"Prevent"

There has been a lot of discussion about the “Prevent” strategy.  David Aaronovitch thinks that Prevent should not “advocate something as abstract as “British values” (with its implications of non-Britishness within the target community).”  Instead, he proposes promoting democratic values such as free speech and equal rights. Good luck with that at the local Mosque.  Every spokesman I have heard has talked about the “Muslim Community” as if it were something separate in our society.  As long as Muslims see themselves as Muslims first and, possibly, British second then there will always be a haven in which terrorists will be able to conceal themselves.  Under these circumstance, Prevent is mere window-dressing.

This is hardly a revelation.  In 2011, David Cameron in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, said:

“Under the doctrine of multiculturalism we have encouraged different culture to live separate lives, apart from each other and apart from the mainstream. We’ve failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong.  We’ve even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that are completely counter to our values.”

Quite so but how much more evidence do we need before we actually do something about the failed concept of multiculturalism?