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London-It's time for Britain to recognize that it is no longer a Christian nation and should embrace multiculturalism, according to a liberal think-tank favored by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.Christmas should be just one of many religious holidays recognized by the government, says a report soon to be released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).Echoing sentiments heard throughout Britain in recent years, the authors of the report say that the traditional pillars of British identity have now vanished or been greatly weakened.Church attendance is at historically low levels, the British Empire is gone, the monarchy is far less popular and the Second World War is inexorably slipping into memory.After interviewing opinion makers and ordinary citizens, the authors say that it's up to the government to create a new and more inclusive national identity, part of which includes honoring the diverse cultures found in Britain.The authors warn that uncritical promotion of multiculturalism leads to segregation and abuse of human rights, but if it is done correctly, it will help bind the nation closer together.Governments that discriminate against different cultures undermine their citizens' right to be treated with respect, they say.The report suggests that cities should build downtown areas that promote better interaction between different groups. The government also should work on getting minorities out into the largely white countryside.With regards to religion, bishops from the Church of England should no longer sit in the House of Lords and a new constitution could be created to defend "the right of citizens to practice whatever faith they please."And more recognition should be given to different ethnic groups: "If we are going to continue as a nation to mark Christmas-and it would be very hard to expunge it from our national life even if we wanted to-then public organizations should mark other religious festivals too."The report also calls for a new national holiday to celebrate "Britishness" and new rituals to link citizens more with the national government.For example, in years to come, there could be birth ceremonies in which parents and the state agree "to work in partnership to support and bring up" newborn children.Although the IPPR report has not been officially released yet, lawmakers and reporters were given leaked copies.Members of the opposition Conservative Party charged that the report amounted to "throwing out" history and "denying the fundamental contribution" that Christianity plays in Britain.Laura Midgley, a spokeswoman for The Campaign Against Political Correctness, said multiculturalism has been shown not to work and that the government would be wrong to accept it"They really don't get it," she said. "On the ground it doesn't work."Compounding the controversy is the fact the IPPR has been strongly linked with the Labor government in recent years.Nick Pearce, former director of the IPPR, is currently head of public policy at Downing Street. The institute has also reportedly influenced many areas of environmental policy and the incoming national identity card system.However, Andrew Denham, a politics expert at the University of Nottingham, said the relationship between the IPPR and Brown is not as clear-cut as it's been made out to be.While the IPPR has certainly been "adjacent" to the government on some issues, he said, not everything put out by the institute has been picked up by the prime minister.In general, he said, both the media and think tanks themselves were prone to exaggerate the amount of influence they had, and so it was wise to take it all with a grain of salt.According to 2001 census figures, nearly 70 percent in people in England and Wales described their ethnicity as white and their religion as Christian.As in the days of Noah....
