Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Echoing a government minister, Johnathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, has criticised the great liberal shibboleth: multi-culturalism. He told the Sunday Telegraph:

...that multiculturalism had led to segregation and a country that was no longer confident of what it stood for...

...Last month, Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, acknowledged that multiculturalism might be encouraging ethnic groups to live separate lives. But Sir Jonathan went further, arguing that it was time that the idea of multiculturalism was abandoned. In the 19th century, there was a single dominant identity in the country that welcomed in lots of people, but multiculturalism has led to confusion and segregation, he said.

Remarkable stuff from the Rabbi, who is perhaps best known to us gentiles as BBC Radio Four's resident Jewish bleeding heart liberal. Two decades ago, those of us who held similar views were derided by the left as "racists". Now, our views are echoed by establishment figures. What has happened to cause this change?

Could it be that it is finally dawning on the more thinking liberals that a "multi-cultural" society is an unstable society with an inherent tendency to Balkanisation and civil war.