Writing in The Irish Times yesterday, law lecturer Ronan McCrea argued that immigrant laws must give preference to people who are committed to ‘tolerance’. Depending on what he means, this could be deeply problematic, or not.

If he has in mind immigrants who would impose Sharia law on their new societies given a chance, then he certainly has a point. Likewise if he has in mind those who attack, or encourage attacks, on Jews or gays or women.

But if he also has in mind people who oppose say, gay marriage or abortion then he doesn’t simply have a problem with immigrants who have such beliefs, but logically with many native Europeans as well.

His article was prompted by an editorial in The Irish Times which criticised France because it is moving to require immigrants to sign up to ‘liberal’ and ‘egalitarian’ values.

There is absolutely no doubt what the French Government has in mind by this proposal. It has in mind would-be immigrants who don’t believe in democracy and would impose Sharia law given a chance.

The French Government emphatically does not believe that those who merely oppose gay marriage should be prevented from becoming immigrants. They do not fail the test of ‘tolerance’.

We know this because the French Government itself does not believe in same-sex marriage as proven by a vote in the French Parliament a few days ago.

Indeed, France’s Supreme Court has ruled that the traditional definition of marriage does not violate the equality provisions of the French Constitution, and the European Court of Human Rights for that matter has ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights does not require same-sex marriage and that it is not discrimination not to permit same-sex marriage.

McCrea makes various mentions of ‘gender equality’. Again, what does he mean by this? Some feminists believe you can’t have gender equality without abortion. What does Ronan McCrea believe and what does he think immigrants should believe?

At one point in the article he says that in some regions of Germany those applying for citizenship must answer questions on “gender equality and same-sex partnerships”.

But many German citizens might not be able to give the ‘right’ answers to these questions. What should become of them, or likeminded people in say, Ireland or France?

McCrea obviously isn’t going to argue for their wholesale deportation but he might argue in favour of engaging in the radical re-education of the population (beginning in schools) so that they adopt the ‘right’ values.

And he might argue for laws that curbs the rights of individuals and organisations that still believe in traditional morality. Indeed, he has argued for such laws. Shades of the Dictatorship of Relativism here. Share our values, or else.