Reuters reported:

Germany’s attempt to create a multicultural society has “utterly failed,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday, adding fuel to a debate over immigration and Islam polarizing her conservative camp. Speaking to a meeting of young members of her Christian Democrats (CDU), Merkel said allowing people of different cultural backgrounds to live side by side without integrating had not worked in a country that is home to some four million Muslims.

“This (multicultural) approach has failed, utterly failed,” Merkel told the meeting in Potsdam, south of Berlin.

The key is integration. Immigration done well, like in NZ, is a very good thing. But it is important that we control both the rate and “quality” of immigrants. Our points based system is an excellent system. And we have secure borders so can decide how many people enter our country.

That is very different to countries which have insecure borders and get swamped with illegal immigrants and/or asylym seekers. In those situations, it is much harder to integrate.

Merkel faces pressure from within her CDU to take a tougher line on immigrants who don’t show a willingness to adapt to German society and her comments appeared intended to pacify her critics.

This is also key. People should adapt to the country they move to. That doesn’t mean give up on their own culture, but it does mean adapt and integrate. If I moved to Singapore, I would adapt to Singaporean society.

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