According to the Institute for Social and Economic Research, 'Britain has the highest number of interracial relationships in the world'. This however, is not due to multiculturalism but in spite of it. For multiculturalism, which believes that 'culture makes man' rather than the other way round sets its face firmly against miscegenation, integration and assimilation - on principle.

"Multiculturalism actually promotes racism. It engenders confusion, resentment and bullying and prevents people developing a shared British identity. This idea should have been dumped long since", wrote Minette Marrin in last Thursdays Guardian. Her's is not a typical liberal view, as she is a columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Thus her article was entitled 'A view from the right'. But is it? Might it not as easily, or more accurately have been entitled 'A view from the left'?

What prevents much of the left assessing the multicultural impact honestly, residual dullness aside, is mainly the fear of being denounced. So instead of addressing what is seriously wrong with say, the Robin Cook statement, the left feel under obligation to denounce any misgivings as right wing, and vigorously push the same agenda toward fundamentalist conclusions wherever the opportunity presents itself.

Thus in Oldham while the BNP canvass the white working class neighbourhoods, the Socialist Alliance (SA), whose analysis sees the white working class as the sole culprits, nevertheless distributes its propaganda, only in the exclusively non-white areas. What political purpose one asks is served by such tokenism, when if it took its responsibilities at all seriously the SA would have put up candidates against the BNP in the area to begin with. As it is, while the SA 'intervention' allowed impeccably white liberals to wear their multicultural heart on their sleeve for a few hours, the BNP is presumably going about its business establishing a bridgehead for the local elections in 2002 unhindered. This is not to suggest that the SA is politically equipped to win white working class minds. It is merely to point out that it has no ambition to do so. Instead it is perfectly happy to strike a pose, and pronounce on events from a thoroughly partisan, that is to say dishonest perspective.

Other factors detected within the debris of multiculturalism that is Oldham are also worth mentioning. First of all, there is the carefully cultivated myth that anti-racism is the preserve of social groups A, and B. Only with 'education can there be enlightenment' the Guardian's Polly Toynbee announced recently. This is so often said, that it is now widely believed among all sections of society, to such an extent that for many, to be properly anti-racist it is necessary to be anti-working class. Yet, even a casual glance at the make up of working class communities reveal such a conceit to be a lie. It is among the working classes, and statistically, only among the working classes, that interracial relationships thrive. Elsewhere, apart from genially nodding to the man behind the counter in the corner shop, classes A and B contribute nothing to the project.

On top of that there is the equally wretched multicultural pretence that all ethnic communities are homogenous, and in an ideal world would be treated as such. Not only that, but while some such as 'Operation Black Vote' for instance, insist Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sikhs and Hindus, as well as African and those of West Indian descent must for general electoral convenience, be treated as 'black', along side this form of enforced integration, other multiculturalists are working just as hard to see the term 'black' further sub-divided on the grounds of ethnicity and religion. The aim? To have strict segregation in schools and housing (to begin with), not only for Blacks and Asians but, for Muslims, Hindus, Bangladeshis and so on, ad infinitum.

Of course, in the midst of this racial engineering, one word is carefully avoided. That is the word 'class'. For the very good reason that the promotion of cultural diversity is intended to kill off, and replace the idea of social diversity. But despite such sleight of hand, that 'class' is as big a factor in the sense of alienation experienced by 'Pakistani' youth in Glodwick, as it is in the predominately white Fitton Hill is undeniable. For what is striking about their situation is that unlike many Indians, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi inhabitants of Oldham show little sign of the fabled enterprising spirit that all those of Asian origin, we are told, possess. They came here with nothing, to work in the mills as labourers, and labourers whether in work or not, they largely remain. They have not broken out - or up. Some pious humbugs like Ken Livingstone, will insist that is entirely due to endemic racism in British society. But if true, how to explain the equally downtrodden white counterparts with whom they are at war? If racism is the root cause, how to explain the inability of 'Fitton Hillites' to rise out of the ghetto? 'Oh them, they are you know, just so much 'white trash'', many a multiculturalist will explain without blushing.

Certainly such opinions, and far worse, are not at all uncommon among 'anti-fascist' visitors to the National Front 'guest-book'. Their ugly contributions are, bear in mind, should you be tempted to look, all products of a multicultural education of thirty years standing.

In a further tribute to the influence of such teaching, one Asian group, allegedly set up to fight the NF and Combat 18 has chosen for itself the title; 'Combat 786'.

Like Combat '18' which represents the A and H in the alphabet, 'numbers 786' are the Observer reports, 'a numerical representation of Allah'.

That the segregationist 'peace line' solutions proposed by the BNP, are these days impeccably multiculturalist in tone and delivery is the final irony. Even more remarkably, the council seems intent on following BNP advice. 'In one area' the Observer mentions 'where an alleyway leads from Fitton Hill into an Asian street, the council plans to erect a metal gate to separate the communities'. How effortlessly euro-nationalism has appropriated the language of multiculturalism to meet its own objectives, demonstrates just how far the anti-racism of the 1970's has drifted. How comfortable the euro-nationalists fit, unmasks the lie that multiculturalism is naturally progressive.

In reality it is more trouble than it's worth. Currently there is much discussion on how the rise of the far right can be halted. The truthful answer is that an anti-fascism joined at hip with multiculturalism cannot do so. Indeed the higher the activity of the likes of the ANL, and now, and even more ridiculously the SA, the more entrenched the respective working class communities will become. Put bluntly, 'racialising social problems' is the motive force of both euro-nationalism and multiculturalism alike. For purposes of anti-fascist strategy, if for no more principled reasons, multiculturalism is 'an idea that should have been dumped long since'. There is still time do so. But not it must be stressed, with council elections in 2002 looming, too much time.

We strongly recommend the following article:

by Red Action as a refreshing antidote to the rotten liberal racist 'anti-racism' being pushed by much (most) of the left. Asian attacks on white's are obviously a marvellous recruiting agent for the far right but, as the article notes, the attitude of the left is to brush the problem very firmly under the carpet. The political correctness of the liberal left means that they, "actually believe working class Asians to be incapable of such behaviour". Furthermore, "liberal anti-racism has no answers and so instinctively refuses to be drawn on the questions."

Whilst RA concentrate on the Socialist Alliance, (a rotten bloc between the main Trotskyite groups), there are other examples.

Ian Donovan, whose main claim to fame is using physical violence against Spartacist supporters when he was an International Bolshevik Tendency member, but who is now in the Communist Party of Great Britain, is worried that his new group is being influenced by Red Action. Writing in the Weekly Worker of August 30t^h 2001, Donovan dismisses the cops' crime figures and talks of the "cops' transparent manipulation of 'crime' statistics to present a false picture of racial attacks being mainly perpetrated by Asians upon whites." Unfortunately, Donovan finds it totally unnecessary to tell us how the cops' have manipulated the figures.

The RCG in their paper Fight Racism: Fight Imperialism! (August/September 2001) similarly find it unnecessary to present any evidence whatsoever for their assertions.

"Chief Superintendent Eric Hewitt, issuing statistics to the media that purported to show that the majority of recorded 'racist' incidents in the town were Asian on white. The myth was supported by the local press with lurid stories of 'no-go' areas and violent attacks by Asians on lone whites'."

Well a 'myth' like this should be easy to present evidence against, but there is none.

These type of articles where one is supposed to blindly believe the left's assertions illustrate their petit-bourgeois arrogance. On the basis of the two articles above it is already 2 - 0 to the cops'!

29th April '01

As in war truth is often the first casualty in politics. As is usually the case observers appear to pick a side, and then pick a target. And there has been no shortage of targets to carry the can for the Oldham riots. Every target that is but the real one.

Lib Dems rather ludicrously tried to pin all the blame on William Hague. Mainstream liberals (with a small l) tried fingering 'heavy handed policing'.

Overwhelming favourite among 'community leaders' is that, as in Bradford,' outside agitators' in the shape of 'supporters of the National Front' were the sole cause of the trouble.

Perhaps all shades of opinion believe that if they repeat it often enough, the ugly unpalatable facts need not be faced. Or that white public opinion, which is rarely quoted, will be similarly convinced. Fat chance.

Lack of candour and the tip-toeing around the issue in 'a liberal cringe' can do nothing but boost support for far-right solutions generally, and the BNP who are standing in the election there specifically.

Which is why Independent columnist Alibahai Ba Brown is surely right when she comments: "I am not one of those hypocrites who cry foul when white racism is in the news but crawl under rocks when they are called upon to criticise their own."

This refreshing honesty is in marked contrast to the Socialist Alliance (SA) which described apparently indiscriminate, random, and therefore by any objective definition, racist attacks by Pakistani youth on a series of pubs in the area as "completely understandable". Does this 'understanding' also stretch to the Muslim attacks on Hindus I wonder?

As well as calling for the resignation of the chief constable, the media are also lambasted as "shameful" for their highlighting of what the SA refers to as an "isolated attack" on a white pensioner. It is true that the Walter Chamberlain case made headlines, but that is mainly because it seemed to bear out rumours of 'no- go areas' for whites in the town.

Moreover, while the Socialist Alliance seek to deny that the attack was racially motivated, they do not even attempt to suggest what else might have provoked it. Even more risible is the SA pretence that unprovoked Asian on white attacks were practically unheard of prior to the Walter Chamberlain incident, when in reality the talk in Oldham has often revolved around just that topic, for months if not years.

Records show that police statistics which first showed Asians as the principle perpetrators in *reported* acts of racial violence, stretches back to 1993. The disbelief with which the liberal left greet such figures tends to suggest they actually believe working class Asians to be incapable of such behaviour. The SA respond by denouncing the Oldham police as uniquely racist and calling for the top coppers head. However, similar 'Asian on white' statistics have been compiled on the Isle of Dogs by Tower Hamlets council. Is Tower Hamlets also uniquely racist?

Equally, while the initial attack on the ironically named 'Live and Let Live' pub is being broadly justified across the media on the grounds that it was where some 'National Front were rumoured to have taken refuge', no explanation whatsoever is forthcoming for the further attacks on the Westwood pub in nearby Chadderton, the Dog Inn, the Welcome, the Honeywell Arms, and the Junction on the edge of the Glodwick neighbourhood.
Do the Socialist Alliance warmly approve of these attacks as well? The answer presumably is yes.

Tellingly, the Socialist Alliance despite boasting over 100 candidates, is not standing in Oldham. By seeming to duck the challenge of the BNP, as it infamously did in Beckton, and more recently Bermondsey, in addition to hypocrisy, the Socialist Alliance leaves it itself open to the charge of cowardice as well.

It is also noticeable, that on the UK Left discussion site which is generally seen as a Socialist Alliance site, despite the Oldham riots making national headlines everywhere else, up to 9pm on Monday night, apart from the posting of a news item and the Socialist Alliance press release, there had been only one posting on the subject.
And that from a Red Action supporter.

One of the possible reasons for the bizarre 'hear no evil, see no evil' stance is that, hypocrisy apart, liberal anti-racism has no answers and so instinctively refuses to be drawn on the questions.

On Radio Five live on Sunday night the BBC assembled a panel of experts to discuss the matter. All were agreed on the fundamentals. Asian youth were beyond criticism. Of course. It was all the fault of 'the police, media, NF/BNP white racism, and mainstream politicians'. An Asian caller who disagreed with their analysis, was shouted down.

One representative of the race industry, Maxi Hales a spokesman for the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit went as far as to venture some solutions. Denying, outright a suggestion from another caller that 'working class whites shared similar problems to blacks', Maxi pointed out that "poor whites have 600 MP's the army and the navy to look after their interests. We have only ten, when we need forty!" he shouted.

When another caller spoke of the need for assimilation another member of the BBC panel muttered that "the notion of integration was dangerous".

Repeated challenges from the presenter to the panel that anti-racism had clearly "failed" were side stepped.

After over an hour of hand-wringing and self congratulation, Maxi summed up proceedings by suggesting that education might indeed be the solution, "but - only - if it was race consciousness education."

Perhaps he even believes it. Who knows?
But as we all know there is a party standing in Oldham who would heartily champion such racially based 'solutions'. It is party equally reluctant to 'criticise their own'. So for them too, truth is a stranger. The difference is that they have picked the winning side. And what's more, the Socialist Alliance know it.