The well-known journalist known to Private Eye readers as “Very Scary Spice” recently commented on multiculturalism on the Today programme.  As usual, she was controversial and thought-provoking. 


Regular listeners to Radio 4, and readers of the Daily Mail will have read or heard Melanie Phillips give tongue on a number of topics over the years.  Personally, I find myself disagreeing with her on most occasions.  She thinks global warming isn’t happening.  She thinks the State of Israel is pursuing the right policy in the Occupied Territories.  And she is less than lukewarm towards to multiculturalism.


She is of course entitled to her views, but someone in her position has disproportionate influence over public opinion and where her views are (however unintentionally) misleading, they deserve to be rebutted.  On this occasion, she was on air to puff her latest book, “Londinistan”. 


Firstly, she claimed that multiculturalism is about equality.  Second, she said that our democratic culture involves carrying out the will of the majority.  From these two premisses, it is easy to show that multiculturalism is in contradiction with our culture.


I would suggest that her argument is based on a confusion of terms.  Multiculturalism is about toleration, not equality, except in the very restricted sense of equality before the law.  And democracy is not in practice about carrying out the will of the majority, as the absence of the death penalty despite majority popular support shows; it is about checks and balances limiting the exercise of power by the government.


The real threat to our culture is not from multiculturalism, but from the lack of any clear written constitution, which would protect our liberties (and define their limits) against the tyranny of the majority, especially when urged into action by irresponsible rabble-rousers from whatever shade of political, moral or religious opinion they may come.