Rupert Murdoch, 93 this year, is aiming back up the altar for the fifth time with a new fiancée biologist Elena Zhukova. Last year, he broke off his engagement to his previous fiancée, Ann Lesley Smith, just two weeks after he proposed.
Full marks for optimism and persistence.
This is only en passant but of interest is his 7th house possessive Pluto close to ever hopeful Jupiter in Cancer. Plus surprisingly his Sun/Moon midpoint, the marriage significator, is conjunct his Venus suggesting he will have a knack of attracting affectionate partners. Though his 7th house Pluto square a 4th house Uranus does suggest rolling changes on the relationship and domestic front. His marriages to date have lasted 11 years, 32 years, 14 years and 6 years respectively.
Looking at other much-married celebrities. William Shatner (4 times) has his Sun/Moon midpoint conjunct his disruptive, freedom-loving Uranus North Node and square Pluto with evasive Neptune in his 7th.
Nicholas Cage (five times) has his Sun/Moon midpoint square Uranus and North Node in his 7th hinting that constancy in close relationships is difficult for him. Mickey Rooney (8 times) also has his Sun/Moon midpoint square Uranus. Billy Bob Thornton (6 times) has his Sun/Moon midpoint conjunct his irritable Mars (Pluto) with evasive Neptune ruling the 7th
Larry King (8 times) has his Sun/Moon midpoint opposing an 8th house uncommitted Neptune. Zsa Zsa Gabor has her Sun/Moon midpoint conjunct her Venus for a true romantic though the opposition to Saturn hints the reality will be a let down. Neptune rules her 7th.
Kenny Rogers (5 times) has Uranus in his 7th square Mars; with his Sun/Moon midpoint conjunct Pluto – both of which in different ways will lead to conflict.
Different personalities with different relationship needs (and antipathies). Not always, but very often the Sun/Moon midpoint can home in on the key influences in picking a partner and staying the course – or not. Along with 7th house aspects. Transits to the Sun/Moon also tend to be pressured when splits occur.
Conspicuous consumption and “opulence on steroids” may be the way of Indian billionaires but it is a questionable look for western wannabe-trendsetters such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg and Ivanka/Jared Kushner. The Mukesh Ambani pre-wedding celebrations recently had a thousand famous guests from the worlds of business, sport and film who were treated to fine dining, personal make-up artists and hair stylists and treated to performances by some of the world’s best-known stars including Rihanna and Cirque du Soleil. Even the Daily Mail was horror struck as the event took place “just yards from where some of the poorest people on earth eke out a living”.
Note pre-wedding of Anant Ambani to Radhika Merchant. The actual junket takes place on July 12th and is expected to cost even more than the £100 million this warm up did.
The Ambani business empire embraces oil, telecoms and textiles with father Mukesh intending to hand over his company soon to his twin daughter and son Isha and Akash, and his youngest son Anant.
Mukesh Ambani, 19 April 1957 7.47pm Aden, Yemen, has a workaholic 6th house go-ahead last degree Aries Sun conjunct Venus trine an influential and controlling Pluto in his career 10th. His Sun Venus oppose Neptune and square Uranus in Leo giving him a trailblazing streak. He also has Mars in his financial 8th in a hard-edged opposition to Saturn and square a confident, lucky Jupiter. And a build-a-business Grand Trine with Earthy Venus in Taurus trine a Capricorn Moon trine Pluto. A powerhouse chart.
His twins, 23 October 1991, are also ultra-determined with a Sun Libra conjunct Mars in Scorpio square Saturn types. Son Anant, 10 April 1995, who has had health and weight problems is deemed the least experienced of the three – with a Fire Grand Trine of an Aries Sun Mercury trine Moon Mars in Leo trine Jupiter in Sagittarius – confident and full of ideas though not always realistic or well-grounded.
His fiancée Radhika, daughter of a wealthy industrialist and a dancer, 18 December 1994 – born three weeks before Bianca Censori (see Kanye West post below) has a Sagittarius Sun Mercury with an edgy Saturn opposition Mars square Pluto conjunct Jupiter – supremely confident and also submissive. Her Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn square his Sun Mercury – so not the easiest of combinations.
Their relationship chart looks challenging with a composite Sun Mercury opposition Mars square Pluto – a real power imbalance leading to a reservoir of resentment. What’s more the actual wedding of July 12th is when tr Uranus Mars in late Taurus will rattle up that composite T square – so the wedding will be even more fraught than the usual over-the-top sumptuous nuptials.
Add On: Nita Ambani, 1 November 1963, wife of Mukesh, and mother of three, regularly listed by Forbes amongst its influential women business leaders in Asia list is a philanthropist, art collector and the owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Mumbai Indians. In 2023, she launched the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai.
She has an ultra-determined stellium in Scorpio with her Sun, Mercury, Neptune in Scorpio conjunct and Venus close by. Her Neptune sextile Pluto is inconjunct a yod focal point Jupiter giving here the ability to make positive social changes although over confidence and Jupiterian excess can be a downside.
Her Uranus Pluto in Virgo fall in her husband’s 10th house so she will keep him on his toes exploring new ventures and constantly looking for the next trend.
Their relationship chart has (probably) a Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Neptune trine Moon, hinting at an optimistic, look-on-the-bright-side approach; though since it also (probably) focuses onto Pluto in opposition to the Moon as the driving planet – power and influence will be motivating forces. There is also an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction squaring onto Neptune which could be blissed out or not always realistic. Plus a loaded composite Mars Pluto conjunction again hinting that power is a driving force. Handling that kind of wealth and influence is not easy.
A week is a long time in politics and there are – only – 35 weeks to go before the USA presidential election filled with whatever mayhem the fickle fates decide to throw as disruptors to best laid plans.
Despite a thumping win Trump did less well than the pollsters expected. In New Hampshire, he beat Haley by 11%, not the expected 18%. In South Carolina, he won by 20% not the polled 28% . Same in Michigan, 42 to an expected 57. “Secret non-Trump voters” were out in force during the 2022 midterms where the GOP was expected to rack up huge majorities in Congress and take back control of the Senate – neither happened.
Trump’s erratic behaviour and contempt for democratic norms have produced a notable shift in suburban voting patterns; and there is mounting evidence that Republican women have turned against Trump after the decision to overturn abortion rights. A significant minority of Republicans said they did not think Trump would be fit for president with a criminal record.
Trump met with Elon Musk at the weekend no doubt keen to grift a few millions to refill in his campaign coffers which are sagging behind Biden’s and maybe even help pay off his legal woes. Musk has not publicly come out for Trump though he is evidently opposed to Biden (whom he voted for in 2020) seeking a second term.
Musk’s Progressed Sun is conjunct Trump’s Mars in Leo so there may be a clap of thunder from that though their relationship chart looks undermined with tr Neptune square the composite Sun Saturn from May right through the election and beyond. Not that Musk looks any more enamoured of Biden with a chilly, critical, separating tr Saturn opposition their composite Sun, Mercury late this month, on and off into early 2025.
On Trump’s astrology: He has one more major stroke of luck/success March 13 to April 5. No more Jupiter midpoints or aspects are being triggered thereafter but he does have tr Jupiter moving across his midheaven from this May through till after mid 2025 which one way and another will bring him prominence.
He has several confidence dents/losses leading to feelings of inferiority – late March/early April, October and December with tr Saturn opposition his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. Another late April/early May, late August/early September and across the Inauguration from tr Saturn opposition his Mars/Neptune midpoint. And a tough, depressing slog at the moment through March to mid April, again June/July and across the Inauguration from tr Pluto opposition his Saturn/Pluto midpoint. Evidently his winners’ speech yesterday was downbeat rather than the usual donkey-braying glee.
Other astro: tr Saturn will square his 10th house Uranus for high tension eruptions affecting his career direction – first half of May, second half August and late January 2025. June will see tr Uranus conjunct his Midheaven (birth time being accurate) for a sharp change of direction career-wise, usually forced by outer events.
And the one to watch for which is tr Uranus square his Mars in Leo across the GOP Convention in July which will be explosive.
That point also sparks up in his relationship chart with the USA as tr Uranus squares the composite Jupiter. Whether that means the country breathes a sigh of relief or together they notch up a success is not clear. Though at exactly the same time tr Uranus squares the composite Mars/Neptune for a crisis and sudden disadvantages.
Trump’s Solar Return chart taken as a stand alone does not look inspiring with Neptune conjunct the Midheaven from the 10th and Saturn conjunct from the 9th. His Solar Return Ascendant at 14 degrees Cancer is not cuspal or aspecting any of his natal planets but is almost exactly conjunct the USA Cancer Sun. That will require a retrospective interpretation when the election is over.
Nikki Haley will have a run of successes in April till early May but sags thereafter. She really has embarked on a Sisyphean task pushing a massive boulder uphill with tr Pluto trine her Saturn and conjunct her Sun through till after the election. Without a birth time there is no saying but she might well be playing a long game looking to kudos stored up for the future.
Joe Biden of course has tr Uranus opposition his Scorpio Sun this August for a lightning bolt of a shake-up. See post of Jill Biden Jan 19th 2024. In addition to his age and a lacklustre VP, he is facing increasing pressure from a powder keg immigration surge as an increasingly lawless South America explodes in cartel violence.
The Princess of Wales’ embarrassing uncle Gary has sashayed into the Celebrity Big Brother house threatening to blow holes in the Royals code of silence over Princess Catherine’s health and other matters. It could not have come at a worse time with conspiracy theories raging and heightened interest.
Known as the black sheep of the family he is 10 years younger than sister Carole, has been married four time and is “an absolute nightmare to live with” in his own words, having no control over his words. Having grown up in a council house, he made his fortune with an IT recruitment company, floated on the stock market giving him a windfall worth many millions. His tastes run to the brash and expensive in clothes, holidays, houses, a yacht. His Ibiza villa he named La Maison de Bang Bang. In 2017, he was arrested and charged with assaulting his latest wife during a drunken argument for which he was fined £5,000 and ordered to rehab.
He was born 29 April 1965 and has a charming and indulgent Sun Venus in Taurus opposition Neptune alongside a Piers-Morgan explosive collection of Mars, Uranus, Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn. Plus a ‘bull in a china shop’ Gemini North Node giving him an extra a streak of wildness. Carole, born 31 January 1955, is much more battened down with a Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto. She’s be fond of him with her Moon in Taurus but also doesn’t trust him with his Neptune conjunct her Saturn. Her Mars in Aries is conjunct his Mercury so there will be arguments.
On their relationship chart tr Neptune is square the Jupiter (conjunct Mars) throughout the BB stint hinting at disappointment if not outright panic. Though there’s also a sense of a oneupmanship tussle. By his own admission he is a mischief-maker and hates being controlled or told what to do.
He looks to be in luck from March 13th onwards into April which might mean a win, or picking up goodies as he exits from other deals – or being relieved he is out of the hothouse.
Catherine looks distanced from him with tr Saturn conjunct the Mercury and Sun in their relationship chart exactly now till early April.
Prince William, if anything, looks more unsettled by him in 2025. Which is the worry once the media have got hold of him that he may continue on his merry way blurting out confidences.
His other niece Pippa looks more furious with him after the event, in April and more so in July and onwards.
Camilla oddly looks frosty but that may be because it upsets King Charles. Her Saturn Pluto in Leo clashes with Gary’s Sun Venus so not a good combo. Again her irritation with him lingers through April/May and across the summer and on.
Like Piers Morgan Gary’s Mars Uranus Pluto sits in Harry’s 8th and is conjunct Meghan’s Venus in Virgo – so both will be flash points.
All a confected media kerfuffle about nothing much. But the Royals public relations advice is doing them no favours at the moment. King Charles’ health they have been admirably open about but they should know by this time that saying virtually nothing about Catherine is guaranteed to attract speculation – indeed may have helped prompt to TV invite to uncle Gary. Ditto William withdrawing at the last moment from a memorial for ‘personal reasons’.
Privacy is one thing but when you get handed vast amounts of wealth in William’s case a £1 billion estate with an income of £25m a year plus plus – it comes with strings attached. I’m no Republican but the reason they get the status, privilege, money is because they fulfil a singular public role. It is a difficult life and I would not volunteer for it, but there are compensations.
Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada was the most popular went he won in 1984 and the least popular when he exited in 1993 in a defeat of historic proportions.
One obituary described him as “a complicated figure. He had an easy charm, combined with square-jawed good looks and abundant confidence, but his many enemies considered him smooth, showy, manipulative and self-regarding. He left office reviled, and was subsequently revealed to have accepted envelopes stuffed with cash from an arms lobbyist, but over time his achievements as prime minister gained a wider appreciation.”
He was unable to solve the Quebec separatist issue but he helped Canada to gain prominence on the international scene, having close friendships with Reagan and G HW Bush. He secured a free trade agreement with the USA, reformed Canada’s tax regime which reaped long-term dividends and did safeguard Canada’s natural environment. He made an unexpected comeback from retirement when Justin Trudeau, sought his help in dealing with President Trump.
Born 20 March 1939 10.17 pm Baie Comeau, PQ, Canada, he had a 4th house Pisces Sun trine a persuasive 9th house Pluto and square a money-oriented Mars in his 2nd. His Sun was also opposition Neptune in his 10th which might have been slippery but would also have given him a sense which way the wind was blowing on certain issues.
His crossovers with Canada are mixed. Both have Jupiter in Pisces. Both have heavily 4th house charts, keen on domestic issues and nature. But his Mercury and Saturn in Aries was conjunct the Canada Neptune Ascendant which would give rise to doubt and suspicion. His Ascendant was conjunct the Canada Saturn which would put a damper on his image. And his Uranus in Taurus collided with Canada’s Pluto in Taurus opposition Saturn – his instinct would be for reform, to shake up moribund situations which would not always go down well.
Tammy Faye Bakker was a gaudy, over-made-up, campy televangelist who made millions for her church, married two true-believer, mega-church husbands, both convicted for fraud and gave Jessica Chastain an Oscar winning role in the 2021 movie about her. Now her son has made what he insists will be a revealing documentary of the true story of his family’s life: Better Angels: The Gospel According to Tammy Faye.
Born 7 March 1942 3.27am International Falls, Minnesota, with Pentecostal preacher parents who divorced when she was young, she rose out of poverty, to make millions with her first husband Jim, until he fell from grace into prison, convicted on multiple counts of fraud. She attended his trial but was never charged. She divorced him when he was inside and married a contractor who built megachurches, who was later convicted of bankruptcy fraud and landed in jail as well.
She had a 3rd house sharp-witted Pisces Sun in an expansive, over-confident square to Jupiter in chatty Gemini and trine an intense Scorpio Moon. Her Moon was on the focal point of a Fixed – and clearly acquisitive – T Square to a 2nd house Venus opposition an 8th house Pluto. Her Moon would design her to interface with the public and her 8th house Pluto would give her influence. She also had Saturn Uranus in Taurus in her 5th giving her an ability to organise ‘entertainment.’ Her Neptune fittingly was in the religious 9th in a creative trine to Uranus and a publicity-seeking trine to Mars. Her 8th house Pluto would arguably attract her to the dark side and to partners who wanted to wield power and money.
Her first husband Jim, 2 January 1949 11 am Muskegon, Michigan, had his Libra Moon on her midheaven, also a showbizzy, publicity-attracting hard Mars Neptune aspect, and both had Venus in Aquarius. His Capricorn Sun was widely square Jupiter in pro-active Aries pumped up by a conjunction to Mars with Jupiter trine Pluto – overflowing with confidence.
They were a tight, affectionate couple with a composite Sun Venus opposition Pluto square a Jupiter Saturn conjunction – and I would hazard a guess that she was the stronger of the two and the more indulgent.
At his trial the jurors heard how over a million dollars went on furs and jewellery; homes were purchased and condos, and $2,000 a month on electricity went to heat their swimming pools.
When their house of paradise collapsed in 1986 tr Uranus was conjunct Jim’s Midheaven and conjunct her Ascendant.
She divorced him when he was in prison, disappeared for a while and returned with books, documentaries, and TV appearances and went on to marry Roe Messner, a church building contractor, 1 August 1935, whose Leo Sun and determined Pluto Mercury in Cancer fell in Tammy’s 8th with his Sun square Mars in Scorpio which fell in her 10th and square Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio which was conjunct her Moon. An intense, entangled relationship. With their relationship chart having a serious indulgent composite Sun opposition Venus square Jupiter, trine Neptune with some gritty moments from Mars square Uranus and trine Saturn. Her 8th house Pluto knew how to pick dramatic relationships.
She died of cancer in 2007 and Jim when he was released from prison married a former televangelist. In 2021 he was sued for selling a fake COVID-19 cure called Silver Solution for $125 each.
Leopards don’t change their spots but I never understand how all the conning and grifting squares with the god bothering.
Iris Apfel, the unashamedly ancient fashion icon, has died at 102. She had an illustrious career with her husband in their textile weaving business as an interior designer, decorating the White House for nine American presidents. Only after her retirement in her mid eighties she was asked to put on an exhibition of her enormous collection of outfits and accessories for New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and her ‘geriatric starlet’ days were born as she came into demand for lectures and fashion shoots.
She was born on August 29 1921 in Queens, New York, her father head of a business selling glass and mirrors, and a Russian-born mother who who owned her own boutique and, according to her daughter, “dressed like the Duchess of Windsor”.
Iris was a Sun Mercury in Virgo in an inventive and outspoken opposition to Uranus; with her Uranus in an experimental trine to Pluto (maybe Moon) in Cancer. Uranus doing its whacky best to make her stand out from the crowd. Her creative Venus in home/family oriented Cancer which would suit her interior design talents and may also have been conjunct her Moon. Her Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Virgo would help to rise her above the crowd and her Mars Neptune conjunction in flamboyant Leo attracted publicity and suited her for a zizzy lifestyle.
Five decades after Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech which saw him ousted from the UK Cabinet for voicing the anti-black concerns of his constituents, the issue of large scale immigration leading to violence is back top of the agenda. UK PM Rishi Sunak talks of the streets being “hijacked” by small groups who were “hostile to our values”. He said Islamist extremists and the far-right, both seek to “weaponise the evils of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred for their own ends”.
Immigrant problems and violence have flared recently in Germany, in Sweden, in France, in Ireland – not all Muslim but from backgrounds which are starkly at variance to the country of their choice. The Netherlands is in the grip of a major organised drug trial with some talking of it turning into a narco-state because of the grip of a Dutch-Moroccan gang.
Powell’s words on 20 April 1968 seem eerily prescient, if wincingly racist. “As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see “the River Tiber foaming with much blood”. He thought the majority of immigrants did not want to integrate, and that some had vested interests in fostering racial and religious differences “with a view to the exercise of actual domination, first over fellow-immigrants and then over the rest of the population.”
Matthew Syed, of The Times, with a Pakistani immigrant father and a Welsh mother, thinks one reason why certain immigrant communities don’t integrate is because of intermarriage within their group. It is reckoned that between 38/59 per cent of British Pakistanis marry first cousins, which is a worry because of birth defects. But it is also a fundamental instrument of cultural isolation. It “may benefit the patriarchs who dominate these groups but it impoverishes their communities…. who languish in poverty, cut off from society, their votes collated into blocks controlled by clan leaders and where Islamism and antisemitism fester.” Banning cousin marriage has been shown to increase integration and economic growth.
Statistics for UK (as ever to be treated cautiously):
The 2021 census, 7.4 per cent of the population of England arrived in the previous decade; 16.6% in London. Only 4.9% more secondary schools and 4% more GP premises. Immigration does not generate the tax receipts needed for migrants to ‘pay their way’ let alone to finance the new infrastructure required. UK stats are patchy but in 2019 white people were large net taxpayers. Ethnic minorities were net recipients, but there was significant variation: Asian households were close to balance or small net taxpayers; black households were substantial net recipients. People from western Europe and anglosphere countries are high earners. Citizens of poorer countries, such as Pakistan, Turkey and Bangladesh, generally earn less. Though Indian citizens earn much more than people from neighbouring countries. In employment there is huge variation between different groups of migrants. For those born in Bangladesh and Somalia, the rate of employment is low and the rate of full-time employment is very low: almost a third of the rate for those from Poland and New Zealand.
Whether much is to be gained by looking at Powell’s chart, or Michael Houellebecq whose 2015 novel Submission about Islam taking over France caused a furore, or Douglas Murray, UK the political commentator well known as a critic of immigration and Islam, I’m not sure but it does provide a backdrop.
Enoch Powell, 16 June 1912 9.50pm Birmingham, England, had a stellium of planets in Gemini with Sun, Pluto, Mercury, Venus conjunct – so he would have all of Gemini’s communicative powers with Pluto stirring up a ferment of theories. His Pluto would give him a fear of being taken over and trapped. While his Moon Neptune in Cancer falling in the UK’s 10th house conjunct the UK Moon would make him idealistic and patriotic. His Mars opposition Uranus would be uncompromising and his Mercury Pluto would give him a sharp mind though also a tendency to overdo the force of his opinions. His Aries North Node fell close to the UK’s NN reinforcing his need for independence and freedom from being dominated.
Michel Houellebecq, 26 February 1958 1pm St Pierre, Reunion, whose novel Submission imagines a Muslim party upholding Islamist and patriarchal values who wins the presidential election in France with the support of the Socialist Party attracted criticism and support. It was released on the day of the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
He has a 9th house communicative Sun Pisces opposition Pluto with a Fixed T square of an 8th house Venus opposition Uranus square Jupiter, North Node and Neptune in Scorpio. He also has an unaspected 8th house Mars in conservative Capricorn which will act like a loose cannon.
Douglas Murray, 16 July 1979 London, is a far-right journalist, author and activist, a supporter of conspiracy theories like Eurabia in which Arab powers set out to weaken European culture and undermine its previous alliances with the United States and Israel. He has a patriotic Sun Cancer which is in a controlling/influential square to Pluto, trine Uranus and inconjunct Neptune; with a hard-edged, resentful Mars in Gemini square Saturn North Node in Virgo.
What links them are strong Sun Pluto connections – hyper-sensitive to being manipulated or dominated and fairly controlling themselves. But what a strong Pluto does sometimes is have a penetrating insight and ideas that are before their time so arouse resistance and hostility. But are eventually proved right.
Odd other thought from Janet Daley of the Telegraph. On demonstrations she reckons they show many signs of the old Trotskyite infiltration techniques of yesteryear which take over every disaffected group. “So many of the apparently spontaneous uprisings of recent years – Black Lives Matter, Just Stop Oil, the Palestine support marches – are now being guided (and often spoken for) by the sort of experienced handlers who would once have organised the Communist takeover of trade unions.” She isn’t suggesting there is a communist input, merely the same techniques are being used by those who are nihilists, like causing disruptions and are obsessed with attacked western democracy.
Comment from Carson on previous post on US immigration:
“ We are a nation of immigrants like no other. Prior to 1965, when immigration law was vastly liberalized, almost all immigrants came from europe especially northern europe. Almost no one immigrated from Asia Africa or South America. Slavery not withstanding. There were some Asians in the post US civil war era (1865 til 1882). Since 1965 some 60 million people have legally immigrated to the USA. And they have had children since then. Millions more have come illegally primarily from Mexico and Central America. For comparison the entire UK population is about 68 million. Here in the US less than 20% of the population can trace their ancestors living here to 1865 when the US Civil War ended. NOT even to 1776 or earlier. The conservatives are uneasy about that as the newer arrivals obviously do not have that “Protestant ethic” automatically and likewise many are not Christians either. Many of the conservatives promote the US as “a Christian nation” theme which is no longer true if it ever was. At least a third of US population is Atheist Agnostic or non-Christian. Maybe even 50%. There is great unease by the traditionalist part of the US population about immigration and social change. That is reflected in Trump’s candidacy.”
It would be difficult to pinpoint any specific astrological significators for the upsurge in migration. After World War 11, the collapse of the British and French empires would be part of it when tr Pluto Saturn in Leo in 1948 was starting to crawl round the UK’s Fixed planets. The mid 1960s brought a good deal of liberalizing legislation when Uranus Pluto were in Virgo. Tony Blair added his dollop of political opportunism which did not help in the UK when Pluto was in Sagittarius.
Mass migrations of people are usually associated with triple conjunctions such as the late 1980s and mid 1850 which no doubt had an effect.
But since it seems an unstoppable force, it might be sensible to look harder at integration, breaking up ghettos and stop pussyfooting around sensibilities about religious or cultural differences. And toss multiculturalism which emphasises differences and divisions out of the window rather than focusing on cohesion in society.
Not sure this adds much illumination but will no doubt be an ongoing hot topic for some time to come.
See post 3 December 2023 – Europe embroiled in a clash of cultures.
ADD ON: Comment from Bal, 5th March 2024
“As a Gen X, 2nd gen immigrant, Punjabi, Indian, girl born and growing up in England in the 70s and 80s, I hated multi culturalism with a passion. I was desperate to integrate into the Western culture I was growing up in. I don’t just mean the fun things like pop and fashion culture, but the values, the support for women (I acknowledge its imperfections, but Western culture offered a far more empowering environment for women compared to the realities faced by Indian females during that era.), having a voice and being heard.
Multiculturalism basically told 1st gen immigrant boomers, and 2nd gen immigrants, mainly gen X – that it was fine not to integrate, difference was good.
In reality what happened: 1st gen immigrants, boomers, and much of the second generation, particularly Gen X, were encouraged to maintain their distinct cultural identities without the imperative to fully integrate. Consequently, many first-generation immigrants remained entrenched in the conservative outdated values of their Punjabi villages, failing to evolve along with the changing times. This stagnation in mindset was then passed down to their offspring. They didn’t bother to learn English, so as elderly people I see that they can’t advocate for themselves.
While there has been some progress towards integration over time, a significant portion of the Indian diaspora, spanning even to the third and fourth generations, still prioritize their Punjabi heritage over their British identity. Being British often feels like a mere formality for them, a means to acquire citizenship rather than a genuine sense of belonging.
It’s worth noting I am seeing more integration from Gen Z onwards though in the Punjabi / Indian community. For some communities within the wider South Asian community, this lack of integration has been even more marked.”
ADD ON: Allison Pearson: Interesting observation on watching George Galloway revel in his victory at the Rochdale by-election. “There were no women on the ballot paper and, as far as I could see, there were no female faces among the Muslim “brothers” at Galloway rallies. Islamic patriarchy ruled. How many of the avalanche of postal votes that secured victory for a candidate who unashamedly turned it into a Gaza election were cast by women who don’t understand English, women who do as their husbands tell them.
There were 13,460 postal votes cast in Rochdale last week – that’s 43.2 per cent of the total and more than 12,335 were received by Galloway’s far-Left, pro-Palestine Workers Party of Britain. The proportion of postal votes was up from 22.7 per cent in the 2019 general election to 43.2 per cent in the by-election. Disgracefully, the Electoral Commission has chosen not to investigate this startling increase in voters who cannot be seen or checked. That’s a can of worms the authorities clearly don’t want to open. For the same reason, Labour MPs turn a blind eye when they attend meetings of “the community” where women are either segregated or absent entirely.
Empower women to break free of patriarchal communities. There is a strikingly low employment rate among Muslim women – almost 70 per cent don’t work compared to 20 per cent among Christian women. That means no opportunity to mix with their fellow citizens, no chance to improve their language skills, no opportunity to earn money that will buy a bit of independence from those husbands who still think it is their right to dominate their wives (which suits those men just fine), no chance to feel British and pass on that settled loyalty to their offspring.
At school, there were girls — who went on “holiday” to Pakistan and were never seen again. Later, they would hear that their absent friends were married to uncles or cousins. Clever girls used to deliberately fail their exams because they knew the fate that awaited them once they completed their education.
One mother came over as a 14-year-old bride for an arranged marriage almost 60 years ago, but she barely knows 10 words to exchange with the locals. “She has no non-Pakistani friends and she has never worked. Her husband used to taunt her saying she could never run away because no one would understand what she was saying.
Dave Myers, half of the much loved TV foodie Hairy Bikers has died. Half of an unlikely couple of middle aged blokes he was working as a television makeup artist when he met Si King, a locations manager on the Harry Potter films. Having holidayed together on their motorbikes and both being foodie/cooks since early on they pitched the idea of a culinary travelogue to the BBC twenty years ago and it took off.
They travelled all over the world to sample local cuisine. Portugal, Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt, Mexico amongst others and in Namibia, stopped off to cook crocodile satay and oryx rolls. Their disarmingly unpretentious love of food and easy on-screen banter won them an appreciative fan club.
Though some worried their recipes were unhealthy. ‘Their banana French toast recipe, consisting of brioche, bananas, peanut butter and cream, was ominously dedicated to Elvis Presley. One critic suggested that their full-English shakshuka, featuring sausages, lardons and black pudding, “looks as if it should come with a diagram on how to administer CPR”.’ As a consequence they made a series The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight with the book selling millions.
Dave Myers, 8 September 1957 Barrow in Furness, learnt to cook young when his mother was ill. He was an earthy Sun, Mercury, Mars in Virgo with a Pisces Moon. His Uranus in Leo was trine Saturn and sextile Jupiter – inventive, risk-taking, adventurous, laid-back. Tough as well and used to hard conditions with Pluto probably opposition Moon square Saturn.
What is curious (unless wiki dates are off) is that Si King, 20 October 1966 had his Mars in Virgo conjunct Dave’s Pluto and square his Saturn. And Si’s Uranus Pluto in Virgo was conjunct Dave’s Mars, Mercury, Sun which does not look like an easy-going bro-romance. Admittedly Si has a charming Sun Venus in Libra which is conjunct Dave’s Venus. And Si’s Jupiter in Leo does chime with Dave’s fun-loving Uranus.
Their relationship chart is also quite heavy going with a challenging composite Mars Pluto conjunction and Saturn inconjunct Uranus Jupiter. The Uranus Jupiter conjunction would help giving them a joint sense of a fun romp. The Sun trine Saturn was businesslike and good for a work relationship.
