EU poll: 52% would reject Turkish membership

[FutureTaoiseach]

In another case of an elite that is out of touch with European citizens, 52% of respondants in a poll in 5 member states say they would vote "no" to Turkish EU membership in a referendum.

But when the question was asked in the context of a referendum, opinion swung away from Turkey, with 52 percent opposing its membership bid and only 41 percent backing it, with seven percent giving no answer.The study organised by Istanbul's Bogazici University, Granada University in southern Spain and the Autonomous University of Madrid questioned 5,000 people in Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Spain during August and September.
Opposition to Turkey's membership was strongest in France, with 64 percent saying they would oppose it in a referendum, in Germany with 62 percent and in Britain with 46 percent.
There was more support for Turkey in Poland, with 54 percent saying "yes" in a referendum, and Spain with 53 percent.
Asked about arguments against Turkey joining the EU, 39 percent said Turkey was "a Muslim country ... not compatible with the common Christian roots" of Europe.

The poll follows a Eurobarometer poll in 2006, which found the Irish opposed to Turkish EU membership, with:

51% of Irish people saying: "The cultural differences between Turkey and the EU Member States are too significant to allow it to join the EU".

56% of Irish people saying: "Turkey’s joining could risk favouring immigration to more developed countries in the EU".

These polls underline that Turkey has no place in the EU. It is not part of Europe politically or culturally. It's contact with Europe originated by invasion of continental Europe by the Ottoman Turks, whose govt subjected Europeans to centuries of oppression in Eastern Europe. Especially in a recession, the Irish people are opposed to another mass-influx on the scale of 2004, which would be an inevitable consequence of visa-free travel and access to the Irish labour-market. This is a small country, whose infrastructure is already woefully inadequate to cater for the existing population. In 2009, the European Health Consumer Index ranks the Irish health-service 13th out of 33 in the EU.

The incapacity of Irish infrastructure to cope with a significant increase in population on the scale of existing immigration being augmented by Turkish EU membership is also underlined by the 2008-9 Global Competitiveness survey, covered by (occasional Irishelection.com contributor) Keith Martin's blog, which reveals:

In the category of ‘Quality of Overall Infrastructure’ we rank 64th in the world. 64th! 64th out of 134 countries. Our infrastructural quality ranks behind Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Azerbaijan, Jordan and Jamaica. We are one of the richest countries in the world (as measured in GDP) and,yet we still trail behind Guatemala, a country 21 times poorer.

Quality of Roads: We rank 70th - behind even Georgia. With a mean score of 3.5, we are closer to bottom ranking Mongolia (1.4) then we are to top ranking France (6.7).

Quality of Railroad Infrastructure: We move a little bit up the rankings on this one - coming in 50th.

Quality of Port Infrastructure: But then we fall back down - all the way to 64th (we own 64). This is particularly dismal given that over 90 percent of our exports go through our ports; and we’re an exporting nation. We even rank behind Zimbabwe and they’re landlocked! (They rank higher because they still have better access to South African ports and any inland waterways.)

Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure: We rank a little better on this one - 46th - though with Shannon and the regional airports coming under pressure it remains to be seen if we can maintain this ranking in the years ahead.

Quality of Electricity Supply: this is our best infrastructural ranking: 29th. This measures interruptions and voltage fluctuations. This is a considerable achievement given that the Government National Development Plans don’t provide investment into our grid. This investment has come from the ESB, paying for it out of their own resources (and, so, having to pass it on to consumers which makes it a regressive investment levy).

Turkey also fails the democratic-test. On December 13th 2009, the country's Constitutional Court banned the main Kurdish Party, the Democratic Society Party (DTP):

Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party said yesterday its lawmakers would boycott parliament after their party was banned, as violent Kurdish protests hit government efforts to mend fences with the restive minority."Our (parliamentary) group has effectively pulled out from parliament as of today. It will not participate in any work there," Ahmet Turk, co-chair of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), said after a party meeting.
The constitutional court dissolved the DTP on Friday on grounds it was linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has led a deadly 25-year insurgency in the southeast and is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community. The ruling imposed a five-year ban from politics on 37 DTP members, including Turk.
He condemned the court's action as "a blow to our faith in peace," but he voiced hope that "despite all obstacles, peace will definitely prevail in this country".
The DTP boycott appeared to step back from a decision made before the court ruling, under which lawmakers would have resigned from parliament if the party was disbanded. The party had come under pressure to keep its members in parliament to demonstrate commitment to a political solution to the Kurdish conflict.
Violent protests flared in the Kurdish-majority southeast yesterday, prompting the police to use tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators.

In conclusion then, it is time for the Oireachtas parties to come into line with Irish and European public opinion by opposing Turkish Accession to the EU. The grounds for such opposition are unquestionable: culturally and political Turkey does not match up to European democratic-standards. Economically and infrastructurally, Ireland is not prepared for another mass-influx of 100,000+ per annum. Culturally, Europe has proven incapable of successfully integrating millions of Muslim first and later generation-immigrants. Until such time as these obstacles are overcome (which I doubt will ever happen), the parties in Leinster House must see reason, listen (for once) to public opinion on Europe, and publicly come out against Turkish EU membership. Failing that, they should give the Irish people and opportunity to decide the issue in a referendum.

[Dr Pat]

Strongly agree that Turkey should not be allowed membership of EU. For a start, it is not part of Europe and that is irrespective of arguments that part of its land mass was home to Greek culture in former times and that therefore it is European.

The effect of allowing Turkey to join on immigration flows can only be imagined. Thanks, but NO thanks. I hope our politicians get the message and represent our views for once.

[toughbutfair]

What does Turkey have to offer us? nothing!

A muslim country has no place in the EU.

[cyberianpan]

They have some pretty intelligent elements to their ruling class... but their populace is not so:

Evolution Less Accepted in U.S. Than Other Western Countries, Study Finds



It is perhaps no surprise that the US wants Turkey to join

cYp

[Nodin]

What does Turkey have to offer us? nothing!

A muslim country has no place in the EU.

Sectarian cackology. If they meet the criteria, they should be given the same treatment as anyone else.

[The Lighthouse Keeper]

Every romeo from Cesme to Kusadasi would probably arrive on our shores looking to hook up with one of his Irish girlfriends who holidayed there!

[SilverSpurs]

Remember Sean Whelan's assurances during Lisbon that we have a veto over accession treaties. So we can all sleep tight as the Irish veto will come to the rescue if necessary.

[toughbutfair]

Remember Sean Whelan's assurances during Lisbon that we have a veto over accession treaties. So we can all sleep tight as the Irish veto will come to the rescue if necessary.

It's a fact. We have to have a referendum. What's your point?

[Dr Pat]

Sectarian cackology. If they meet the criteria, they should be given the same treatment as anyone else.

What criteria are those, exactly? How about being European, for starters?

[CookieMonster]

I'd have said that the figure would be much higher. However, it is rather meaningless.