Madam, - Joe Murphy (July 7th) suggests I am calling for "forced assimilation" of immigrants. In fact, what I am calling for is a considered debate on integration and immigration policy.
There are two major approaches which we have seen other countries adopt over the past 40 years, namely multiculturalism and integration. Ireland, as a latecomer to the net-immigrant family of states, has yet to have a fully-fledged debate on this issue.
Multiculturalism was adopted in countries such as Canada and Australia in the 1970s and generally allows for new immigrant communities to exist side by side with the host community without any explicit effort to mix cultures through policies such as compulsory learning of the local language or history.
Integration, on the other hand has been adopted in countries such as France and focuses explicitly on the need to adapt to the local culture and the promotion of national unity.
Immigration, or rather lack of sufficient discourse on and implementation of immigration policy, has led to severe challenges in neighbouring countries. Look at the riots in the banlieues of Paris in 2005 or the riots in Bradford in 2001 and in Birmingham in 2005. We cannot ignore these problems.
My view is that a policy of integration offers an advantage over a policy of multiculturalism. I believe that different religions and communities have every right to practise local customs, but that there is a concurrent need for people to follow common customs and practices in schools and other public places in order to create a sense of national unity.
No doubt there is a huge diversity of views on these issues. The rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, I believe, was deeply affected by people's fears over immigration and a need to discuss these issues further. I look forward to this national debate. - Yours, etc,
CHRIS ANDREWS TD, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.