Cohesive Integrativity, Integrative Cohesionality

According to The Thousand and One Nights, the Caliph Haroun al-Raschid used to walk among his subjects, dressed as a commoner, the better to hear their genuine opinions on the state of the realm. Daveybloke, prince of the Tory faithful, has tried to emulate this example by taking up residence for a couple of days with a Muslim family in Birmingham; but, whereas the Caliph took his tours among the populace in a questioning spirit, Daveybloke has, rather amazingly, had his previously-soundbitten conclusions resoundingly confirmed.

Daveybloke believes in cohesion and integration. He believes that Britain should be more cohesive. He believes that we must "be careful about the language we use", because many Muslims are "deeply offended by the use of the word 'Islamic' or 'Islamist' to describe the terrorist threat we face today". In fact, by referring to Muslim terrorists as "Islamists", we "actually help do the terrorist ideologues' work for them, confirming to many impressionable young Muslim men that to be a 'good Muslim', you have to support their evil campaign". Daveybloke admits that "there's no easy answer", but seems to think somebody at the BBC ought to do something about it.

Daveybloke believes in integration and cohesion. He believes that Britain should be more integrated. Besides cohesifying through integration, he believes that we should integrate through cohesion: "people from different backgrounds sharing public services, neighbourhoods, social networks". Faith schools will help people from different backgrounds in this laudable ambition; "those who say that faith-based schools hinder integration are wrong" because Daveybloke has met some Muslims who send their children to a Jewish school. Well, that settles that.

Daveybloke also believes in values. Values are things that help cohesion and integration to help people integrate cohesively into a cohesive, integrated community. Integration is a two-way street. The British values of "hospitality, tolerance and generosity" are apparently more prominent in the "British Asian way of life" than they are in "mainstream Britain". This is because "Asian families and communities are incredibly strong and cohesive, and have a sense of civic responsibility which puts the rest of us to shame". Daveybloke presumably thinks somebody ought to do something about this, too; but he does not make clear whether he thinks it should be the BBC.