Do we have anything to say? Is our generation ready to step to the front and say what they think? What they feel? Is that possibly too much to ask? To show emotion, to show a part of ourselves, to let our guard down? People seem more obsessed with hiding behind masks, stereotypes, images, "reps".

If we were to come out from behind this, what would we talk about? What are our concerns? Who would this generation be moved to save, or to fight for?

The next battle to be fought in Ireland and the UK is foreign nationals. We have seen from the past that acceptance is always the way forward, otherwise it inspires hate, violence, crime and pushing a part of society down to the underbelly of society. We saw it with the Catholics in Ireland, we've saw it with any ethnic minority in any majority country, especially the black man in America.

But where is the voice? Where are our own leaders helping to lead this acceptance? Why not now? Why later? Is it ok to leave ignorance on the streets, in our children?

Does the future not look brighter for the more multi-cultural basis it will have in one or two generations?

As a white man, I have been reading about Malcolm X, his autobiography and other works surrounding his work. I cannot deny he speaks a lot of the truth. I disagree with his teachers view and also his on seperation from the country, even segregation I disagree with. I believe in a partial integration, a tolerance, a new basis for our country to move forward with. People from Poland, Romania, and other eastern european countries are coming her for a better life, some in my own encounters have been far better educated than myself and have merely come here to work so they can improve their english, by being surrounded by it all the time. Is this not highly honorable?

Surely the people from the British Isles can understand this thirst for travel, as we are a collection of countries who seem to produce mass amounts of travellers. You can go anywhere in the world and bump into an Irish, a Scot, An English or a Welsh man, we go to these countries to learn their languages, see what they have to offer, experience there ways of life. And more often than not I'm sure we are faced by friendly faces and welcoming hearts. People glad to see "tourists" or even culture seekers. But yet in here we are so ignorant and arrogant. We mis-trust anyone who can't speak english fluently, we expect everyone from another country to speak english. We go to their countries with the knowledge of "hello", "where is the bar?" and other tiny phrases without a half inch of understanding of the rest of the language. Its a sad and depressing day when you meet a man who can speak five language, and you can only claim to speak one, with tit-bits of others.

It is time we accept these peoples into our community, time to make more of an effort to get to know them and their culture. Don't we want these people to fall in love with our country? To stay for good, adding an extra dimension to our culture? Or are we still too young and naive to want this, still to afraid of change? Still believing that with more cultures our own will only become weaker? Our own culture will only become weaker if we allow it too. Loving our traditions and passing them on and celebrating them, and sharing them is the only way forward.

Lets hope its not too late..