“Multiculturalism in the UK” with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer

[@jim-es8qk]

We need import more Albanian "big issue" sellers. My local village now has a homeless problem.

[@andybrice2711]

I'd say the problem goes beyond lack-of-integration. There's even a kind of reverse integration enforced. Whereby British organizations are expected to adapt to accommodate other cultures, and to conspicuously celebrate them. And any criticism of multiculturalism is derided as racism.

[@WristyGymnast]

THIS 👆

[@nathanielgurdon6802]

Great stuff mate. Quality interview

[@zezezep]

I enjoyed this interaction

[@DrumsBah]

Lol Downer certainly is one of the most consequential Australian politicians in that he was foreign minister when Australia illegally spied on the Timor Lese government so that Woodside petroleum could better exploit them in negotiations over the Timor Gap oil fields. Of course it seemed strange that a nation state would commit international crimes to the benefit of a private company until Downer, after retiring from politics, took on a cushy consulting job for said company. The Australian government then charged the Asio whistleblower who leaked the scandal, along with his lawyer, under the intelligence act... Very consequential...

[@StrangerInAustralia]

That's to be expected from the nepo from the Adelaide Establishment.

[@Steve-xl1en]

its such a shame a man of his standing and experience didn't bother to look at the nature of immigration, particularly from the subcontinent. They were brought to the UK for decades to specifically do the jobs, and the shifts, that nobody wanted to do. The night shift in the British factories was even called the "p@ki shift". They were marginalised for decades, and often weren't even allowed to rent/buy in areas other than those which became enclaves. Very similar to red lining in the US. And yet still many many "asian" immigrants did end up integrating. I am not saying England doesnt have problems, and the culture has not changed, and I think the more recent immigration issues are pathetically mismanaged. But Downer really should at least do a little bit of research before making these huge generalisations.

[@WristyGymnast]

should they have been brought?

[@Steve-xl1en]

@@WristyGymnast yep. That's really what it boils down to.

[@andybrice2711]

@@Steve-xl1en I’m not sure this changes his arguments much though. It can simultaneously be true that it was a good idea to import workers from overseas. And that they were hardworking people. But that they were not well integrated culturally. As I understand it: More metropolitan and middle-class Pakistanis generally do integrate fairly well into the UK. But poorer people from the tribal regions generally do not. And are massively overrepresented in all sorts of heinous criminal activity.

[@WristyGymnast]

@@andybrice2711 no. They should have returned.

[@britchie7224]

Josh, you are our own Lex Fridman ...articulate, fair,probing. You are expanding and challenging our world views . Thank you.

[@razzle_dazzle]

Agree about Josh, but I think you've got an idealized view of Lex, to be honest. I wouldn't exactly call him "probing" - did you see the softball interview he gave to Trump?

[@britchie7224]

I get your point. But Trump and the like would not agree to be interviewed by anyone less, say ," respectful". To get it right would be very difficult. Lex admits that. What do you think about that aspect?​@@razzle_dazzle

[@razzle_dazzle]

​@@britchie7224 True, but once he was there, it would have taken _a lot_ to make him walk out. He didn't walk out of the interview at the black journalists' conference and a lot of the questions there were pretty tough, so I'm sure Lex could have gone quite a lot harder on him. He actually did ask a few reasonably tough questions (in between all the inane ones), but he didn't call Trump out when he started rambling or changed the subject to avoid answering. I feel like that was what people expected from Lex, too. Everyone on twitter and his subreddit predicted it was going to be like that, and indeed it was. I don't know where he got the reputation of being a good interviewer, to be honest. He's more of a platform for people to promote themselves.

[@britchie7224]

Good points of course. I like that he interviews all sort of people. He does it his way and I personally think he's developing and challenging himself with the best of intention and I enjoy the less confrontational I guess. Each to their own of course​ in terms of when probing turns to confrontational. @@razzle_dazzle