Diary

Saturday, 14th May 2011

Cory Bernardi opens his Diary

The French have followed the Belgians and enacted a burqa ban of their own. Despite a few protests, it seems to be effective in removing the dehumanising mask from Parisian streets. The real test is in the banlieux, where the rapid Islamisation of entire suburbs is taking place. Despite warnings, I take the train to one of these no-go areas. Within moments of disembarking, I wish I had heeded that advice and decide to take the next train back. Discretion is the better part of valour, after all.

Paris is no longer the city of my youth, and I suspect the locals have detected this dramatic cultural change, too. The famed aloofness of the French seems to have been displaced by a deepening resignation that the influx of immigrants from former French colonies has exacted a heavy toll that cannot be recovered.

Despite some press reports to the contrary, an Italian official tells me there is no facial coverings ban in Italy. My meeting takes place while the Italian and French foreign ministers are trying to resolve their latest conflict. The French have stopped a train load of Tunisian asylum-seekers from entering France from Italy. This contravenes the Schengen agreement that guaranteed the free movement of people within the EU. It suggests that no matter how often the political elites decry community concerns about multiculturalism as baseless, they are now starting to acknowledge there is a serious problem right across Europe.

At last, home in Adelaide. Immediately seeing a group of burqa-clad entities floating through the airport, I remark to my wife that it’s only a matter of time before our own cultural relativists realise that they too are far behind mainstream concerns. For the country’s sake, I only hope they catch up before it is too late.

Cory Bernardi is a Liberal senator.