MERKEL'S REMARKABLE ADMISSION – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  German Chancellor Angela Merkel has admitted what most people already know, but are afraid to say – that multiculturalism in her country, and, by extension, many other countries, has failed.  A number of Urgent Agenda readers referred us to this story, from BBC:

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel: "lmmigrants should learn to speak German."

Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed," Chancellor Angela Merkel says.

She said the so-called "multikulti" concept - where people would "live side-by-side" happily - did not work, and immigrants needed to do more to integrate - including learning German.

The comments come amid rising anti-immigration feeling in Germany.

A recent survey suggested more than 30% of people believed the country was "overrun by foreigners."

The study - by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation think-tank - also showed that roughly the same number thought that some 16 million of Germany's immigrants or people with foreign origins had come to the country for its social benefits.

Germans must be very careful about this kind of talk because of their sordid past, and indeed the German population is becoming one of the most anti-Israel in Europe.  But the frustration over the failure of Muslim immigrants to integrate and become German is legitimate. 

The notion that multiculturalism has failed is going to spread.  The Netherlands is in immediate danger of losing its cultural heritage, and Britain and France face the same danger. 

The Merkel comments are part of an international discussion on the nature of immigration, and what reasonable rules can be applied.  We are having that discussion here, centered on attempts by Arizona to deal with illegal immigrants.  The demagogues of the left, of course, immediately label anyone who raises questions about immigration as "racist," the standard leftist charge.  But, increasingly, thoughtful people are ignoring the taunt and insisting on sane standards for immigration and reasonable demands that can be placed on immigrants.

Merkel's comments will touch a nerve, but we'll be hearing more leaders expressing her point of view.

October 18, 2010