Turkey and Voting Programs – Saturday twenty fifth July 2015, seven years in the past at present,wasn’t a very busy day for me in London, and I lined solely three protests. What caught my consideration, due to our present political scenario was a protest following the Might 2015 election over the unfairness of our present voting system. The opposite two have been about repression out of the country which has featured vastly within the information not too long ago notably over the export of grain from the Ukraine, our NATO ally Turkey.
Free Steve Kaczynski from Turkish Jail – Kingsway
Steve Kaczynski, born in Scotland was at one time employed by the BBC World Service as an professional on Turkey. He was arrested in April 2015 throughout a raid on a left-wing Turkish cultural centre on suspicion of being a British spy and was nonetheless in jail with out cost, now on starvation strike.
Kaczynski was on the centre to indicate worldwide solidarity towards fascism when it was raided by Turkish police following a hostage incident in a courthouse the place a state prosecutor and the 2 gunmen holding him captive have been killed, however there isn’t any proof that he was in any manner concerned with the incident.
The Turkish media has made a lot of rumours leaked by the federal government that he was a British or German spy, however those that know him discover this unimaginable to imagine. His arrest seems to be a part of a scientific programme by the AKP Turkish authorities to intimidate any political opposition.
The protest exterior the constructing housing the Counsellor’s Workplace for Tradition & Info of the Turkish Embassy on Kingsway, near Holborn Station, included some from the British left in addition to the Turkish Standard Entrance within the UK. Those that knew him described him as a sort and delicate man who abhors violence and has lengthy campaigned for human rights and political freedom. The protesters handed out leaflets to folks passing by and made loads of noise singing and chanting, however the workplace was closed on a Saturday morning and it was unlikely that there was anybody in there to listen to them.
Steve Kaczynski was lastly launched three months later, after surviving a 61 day starvation strike.
Free Steve Kaczynski from Turkish Jail
Make seats match votes – Previous Palace Yard, Westminster
The Might 2015 Common Election resulted within the Conservative Get together who received solely 36.8% of the votes, just a bit over a 3rd, being returned with an general majority, although solely a small one.
Our first previous the publish constituency-based electoral system brings in enormous variations based mostly on each which celebration you vote for and the realm through which you reside. There was a Tory MP elected for each 34, 241 Tory voters, a Labour MP for each 40,290 Labour voters, however a Lib-Dem for each 301,990 Lib-Demo Voters and just one UKIP and one Inexperienced MP regardless of their events getting 3,881,099 and 1,157,630 votes respectively. Two small events with important votes received no MPs in any respect.
A petition had been began earlier than the election by Owen Winter, the impartial member of the youth parliament for Cornwall, received over 200,000 signatures in per week or two and their have been different related well-supported petitions on different websites calling for voting reform and a system of proportional illustration that will lead to a authorities that mirrored how folks voted – signed in complete by greater than half 1,000,000 folks.
The protest included a map of the UK made by balloons of various colors for the varied events holding seats within the UK, which likely made sense for anybody sitting in a helicopter above the occasion however was fairly properly unimaginable to see and {photograph} clearly at floor stage.
After a brief introduction, folks went by way of the ‘map’ with pins popping balloons for the constituencies the place no candidate received over 50% of the votes. Once more this was onerous to make visible sense out of at floor stage.
What appeared to me missing – other than the opposite 499,000 or so who had signed the petitions – was any clear recommend of how a fairer voting system would possibly work, although on My London Diary I put ahead one suggestion which could work in addition to retaining a few of the benefits of the current system. However virtually any system of PR would give us a fairer consequence than the present one, fashionable with the Conservatives and Labour because it entrenches their unfair benefit. Though the SNP additionally profit from the present system they help electoral reform.
Kurds blame Turks for Suruc bloodbath – Downing St
32 Younger activists have been massacred by ISIS at Suruc on their manner with toys, books and different supplies to construct a playground, library and different tasks in Kobani (or Kobane). Kurds and supporters protested at Downing St, blaming our NATO ally Turkey for supporting ISIS.
Kobani is a Kurdish-majority metropolis in northern Syria, near the Syria–Turkey border, which turned part of Rojava, the autonomous space within the north of Syria beneath Kurdish management as a consequence of the Syrian Civil Warfare. It was beseiged by ISIS from September 2014 to January 2015, and the defeat of ISIS within the space by the Kurdish Peoples Safety Models, backed by US air help was a key turning level within the struggle towards Islamic State.
Turkey has carried out a marketing campaign of repression towards the Kurds in Turkey who in return have been making an attempt, generally by navy means, to free themselves from Turkish domination which treats them as inferior residents, outlawing their language and tradition, and kidnapped and nonetheless holds their chief, Abdullah Ocalan. Extra not too long ago Turkey has invaded components of Rojava, and the Kobani space accepted the Syrian Military and their Russian help into the realm in an try to guard it from Turkish invasion.
Turkey permits ISIS to function on and throughout their border, in addition to aiding them within the smuggling out of oil and different items by way of Turkey important of their financial help. They’ve additionally allowed recruits and provides to succeed in them by way of Turkey. They seem to hope that ISIS will resolve the Kurdish drawback for them by defeating the Kurds in Iraq advert Syria.
After many speeches, together with one by Edmonton MP Kate Osamor who has many Kurds in her constituency, they marched off in the direction of the BBC which they are saying ignores assaults on Kurds and routinely sides, just like the British Authorities with the Turkish authorities towards them.
Kurds blame Turks for Suruc bloodbath
Tags: balloons, books, electoral reform, fairer voting, first previous the publish, FPTP, Free Steve Kaczynski, Nice Britain, starvation strike, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, jailed activist, Kingsway, Kobane, Kobani, Kurds, London, Make seats match votes, march, NATO, peter Marshall, Peter Tatchell, protest, Rojava, Steve Kaczynski, Suruc massacres, Syrian Kurds, toys, Turkey, Turkish jail, Turkish repression, Turkish help, Turks, UK, unfair voting system, college college students
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