money given by the people to the government via tax and other levies to run the country in such a way that people feel secure, comfortable and happy living in it)

Cameron Declares 'Mulitculturalism' Dead

David Cameron

Brititsh Prime-Minister David Cameron has made an agenda setting speech on the subject which may be the most difficult for any modern politician. If not for anything else, he should be lauded for the courage and vision in trying to tackle the issue of national identity and extremism hiding under the cover of religion and race.

Although he is facing criticism at home and throughout Europe – both from the left and from the right of the political spectrum, he is right to raise the issue and open debate. Too many people feel uneasy about extremism.

Marx called nationalism 'the aching tooth' of any social-minded person: how you react to 'national' vs 'human' defines you as a political animal. Accepting and respecting different cultures within one nation does not mean accepting antagonistic values. Excluding minority cultures is dangerous, even destructive – to the same degree and as much as rejecting your adopted nation's mainstream culture.

He is said to have consulted with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the contents of his speech.
Germany faces similar problems with the rising influence of the right, on the one hand, and extremism among young immigrants.

Excerpts from the BBC report on Cameron's speech in Munich:

David Cameron has criticised "state multiculturalism" in his first speech as prime minister on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism. At a security conference in Munich, he argued the UK needed a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to all kinds of extremism, BBC reports.

He also signalled a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism. The speech angered some Muslim groups, while others queried its timing amid an English Defence League rally in the UK. As Mr Cameron outlined his vision, he suggested there would be greater scrutiny of some Muslim groups which get public money but do little to tackle extremism. Ministers should refuse to share platforms or engage with such groups, which should be denied access to public funds and barred from spreading their message in universities and prisons, he argued.

"Let's properly judge these organisations: Do they believe in universal human rights - including for women and people of other faiths? Do they believe in equality of all before the law? Do they believe in democracy and the right of people to elect their own government? Do they encourage integration or separatism? These are the sorts of questions we need to ask. Fail these tests and the presumption should be not to engage with organisations," he added.

In the speech, Mr Cameron drew a clear distinction between Islam the religion and what he described as "Islamist extremism" - a political ideology he said attracted people who feel "rootless" within their own countries."We need to be clear: Islamist extremism and Islam are not the same thing," he said. The government is currently reviewing its policy to prevent violent extremism, known as Prevent, which is a key part of its wider counter-terrorism strategy.

A genuinely liberal country "believes in certain values and actively promotes them", Mr Cameron said.

He said under the "doctrine of state multiculturalism", different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives. "We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values." Building a stronger sense of national and local identity holds "the key to achieving true cohesion" by allowing people to say "I am a Muslim, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, but I am a Londoner... too", he said.

"Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights, regardless of race, sex or sexuality. "It says to its citizens: This is what defines us as a society. To belong here is to believe these things."

(I am writing a separate blog on the source of 'muscular liberalism' mentioned in Cameron's speech, pleace come back to read).

And this is a satirical take on 'I'm a Londoner' theme by the Muppets: