UKIP Party Political Broadcast - 3/2/16

[usedbustickets]

Starting with the beer.  How dare you sir! ... yes how dare you compare within a paragraph Carlsberg (brewed in Northampton) euro-lagerpop with one of the greatest of British Beers, Fullers LONDON Pride. Pure, pure, food, that it is ...... chestnut in colour, the thinnest of bright white head, and flat as witches t*t, and a taste so divine that it must have some weakness somewhere, and that is that it does not travel outside the M25 ... and do not doubt me on the latter point, it is a proven scientific fact, cos my mate told me that, and he is a doctor!

As to the spurious cider west country claim.  May I remind you sir, of the Garden County of England, famed for its apples and cider, yes the beautiful county of Kent, and lets not forget that it is also the best hops growing area too.  And who can forget the great Sussex robbery, when the King of Ciders, MERRYDOWN, was shifted down to Gloucestershire way from Heathfield, East Sussex, to teach them carrot crunchers 'ow te make zider!!  Legend also has it that it was Merrydown that inspired Adge Cutler to sing 'Drink up 'e zider' (for tonight we'll MERRY be), and if it is good enough for 'The Avonmouth Bard' (my lover!!) then surely it should be recognised as such by an old Bristolian - via Wales boyo - like yourself.

Mind you what all that has to do with the UKIP PPB I don't know, but hopefully some kind soul will get us back on track by, for example, mentioning the 35,000 Syrian refugees sitting at the Turkish border ?

[Lotty]

Breathe UBT breathe.   

[Colwyn]

OK, we've had a little game so I'll give your UKIP a whirl. You first produced a list of facts. These look impressive as a pile but need to be taken to pieces to get some meaning from them. For example, "Christians made up 20% of the population in 1900 today it is less than 0.2%, as discrimination against non Sunni muslims still continues today".

This makes it sound like a concerted AKP drive towards ethnic cleansing. In fact the majority of Christians had already left Turkey before the 1923 exchange of populations Turkey/Greece was agreed and completed the clearance. Since the National Governtment could not examine genetic or ethnic bases for identifying Greeks they used membership of the Greek Orthodox faith. I imagine a similar process happened with Armenians {I am not familiar with the history of this} on the basis of membership of the Apostolic Church. This ethnic cleansing was, of course, horrible but it did happen a very long time ago and {now EU member} Greece evicted Muslims at the same time.

Discrimination against Shia Muslims {the majority of whom are Alevi} is certainly present. They do however comprise about 30% of the population {with very nearly all the rest being Sunni} so are not a negligible minority. This is certainly an area which should be an agenda item in any possible EU negotiations.

Looking at items not on the list we might suggest Turkey has much to offer Europe - certainly more than Roumania, Burgaria, and Greece when they were let in. Just as titbits: if you allow me to define Turkey as part of Europe {which it has been treated since the 19th century when the Ottoman Empire was famously "The Sick Man of Europe"} then Turkey makes half the TVs manufactured in Europe; Arcelik-Beko is a major manufacturer of white goods and exports 75% of its output - I have one of their fridge-freezers in my kitchen; Turkey is Europe's fifth largest motor manufacturing country; and its textiles exports are about $30billion.

[usedbustickets]

Ah the question is then, other than the dubious 'prone to flight' manufacturing (e.g TVs and white goods, motor manufacturing which always chase the lowest wage closest to the market, as we saw in the 70s when companies started to shift and consolidate production from UK and other northern European locations into southern Europe, particularly Spain for cars and Italy for white goods) what are the positive items on your list for Turkey's admission into the EU?  Perhaps I should ask, in short, should Turkey be admitted into the EU?

Just for the record they are not 'my UKIP', but I simply think that a number of the points they raise are by and large correct.  And whilst  many of the political establishment, particularly from some sections of the left or liberal viewpoint, may not like it, it is a conclusion that many other voters have come to as well.  And not just right wing jingoistic loons.

[Stuart T]

In the mid to late 70's I remember Britain also being described as "The Sick Man of Europe".

Then along came the Blessed Margaret.

Before she went totally bonkers there were many issues she tackled in order to restore some measure of global respect.

I'm not sure that I entirely fit all the requirements to qualify as a right wing jingoistic loon but can't help but wonder what she would do now in Cameron's position.

Thatcher vs Farage - the winner to meet Merkel in a cage match.

[JohnF]

Perhaps I should ask, in short, should Turkey be admitted into the EU?

An alternative question could be "do Turkey want to be admitted to the EU?".

Ankara are happy to accept the various handouts given to countries in the accession process but they are less happy to fulfil the necessary accession chapters required for membership of the EU.  Lets not forget the Ankara Agreement way back in 1963, thats when Turkey first wanted into the European Economic Community (EEC) and since then they have managed to complete ONE chapter, the one relating to Science and Research - and that was in 2006!

Feck knows how many properties were punted during the boom years (early to mid 2000's) on the back of Turkey becoming a member of the EU, when in reality, there was as much chance then as there is now of Turkey becoming a full member of the EU.  It may happen at some point in the future, but not I suspect in my lifetime.

I simply think that a number of the points they raise are by and large correct. 

Shamefully for Turkey in respect of several points, you are right.  The numbers don't stand up to scrutiny for many of their claims, but its a party political broadcast - no-one expects accuracy.

JF

[KKOB]

I think there's far more chance of Turkey being admitted to the Arab League than there is of them getting into the EU as full members.

[Colwyn]

I think there's far more chance of Turkey being admitted to the Arab League than there is of them getting into the EU as full members.

Quite possibly. Still that didn't stop UKIP implying that if the UK didn't leave the EU pronto then we'd all be over-run by Turks. [Maybe I shouldn't have used that foreign word. Sounds a bit unUKIPish].

[JohnF]

Ironically, one of the stumbling blocks over Turkey's desire to join the Arab League is the issue with the Kurds and the self annexation of Hatay (to Turkey) way back in 1945 which has a number of similarities with the Cyprus issue that has been seen by many as a major obstacle to membership of the EU.

Funny old game international politics...

JF

[Highlander]

Forgive my schoolboy error I had thought this was a discussion forum.

touche, sir