Daphne Anson: The Sick Man of Europe: David Cameron talks Turkey

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Wednesday 28 July 2010

The Sick Man of Europe: David Cameron talks Turkey

I'm a paid-up, card-carrying member of the Conservative Party. I didn't vote for David Cameron as leader. I distrusted him then. I despise him now. One of the pithiest definitions of a Conservative that I've ever seen is "someone who jumps back when they see a precipice at their feet".

David Cameron is not a Conservative. He is a smooth unprincipled opportunist, and, moreover, one who appears to bear the impression of the last man to sit upon him. In his case, there are the imprints of two men - his appalling coalition partner Nick Clegg (whose antipathy towards Israel, like that of all too many of Clegg's Lib Dem colleagues, is a matter of public record), and the equally appalling Barack Obama (who in appeasement's cause seems willing to sell Israel down the Jordan river).

Cameron's speech in Ankara could have come straight from Obama's teleprompter. With a lunatic disregard for the fact that Erdogan is no secularising Ataturk but an Islamist puppet, Cameron will "fight" for Turkey's membership of the European Union - thus pitting himself against wiser counsels such as Nicolas

Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. With a cavalier contempt for the facts of history, he ignorantly likens opposition to Turkey's membership of the EU to de Gaulle's veto of Britain's bid to join the Common Market in 1963 (back in the days when the EEC could be considered the economic arm of NATO, by the way, and not the villainous bureaucratic tyranny that has been forced on the peoples of Europe by stealth). The reason for de Gaulle's veto was the general's fear that if Grand Bretagne was to be accepted into what was then a club of six, British influence in the EEC would rival and perhaps eclipse that of France. The reason so many Europeans today view with alarm the prospect of Turkey's membership of the EU is the fact that Islamic influence in Turkey is growing, and that membership would give Turks - not only secularist or moderate Muslim Turks - the right to settle anywhere in the EU.

But Cameron is seemingly nonplussed at the potential arrival of millions of Muslim fundamentalists in Europe's heartland. He lashed out in his speech at people who "think the values of Islam can just never be compatible with the values of other religions, societies or cultures". I'd love to believe him, but the treatment of women, gays, dissenters and apostates in Islamic societies makes me wary; I think it should make Cameron wary too.

And then there's the question of the Gaza flotilla, in which nine Turkish activists belonging to an Islamist organisation with terror links called the IHH lost their lives when violently resisting Israeli commandos. Cameron insists on a rigorous enquiry into Israel's actions. Never mind that Israel has a right to defend itself, and ensure that arms for Hamas aren't smuggled into Gaza. Never mind, too, that there is plenty of evidence - such as that newly opened Gaza Mall - that Gaza is not exactly the "prison camp" that Cameron says it is. Certainly, the lives of the people of Gaza could be improved, but tell that to Hamas.

I could go on. But instead I'll refer you to the splendid commentary on this subject that Ray Cook has on his blog today. Cameron should read it too. Compulsorily.

4 comments:

Anonymous29 July 2010 at 19:31
A good blog. Cameron seems to be losing friend and uninfluencing people wherever he goes on gthis trip- alienating Israel and Pakistan, which, whatever its obvious faults, is trying to curb terrorism. Taking sides in the India-Pakistan conflict seems utterly counterproductive. It is difficult to know if Cameron is just being amateurish, or has some kind of agenda. Most Tories will soon be keen to see the back of him, I would guess.
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Daphne Anson29 July 2010 at 19:51
Thanks for your comment.
Since writing this blog, in which I use the word "Islamist", I came across an article that Cameron contributed to "The Observer" (London) in 2007. In it, he warns that many Muslims are "deeply offended" by the use of that very word, Islamist, and by the adjective Islamic, "to describe the terrorist threat we face today".
What would he prefer - "islamofascist"?
The man is an ostrich-with-his-head-in-the sand living in Cloud Cuckoo Land; unfortunately, he -with a little help from his Cleggite friends - seems bent on turning Britain into Cloud Cuckoo Land too.
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Anonymous2 August 2010 at 10:55
Cameron has sacrificed ideals for popularity; which will diminish his place in history. He is no great leader just a follower seeking the next "soundbite" to win in the polls. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a one-term PM because a statesman he is not.
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Daphne Anson2 August 2010 at 18:30
Exactly. I wonder how he feels now that he's managed to offend both the Israelis and the Pakistanis!
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