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Mildly amusing protocol non-compliance o' the day

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A staggeringly dull Hansard today, and this is all I have found thus far:

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Turkey on its non-compliance with the Ankara Protocol; and if he will make a statement. 


Chris Bryant: Ministers and officials across Government have frequent contact with Turkish counterparts on all aspects of Turkey's EU accession process, including discussion of the Additional Ankara Protocol, where we urge Turkey to take forward its implementation. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did so most recently with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on 25 September 2009.

Fancy having a protocol named for one's nation's capital and then not complying with it.  Apart from sounding like an airport bestseller, the Ankara Protocol would appear to involve our Turkish chums opening up ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus.   

Elsewhere, this:

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the names are of the members of the Prime Minister's working group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society.


Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ministerial Working Group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society is chaired by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The other members are: the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the First Minister for Northern Ireland, the Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland, the Minister for Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland.

Well, the Kirk is Presbytarian, so Broon is quite a relevant chairman.  Liam Byrne's religious affiliation has not lept out at me, but I think I can guess...  Ian Pearson - who has the excellent middle name of Phares, with this by far the most interesting thing about him - does not wear is allegiance on his sleeve either.  Peter Robinson is NOT a Presbytarian but rather a Pentecostalist.  Yes, really.  Martin McGuinness - well, you work it out.   And last but not least, Arlene Foster is a DUP bod, so presumably a Prod of some description.  So, were I a Presbytarian and of a paranoid disposition, I might question the credentials of the working group.

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posted by Croydonian

Big news from Turkey

Monday, June 22, 2009
From Hurriyet:

"The southeastern Anatolian city of Gaziantep has become the first in the country to have a public toilet that meets European Union standards. The toilet facility was built in the city’s Türktepe neighborhood, along Culture Road, and cost 80,000 euros. It is reportedly very comfortable".

I particularly like the address.

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posted by Croydonian

How to hack off Turkish neighbours

Sunday, May 31, 2009
Be an unmarried Jewish American couple with a taste for the demon drink. Mr and Mrs Yilmaz won't like that at all.

And how do we know this? From an odd poll by Turkish title Miliyet, and picked up by Ha'aretz:

"A new study...said 64 percent of Turks would not want Jewish neighbours.

The study also suggested Turks had a low tolerance for diverse lifestyles in general, as three in four respondents said they would not want to live next to an atheist or anyone drinking alcohol. Results...also stated that 52 percent would not want Christian neighbors, 67 would not want to live next to an unmarried couple and 43 percent would not want American neighbours".

How very liberal of them. The full detail is here somewhere I presume, although my command of Turkish does not go much further than khan, janissary and yoghurt.

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posted by Croydonian

Keeping sense of proportion, Armenian-style

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
That Armenia and Turkey are inching towards diplomatic relations and so forth is a good thing, but some folk do seem to have a problem with a sense of proportion:

"Dr. Armen Gavakian from the Macquarie University in Sydney, inspired by a similar Turkish initiative apologizing to Armenians, decided last month to launch a campaign to apologize from Turks for murders committed by the Asala organization in the 1980s".

He has since withdrawn his idea after brickbats were flung in his direction, but note that the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) killed fewer than 50 people (NOT that that makes terrorism OK) during its existence.

In contrast, the Hamidian massacres killed anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000, and the genocide killed between 300,000 and 1.5 million Armenians Not really comparing like with like, is it?

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posted by Croydonian

Business first, national security later.

Monday, December 22, 2008
Way back lost in the mists of time I watched 'Top Gun' at a cinema in Leicester Square in the first week of its run, and in a packed cinema I was one of two people (the other one was my mate) who guffawed at this (approximate) line: "Those Russian Migs have got Exocets". (1)

Anyway, life is semi-imitating art, by the look of things, as "Turkey plans to buy 32 used Mi-28 (Havoc) helicopters from Russia in a deal worth a total of $1 billion, a national Turkish daily reported on Monday".

While the Mi-28 is not exactly bleeding age these days, it is not a rotored donkey either, and I imagine that Russia selling current aircraft to a NATO country is a first.

(1) - Note for normal people - this was during the cold war, and even La France Perfide would be unlikely to sell weaponry to the Soviet Union.

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posted by Croydonian

"....to forgive divine" Pt II

Thursday, October 30, 2008
In a fairly extraordinary development, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian reckons "There are no substantial obstacles to the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations".

Unexpectedly, Turkey was an early recogniser of free Armenia in '91, but it all went sour in '93 over the Artsakh war. Apparently Turkey still thinks it shocking that Armenia would like an admission of the Turkish genocides against it, with this something of a problem for Yerevan, and a huge one for the diaspora. My sympathies lie with Armenia on these issues, but a full diplomatic and trading relationship with Turkey would be good for all concerned.

I suspect this is not the Edward Nalbandian that shows up on a wiki search - a lyrical inspiration to Frank Zappa, apparently.

(Pt I here).

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posted by Croydonian

"....to forgive divine"

Saturday, September 13, 2008
"Armenia’s Culture Minister, Hasmik Bogosyan, wants to collaborate with its Turkish counterpart...Bogosyan said her biggest dream was to organize a festival celebrating Turkey in Armenia". Source

That there has been a thawing of Turko-Armenian relations of late is undoubtedly a good thing for all concerned, but I don't think there is much of a prospect of a Goethe festival in Jerusalem any time soon, is there?

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posted by Croydonian

Taking the franchise seriously

Thursday, September 04, 2008
Turks have been polled on voting intentions, and the ruling AKP is doing well. That, however, is scarcely worthy of comment.

What intrigues is that some seven per cent of Turks fully intend to roll up to the polling station and 'cast an invalid vote'. Some one in fifty are rather lazier and will not vote at all.

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posted by Croydonian

They do things differently in...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
....Turkey.

This is *really* odd:

"The health minister has called on citizens to be more active in using the available emergency services... Health Minister Recep Akdağ said the number of calls made to the 112 emergency hotline continued to fall short of international levels. He also warned that citizens blindly intervening could result in accidents".

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

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posted by Croydonian

Negotiation à la Turque

Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Turkey and Armenia are not the friendliest of neighbours for reasons scarcely worth going into, but there may yet be talks about talks between Yerevan and Istanbul.

Not that the Turks want much:

"It is apparent that Turkey brings forth several preconditions for normalizing relations with Armenia, and these preconditions include the withdrawal of Armenian troops from [Artsakh] and Armenia's rejection of the policy of genocide recognition".

And the head of President Serge Sarkisian on a plate, maybe?

Meanwhile, I discover that the Armenian currency is the Dram, which could make for fearful confusion in Armeno-Caledonian relations.

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posted by Croydonian

Some corner of a foreign field...

Thursday, April 17, 2008
I am indebted to the Turkish Daily News for this marvelous stat shot:

"January data indicates that a total of 60,351 immovable properties on an area of 37,125,330 square meters were sold to 70,336 foreign nationals in Turkey. British citizens topped the list, owning 4,867,676 square meters of land (or 7.6%. C), daily Milliyet reported yesterday".

More data like this, please.

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posted by Croydonian

Something to make the arts lobby sick with jealousy

Wednesday, March 05, 2008
How many times have Turner Prize winners and the like declared that they want to shock the public? A fair few times, I would think, and it would also seem to be the ambition of just about every graduate of RADA, the Slade etc etc . No one ever seems to have 'adding to the gaiety of the nation' on their wish list, but less of that later.

Anyway, if this headline - 'Street theatre scares children, shocks nation' - don't fetch 'em, I don't know Arkansaw, or rather Erzurum.

In a late bid for beacon council status, the Mayor of Aşkale, Erzurum province ordered municipal workers to 'dress up as Armenians acting out hanging an imam and murdering a family before being killed themselves by high school students playing the Turkish militia'. The 'educational' playlet was to commemorate the 90th anniversary of what the Mayor considers the liberation of the area, and "They repeat the event every year, he said, so children will always remember what happened. 'Keeping these sentiments alive will give us an honorable future'".

In fairness to the Turks, the main national newspapers are appalled and outraged. Which is a start, although acknowledging the Armenian genocide, or even asking questions as to why there are no Armenians in Erzerum province these days would be better still.

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posted by Croydonian

The Turks - way ahead of the curve, or way behind it?

Thursday, January 03, 2008
Istanbul has just been graced with its first feminist bookshop, some 40 odd (?) years after they debuted in London, NY and other happening places. However, the only feminist book shop in London that I can think off - Silver Moon - closed ages back.

Meanwhile, the store styles itself "Amargi...from a Sumerian word meaning freedom and "returning to mother." Having far too good a memory for the deeply unimportant, I recalled that the emblem of the Liberty Press uses the cuneiform for ama-gi, this being the first appearance of a word for freedom, apparently. And here it is, lifted from their web-site:

Wonderful though mothers in general are, going back to one does not seem to be exactly on all fours with freedom as a concept, unless it is the freedom to revert to being a child.

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posted by Croydonian

What not to wear - Istanbul edition

Wednesday, December 26, 2007
A t-shirt with this on it:

The Turkish Daily News reports on the crackdown in those parts on drug-related t-shirts: "Several stores in the Beyoğlu and Kadıköy districts of Istanbul were raided, with police questioning storeowners whether they kept T-shirts that promoted drugs". Whether this is a law, or police discretion in operation is not entirely clear, nor yet whether sporting a shirt like so will give visiting tourists a chance to have the full Midnight Express experience.

I imagine that most folk wearing t-shirts like so do it mainly to annoy their parents etc, as a sage shopkeeper interviewed notes, "The ban is meaningless since people using or selling drugs never wear any kind of drug symbols in order to remain inconspicuous". Well, exactly.

Sartorial questions to one side, there is a very serious issue here as to the right or otherwise to campaign, one way or another for a change in the law. Would a plain t-shirt with the slogan 'Repeal [insert penal code reference] now', without a cannabis leaf, ecstasy pill etc bring down the wrath of The Man in the same way? And if so, what if the penal code reference was to something else, like - cough - Article 301, which prohibits 'insulting Turkishness', by way of pointing the finger over the Armenian genocides?

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posted by Croydonian

What would Jan Sobieski think?

Monday, December 10, 2007
Vienna is in the midst of a bit of a Satanic Verses episode, because of this statue:

It is, obviously enough, a female nude sporting a headscarf. Mind you, it could be a balaclava... So far, so not enormously interesting. However, it is entitled 'Turkish Delight', and the Turks are not happy. At all.

What has happened to it is not entirely clear, as one report refers to it having been removed, and another to it having been knocked over:

"A statue of a nude woman donning a headscarf that was on exhibit at the premises of the Technical University in Karlsplatz in Vienna, Austria was removed by unknown people following adverse reactions. Turkish Ambassador to Vienna Selim Yenel said the sculpture was not damaged but only removed from its place". It might be a flawed translation, but that suggests to me that Yenel knows what happened through direct involvement, which rather oversteps the mark both in terms of practical art criticism and muscular diplomacy.

Meanwhile another paper notes the following: "A statue of a nude woman wearing only a headscarf was knocked down from its place in the garden of the Technical University of Vienna in Karlsplatz yesterday".

The mystery thickens somewhat, and one has to ask whether anyone would have paid any attention if the statue had had another name.

Meanwhile, Johnny Turk does seem exceptionally prickly at the moment, as "Maps showing so-called "Kurdistan" as including certain cities and areas of Turkey have been removed from the Kurdish traffic police cars and other official vehicles in northern Iraq".


(Polish king Jan Sobieski saved Turkish-besieged Vienna in 1683, if anyone did not get the reference, and was viewed at the time as having just saved Western Civilisation).

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posted by Croydonian

From the wonderful people who define the carrot as a fruit...

Monday, November 26, 2007
....come the swine that are cattle.

While googling for a reference to carrots being defined as fruit for the purposes of EU jam regulations, I found that Tim Worstall had done all the leg work years ago (for which thanks).

Anyway, the first pork processing plant in Turkey - death threats notwithstanding - is set to commence operations. Not very interesting in itself, but for this:

"Pork has important potential and is unused wealth in Turkey, said [Gencay] Tunç (founder of the plant). In 2006, the government amended the regulation on foodstuffs to comply with European Union laws. Pigs are included within the category of cattle stockbreeding".

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posted by Croydonian

Problematic, scratchcards

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Hot on the heels of the British punters who found negative numbers a tad confusing, now trouble in Turkey:

"The Finance Ministry announced Friday that scratchies issued by the lottery agency that featured a map of Turkey, with buyers scratching off the eastern part of the map to see if they have won anything, will no longer be sold in order to put an end to the criticism. In recent days reports appeared in some newspapers that criticized the fact that buyers had to scratch off the eastern part of the map, with some claiming that the scratchies carried an implicit separatist message....It said the criticisms voiced in the media had spurred Finance Minister Kemal Unakıtan to order an inquiry and the ministry had decided to withdraw the scratchies that featured the map to end any misunderstanding".

Just say no to the National Lottery.....




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posted by Croydonian

Hillary Clinton in 'right - for once' shocker

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It did come as a bit of surprise, however Clinton - along with Barrack Obama and Nancy Pelosi - has backed "House Resolution 106, officially the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide".

Objections by the Bush administration are based on the likely hissy fit by Ankara, but given how remarkably unhelpful Turkey has been of late, I am not sure why Bush should be bothered, given that what's right is right.

Herewith a video put together by an Armenian-American lobbying group that took the fight to Bob Livingston, a former congressman now pocketing Ankara's Lira:




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posted by Croydonian

Just how much trouble can a 137 page book for 12 year olds cause?

Thursday, April 05, 2007
The book in question being the standard Greek history text book for junior Hellenes.

It has managed to upset the Orthodox Church by downplaying its role in the War of Independence, and nationalists are less than keen on the downplaying of Turkish atrocities and the recognition that the Greeks might have behaved badly themselves too.

Elsewhere, "Education Minister Marietta Giannakou paved the way yesterday for the authors of the controversial primary school history book to counter one of the textbook’s main criticisms by providing more detail about certain events in Greek history". Erm, more detail in a 137 page book? That should not be enormously difficult, should it?

The Turks are regarding this with what looks like amused detatchment: "In response to the criticism against the textbook that is devoid of animosity towards the Turks and exaggerations of martyrdom, Greek Education Council Chairman Thanos Veremis told the Greek daily Eleftheros Tipos that it was not correct to accuse the Turks continuously. "Textbooks are not bibles, and therefore they can be re-written" he explained. "Violence is an integral part of history, but there's no sense in continuously narrating it. That is not the aim of textbooks".

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posted by Croydonian