The Centre For Social Cohesion

David Cameron’s piece in yesterday’s Observer started promisingly.

‘The challenges of cohesion and integration are among the greatest we face’

That’s certainly admirably on-message with us here at the Centre for Social Cohesion.

‘Every citizen who answer[s] the call of the country - policemen and women, our security and emergency services, our health services - all le[ave] their mark on this island's story by keeping us safe. They are the pride of Britain.

‘Just as our armed services with bravery and heroism every single day also make us proud. We mourn those who have been lost and we honour all those who in distant places of danger give so much to our country.’

So spoke Gordon Brown yesterday at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.

In response to the patriotic sentiments here expressed, one feels tempted to respond:

On 3 January 2008, 63 supposedly separate individuals and Muslim organisations urged Muslim Londoners to vote for Ken Livingstone in his re-election campaign later this year. The BBC described these groups as representing 'the overwhelming majority of Muslims in London'. In fact just under half of the signatories failed to disclose their affiliation to one of two Muslim groups - the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) - both of which have links to fundamentalist organisations. Furthermore several signatories have little or no connection to London or have been employed by the Mayor's office.

The British government has said that it will not let Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, into the UK to seek medical treatment.

"The UK will not tolerate the presence of those who seek to justify acts of terrorist violence or disburse views that could foster inter-community violence," a Home Office spokeswoman said.

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) is stepping up its efforts to mobilise Muslim support for Ken Livingstone ahead of the mayoral elections on May 1st.

In a press release issued today entitled ‘Muslims Vote Smart for Mayoral Elections,’ MAB President Ahmed Al-Rawi said ‘Muslims think a lot more strategically when giving their votes. Ken Livingstone has been an outstanding ambassador for London and Britain. We call on all Londoners to come out on the 1 May to vote for him.’

Patriotic history harmful to pupils; St George’s Day celebrations cancelled over spurious health and safety concerns; postal voting fraud on epidemic scale; Britain being carved up by Brussels into a set of regions of which the parts of some lie across the Channel.… With each day comes news of some fresh assault on the body-politic of this once great country.

What is the cause of this spiral of self-destruction into which Britain seems lately to have chosen to descend?