One Nation One Britain shows pride in multi-cultural Britain – what’s wrong with that?
‘INTERGRATION' is seen as a dirty word by many people, almost always those on the left.
It is a word that is avoided by the sort who hysterically lambast Britain, cry when they see a Union Jack on a slab of butter in the supermarket, and think the word belongs in a gutter next to ‘patriotism’ and ‘British values’.
My family immigrated to England from Kenya when I was 6 and I’ve had the experience of learning about Britain as an outsider from scratch.
I’ve spent a lot of time with other immigrant families and find different cultures fascinating. But I also believe a multicultural society without integration is always a ticking timebomb.
Integration does not mean asking immigrants to abandon their culture – a common misconception.
Nor does it mean thinking that other cultures are instantly inferior to our own.
It’s about ensuring communities of different shades do not wind up living in silos and that they genuinely engage with and embrace each other.
Ex-cop with admirable aims
It’s hard finding people who are willing to challenge the narrative and stand up for integrating communities.
But ex-copper Kash Singh is one of them. When he came to the country aged six, he decided he wanted to dedicate his life to serving his community and joined the police.
Over the next two decades of his career, he would rise up the ranks to be a senior police officer in the West Yorkshire Police, working in some of the roughest areas.
And when he retired, he decided to set up One Britain One Nation, an organisation which aims to celebrate the people of Britain, encourage pride in our country, and unite different communities under a shared British identity. All very admirable aims if you ask me.
But when, this week, he got backing from the government on an initiative to encourage pupils to sing a patriotic song in schools across the country on Friday 25th June, he was ridiculed for it.
The patriotic song – which was written by primary school children supported by Singh’s organisation – was accused of spreading propaganda and forcing nationalism on children.
Some lunatics even compared the initiative to something out of North Korea or Nazi Germany.
A man came to this country, dedicated his life to the local community, adored the country so much that he wanted to give back – and that’s what he gets.
Perhaps those people who grimace at the idea that a brown man could possibly think Britain is the best country in the world don’t think he is ‘the right type of immigrant’.
How dare he come to this country and not consider himself a victim? How dare he spend his time setting up an organization that brings diverse communities together to celebrate Britain, instead of tearing down a few statues?
Shocked and dismayed at backlash
When I interviewed him on my GB News show, Brazier & Muroki, Singh says he was shocked and dismayed at the reaction.
He told me all he wanted to do was give back to this country which he believes allowed him to fulfil the dreams he had as a little child.
He told me point blank he believes Britain is truly the best country in the world. I would be inclined to agree.
It begs the question: why is it that those who claim to be the true fighters against racism and discrimination have a problem with brown people, like me and Singh, deciding that Britain is not a wretched God-forsaken hell hole. That, even with all its faults, it’s a pretty damn good place.
That is borne out of the data after all. Sure, there is sadly racism around and not everyone gets an equal shot at life for one reason or another.
But show me a single society in the history of human civilisation that eradicated hate and tribalism and I’ll eat my hat.
A zero-discrimination society is an unattainable goal – but you’ll find fewer countries more committed to anti-discrimination than this one.
So committed are we that we have the most comprehensive equality legislation in the world and a sprinkle of some rather dodgy and authoritarian anti-hate laws just to be extra safe.
Why are we scared to say that, British society is more harmonious when people from different cultural backgrounds are encouraged to integrate.
There are a million reasons any well-intentioned person who sets foot in this country has to embrace Britain. It’s not xenophobic or racist to think so.
What’s the alternative? Parallel societies with views and practices incompatible with British society being brushed under the carpet?
A quarter of a million people in England speaking little to no English and losing out on opportunities, as former Home Secretary and Chancellor Sajid Javid has pointed out?
Rises in far-right support because of an irrational fear of immigrant communities?
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Advocating integration and being unafraid to champion British society and celebrate shared values is exactly what we should be doing – and all credit to Kash Singh for sticking his head above the parapet and doing just that.
If his critics had even half the backbone, Britain would be a much more harmonious place.