Socialist Resistance

An archive of socialistresistance.org, 2002–2022

In My View Should Turkey be allowed into the EU?

by Sarah Parker  |  Socialist Resistance no26  |  page 15

This is scanned newsprint, not web text. The original PDFs carried no text layer at all, so every word here was read off the page by OCR. Expect dropped opening letters, run-together words and wrong characters. There was no contents page to cut the paper up by, so the articles were found from the size of their headlines: a headline may carry its kicker, and where an article ran beside a boxed panel a few lines of the neighbour can appear. The scanned issue is the authority; this text is here so the words can be found at all.

What should be our attitude to Turkey's bld to Join the EU? The question Is especiaily pertinent following the rejection of the EU Constitution (and the noo-liberal model it represents) by a majority of French and Dutch voters.

Turkey's accession was raised by the right In the EU Constitution debate and will continue to come up.

I would argue that the common vlow on the left which says "Turkey Is not fit to joln the EU because Its human rights record Is abysmal" Is wrong.

Fortress Europe Is also attacking freedoms - building up special powers to be used against asylum seekers, environmental protesters and global justice campaigners. I think that I the majority of people in Turkey wanted to join the EU, we should support their wish.

At the same time we should war them not to trust promIses from elther EU politicians or from their own leaders that Turkey's accession is just around the corner. It may be or, more Ilkely, it may not.

If EU leaders did decide for their own reasons to let Turkey joln, the working class both In Europe, which already contains a sizeable Turkish and Kurdish element, and in Turkey, would be In a stronger position to fight together for their rights than at present.

Meanwhlle we should get on with bullding links with organIsations and individuals in Turkey that defend human rights, defend freedom of assoclation and expression, fight agalnst IMF- Induced poverty and privatisation, and struggle for the self-determInatlon of the Kurdish people.

We should not forget that thero are close connections between EU security and economic pollcles at home and policles towards non-Eu reglons such as Turkey. Solldartty llaks will strengthen fights for Justice and agalnst

poverty and privatisation botl In Turkey and here. Have Your Say If you have a point of view on this or any other current political issue raised in the paper why not share it with us on [email protected] Contributions for 'In My View' should be no more than 400 words.