Cyprus-Forum.com

[Zenon33]

It seems now all of the staff of another polling company who were out conducting a poll into the early elections have been arrested:

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turk ... lindi.html

Any Erdoğan apologists out there care to explain this one? Or could it be that you can't rig an election if it is too far out of synch with what all the polls have predicted?

Tim I appreciate your posts they are very knowledgeable and show true insight into the state of play in Turkey. For me Its equally important to mention the many in Turkey who are actually risking prison in order to speak out. We can but hope with the new election that change comes soon. Its a shame that the EU,US and its leaders, say and do nothing, apart from the odd statement from some low level spokesperson.

Furthurmore, its good that you challenge the apologists to react but its a SHAME that you do not show an equal reaction to the stream of racist abuse, some following your postings. where Turks and Turkish Cypriots and muslims in general are called 'cunts' or told 'to burn in hell' etc. You seem to ignore these? If we want a reunified Cyprus then we have to challenge racism from all sides particularly in our own backyard and even report it where it breaks the law and not simply ignore it.

Yes, racism, it's all about racism.......

[Maximus]

It seems now all of the staff of another polling company who were out conducting a poll into the early elections have been arrested:

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turk ... lindi.html

Any Erdoğan apologists out there care to explain this one? Or could it be that you can't rig an election if it is too far out of synch with what all the polls have predicted?

Tim I appreciate your posts they are very knowledgeable and show true insight into the state of play in Turkey. For me Its equally important to mention the many in Turkey who are actually risking prison in order to speak out. We can but hope with the new election that change comes soon. Its a shame that the EU,US and its leaders, say and do nothing, apart from the odd statement from some low level spokesperson.

Furthurmore, its good that you challenge the apologists to react but its a SHAME that you do not show an equal reaction to the stream of racist abuse, some following your postings. where Turks and Turkish Cypriots and muslims in general are called 'cunts' or told 'to burn in hell' etc. You seem to ignore these? If we want a reunified Cyprus then we have to challenge racism from all sides particularly in our own backyard and even report it where it breaks the law and not simply ignore it.

Yes, racism, it's all about racism.......

Yes racism, as a political ideology of those in the illegal and illegitimate "TRNC" which is in our own backyard.

[Tim Drayton]

How Can Dündar's column in today's Cumhuriyet ends:

Sabredin; 40 gün kaldı.

Gidiyorlar.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/koseyazisi ... ar....html

I.e., "Be patient. There are forty days left. They're going."

I think he's right. Be ready for a radically different Turkey soon.

[Maximus]

How Can Dündar's column in today's Cumhuriyet ends:

Sabredin; 40 gün kaldı.

Gidiyorlar.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/koseyazisi ... ar....html

I.e., "Be patient. There are forty days left. They're going."

I think he's right. Be ready for a radically different Turkey soon.

If the AKP go, the new government or coalition government must tow the same line. Specifically in regards to foreign policy. The AKP are corrupt to the core so will the new regime have to be because they are in the middle of a campaign to bring energy through the middle east to make Turkey an 'energy hub'. If they don't continue to tow the same line, which involves cracking down on any dissent that goes contrary to their plans, the west will make sure Turkey has more problems than she already has. Until the government is corruptible or a new corrupt puppet is governing the country again. Someone just like Erdogan.

I don't think Erdogan is going anywhere. The Turks can put whoever they want in government. Erdogan will remain as the all seeing all dancing single ruling puppet president, presiding over Turkey.

[Lordo]

How Can Dündar's column in today's Cumhuriyet ends:

Sabredin; 40 gün kaldı.

Gidiyorlar.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/koseyazisi ... ar....html

I.e., "Be patient. There are forty days left. They're going."

I think he's right. Be ready for a radically different Turkey soon.

If the AKP go, the new government or coalition government must tow the same line. Specifically in regards to foreign policy. The AKP are corrupt to the core so will the new regime have to be because they are in the middle of a campaign to bring energy through the middle east to make Turkey an 'energy hub'. If they don't continue to tow the same line, which involves cracking down on any dissent that goes contrary to their plans, the west will make sure Turkey has more problems than she already has. Until the government is corruptible or a new corrupt puppet is governing the country again. Someone just like Erdogan.

I don't think Erdogan is going anywhere. The Turks can put whoever they want in government. Erdogan will remain as the all seeing all dancing single ruling puppet president, presiding over Turkey.

get it into your thick heads no matter who comes to power the policy on cyprus does not change. the orders come from the yanks. gavole maaaaaan you are fast asleep. about time you fuckers wake up.

[miltiades]

How Can Dündar's column in today's Cumhuriyet ends:

Sabredin; 40 gün kaldı.

Gidiyorlar.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/koseyazisi ... ar....html

I.e., "Be patient. There are forty days left. They're going."

I think he's right. Be ready for a radically different Turkey soon.

If the AKP go, the new government or coalition government must tow the same line. Specifically in regards to foreign policy. The AKP are corrupt to the core so will the new regime have to be because they are in the middle of a campaign to bring energy through the middle east to make Turkey an 'energy hub'. If they don't continue to tow the same line, which involves cracking down on any dissent that goes contrary to their plans, the west will make sure Turkey has more problems than she already has. Until the government is corruptible or a new corrupt puppet is governing the country again. Someone just like Erdogan.

I don't think Erdogan is going anywhere. The Turks can put whoever they want in government. Erdogan will remain as the all seeing all dancing single ruling puppet president, presiding over Turkey.

get it into your thick heads no matter who comes to power the policy on cyprus does not change. the orders come from the yanks. gavole maaaaaan you are fast asleep. about time you fuckers wake up.

About time you flash the shit from your thick and full of shit brain !!

[Tim Drayton]

Erdoğan is the elected president, true. On the other hand he is also the puppet master of the AKP, even if this is not allowed by the constitution. Without an AKP majority in parliament he is limited to the role allotted to the president by the current constitution, and that is not a very big one. If there is a government with no AKP involvement, can the notorious corruption investigations, which stretch as far as Erdoğan, be restarted? There are also rumoured to be investigations into the arming of jihadist groups in Syria, said to have an international dimension - perhaps the International Criminal Court? - which implicate Erdoğan. The latter is rumoured to have already brought in a team of legal experts to look into whether the president can be prosecuted and prepare possible defences. Can Erdoğan ignore the results of yet another election? Lots of rumours, lots of uncertainty. No, Erdoğan will not disappear overnight. All the signs are that big changes are on the way, though.

[Tim Drayton]

...
If you were more specific about how you believe Erdoğan is "pulling the strings behind the scenes" I could consider it.
....

Well, in common with everybody who follows events in Turkey, the Financial Times seems to have caught up with this, as the following quote from a detailed analysis in today's issue shows:

In speeches and interviews, Mr Erdogan — who served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014, the year he was elected president — gives the impression that power has already migrated into his presidency, and voters and laws simply have to catch up.

“There is a president with de facto power in the country, not a symbolic one,” Mr Erdogan said in August.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ec792ffc ... z3mYXukteY

It is perhaps telling that this neo-liberal rag that was once such a fan of Erdoğan now refers to his AKP party as 'neo-Islamist', when it once considered them to represent cuddly 'moderate Islam' (whatever that is).

They have also correctly realised that Erdoğan needs an AKP election victory to stay out of clink (although it is rumoured that he has a bolt hole ready in Malaysia):

Challenged in the past two years by widespread protests over his authoritarianism and intrusive policies and by corruption probes reaching deep into his inner circle, the president needs to stay firmly in power or risk facing the courts.

I think there's a good chance Erdoğan will be behind bars by the end of this year.

[B25]

I think there's a good chance Erdoğan will be behind bars by the end of this year.

[Lordo]

i can't see him being tried while he is in office. after he goes perhaps. people in office have diplomatic immunity.