Ally left a very lengthy comment in a previous post- Thought it would be an interesting read for all- My response is below.If anyone wants to add their thoughts , please do.AllyAugust 24, 2019 at 12:26 PMHey Penny,
How are you doing? I am still visiting your blog a lot so don't think that I have disappeared. I have just been a bit busy lately but I am doing fine. As always, your posts are very informative and I hope you can continue spreading the truth.As Martin states, it is true that the West and even Erdogan's domestic opponents want to pin every bad thing on Erdogan as if he is responsible for every crime happening in Turkey.Erdogan has never had any intention to restore a long-gone empire. His only intention has been to stop the Middle East and South Caucusus from being divided by trying to unite the people and form alliances, something which NATO-Israel are opposed to. With over 4 million refugees in Turkey putting a strain on the economy, the last thing Erdogan wants is trouble on his doorstep and more refugees flooding into the country. Erdogan may be a lot of things but he is certainly not a dictator. He has more support than any Western leader and he also has people who oppose him and they are free to express their views, so long as it is not supporting terrorism. Many opposition groups in Turkey and lobby groups put pressure on the government to save the environment, help children, women, etc and the government often responds to these people.People are always writing bad things about the government on social media and protesting about various issues. None of this would be possible if it was a dictatorship.It is to my understanding that Erdogan's party has support from a diverse range of people; Kurds, Alevis (religious minority), nationalists, secularists, conservatives, something which the other parties do not have as much. I will be travelling to Turkey alone for 2 weeks in a few days. First, I will be in on a coastal city, then I will travel to Istanbul. I should be able to talk to some locals and get a gist of the overall climate. If there are any things you would like me to 'investigate' (lol), just let me know.It seems to me that even Erdogan's fiercest opponents (minus the pkk/feto), most people in Turkey seem to be aware that Turkey is being targetted by the West and that they are trying to overthrow Erdogan because his country are not bowing down to them.It makes me feel sad that although the population is much more united than European countries, there still seems to be factions attempting to divide people based on gender, ethnicity, religion. I am glad that I found this blog because even I fell for all the Erdogan memes at one point because I was stupid. I have realised that people just want to follow the herd and believe what sounds good to their ears, not what is actually true.
AllyAugust 24, 2019 at 12:36 PMAs Martin stated, there are definitely still Gulenist factions in Turkey present and they do many sneaky things to divide the public. More than 10 years ago, an Turkish-Armenian journalist called Hrant Dink was murdered and the public were very sad about this and his death is commemorated every year. His death was used by some people to show Armenian oppression in Turkey It was found that the murderer was a Gulenist. The Gulenists are much harder to catch as they are much more secretive but I think that AKP has cracked down on most of them. I remember one Turkish guy I spoke to who is doing his Masters in Manchester and will be returning to Turkey after completion said that these NATO-EU organisations are just trying to destroy other country's cultures. The best thing about this world is that every country you go to has a different culture and that should not be changed. Here in England, it has been one of our coldest summers. I have never seen it rain so much during a summer. Apologies for the long rant.
No need for apologies Ally :)Hi Ally!Glad you are still around and well. “Erdogan has never had any intention to restore a long-gone empire.”I don’t think there was that desire on Turkey’s part at all. Just rubbish spread by the empire’s media. With over 4 million refugees in Turkey putting a strain on the economy, the last thing Erdogan wants is trouble on his doorstep and more refugees flooding into the country.Yes, the refugees are overwhelming Turkey- which was, in my opinion, part of the plan. Weaponizing refugees. I had a post and an encore presentation of a talk on that subject here at the blog.The Weapon of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion & Foreign Policy “Erdogan may be a lot of things but he is certainly not a dictator. He has more support than any Western leader.....”If he’s a dictator Trudeau is an absolute despot! And he's been acting like one that's for sure.And yes Erdogan has more support among his people then Saint Trudeau or the boor Trump.“It is to my understanding that Erdogan's party has support from a diverse range of people; Kurds, Alevis (religious minority), nationalists, secularists, conservatives, something which the other parties do not have as much. “That’s about how I understand the support for AKP in Turkey. More main street and less identity politics. Unlike here in Canada where identity politics rules as the nation falls apart.“I will be travelling to Turkey alone for 2 weeks in a few days. First, I will be in on a coastal city, then I will travel to Istanbul. I should be able to talk to some locals and get a gist of the overall climate. If there are any things you would like me to 'investigate' (lol), just let me know.”Ally when you go, first and foremost, enjoy your time there. If you are visiting family enjoy your time with them and then after all that, if possible, just let us know how the people of Turkey are faring. If they are a political people then talk of politics will come easy and you’ll be able to have good discussion on the state of affairs there and relating to the rest of the globe. If the people there understand that there are plots against the nation they’ll talk about it. And, of course, they will be correct for the reason you mention here.“Turkey is being targetted by the West and that they are trying to overthrow Erdogan because his country are not bowing down to them.”Dividing a nation into an innumerable number of identities makes it easier to destroy“there still seems to be factions attempting to divide people based on gender, ethnicity, religion.”So that’s what you’re observing. It’s going on here in Canada as well. “I have realised that people just want to follow the herd and believe what sounds good to their ears, not what is actually true.”That was a tough realization for me. But it’s true. People want to be comfortable and feel comfortable and if that requires believing a pile of lies- they will- Not all, but, far too many.“Hrant Dink was murdered and the public were very sad about this and his death is commemorated every year. His death was used by some people to show Armenian oppression in Turkey It was found that the murderer was a Gulenist.”Truth doesn’t matter- Just spin. If it sounds truthy or has a ring of truthiness bases on some previous implanted idea then it’s good enough“I remember one Turkish guy I spoke to who is doing his Masters in Manchester and will be returning to Turkey after completion said that these NATO-EU organisations are just trying to destroy other country's cultures. The best thing about this world is that every country you go to has a different culture and that should not be changed. “The best thing in the world is that a nation and it’s people have their own traditions and cultures. It’s what makes the world, the planet, a most beautiful tapestry. Nothing in nature is the same. There is no monoculture occurring naturally anywhere on the planet. Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system at a time. Only those in charge want the monocultural consumer as planetary inhabitants- easier to manage. To have that every culture must be destroyed. All diversity among humanity must fail. Which means all nations must be destroyed. And from their ashes will rise the monocultural nightmare.