Elections in Britain and Turkey

Commentators anticipating a last-minute surprise do not represent a negligible number in Britain, even though the ruling Labour Party and [Prime Minister] Tony Blair lead the their opponents in the polls, a few days before the elections. When the election campaign started, Blair's political star began to sink as a result of the Iraq quagmire. When Blair succeeded in shifting the agenda to the economy, tuition fees, problems in the health sector and the fight against crime and vandalism, most of the opposition parties dropped their arrows of criticisms as well. Furthermore, when the Conservative Party, which is the second largest political party in the country, brought the issues of immigration and the destructive effects of immigration to the agenda, it drew the wrath of the other opposition parties, and also the Liberal Democrats were accused of racism by the extreme leftists. However, going to the elections, it was expected that the Conservatives, headed by John Howard, who is of Jewish origin, would adopt exactly the opposite policy. Demanding immigrants and refugees face a series of integration processes, which would culminate in "cultural assimilation," Howard could not see that the social engineering measures he envisaged would destroy multi-cultural dough, which is peculiar to Britain.

No matter who wins the elections, it is so very obvious that the agenda during the campaign period will influence the direction of post-election policies. This means the British government that saw foreign policy as its main political maneuver area during the previous election period will now turn more to domestic politics, economic and social welfare implementations during the period after the elections. This is not a good development for Turkey that is awaiting crucial decisions on the EU process to be made during the term of the British presidency.

Commentators expect the Liberal Democratic Party to spring the greatest surprise in the May 5 elections, although it does not have the chance to clinch victory. Party leader Charles Kennedy is seemingly the most trusted candidate among all the leaders. Despite all that, maybe, the society prefers to support Blair, who is considered a "liar" by the people; however, there are some who claim that Kennedy will be able to change the two-party system, that has been going on in the country for centuries, in subsequent elections.

We should also mention two small parties that represent what the public says, although they will not be effective in determining the government. One of them is extreme-left Respect Party, headed by George Galloway, and the other is the extreme-right Veritas Party, where racist leader Robert Kilroy-Silk, is the only man. Galloway conducts politics based on minorities neglected by the government and has particularly succeeded in gaining the support of Muslims involved in reactionary politics. On the contrary, Kilroy-Silk demands that the country withdraw from the EU, accept immigrants only after they succeed in competence and quality tests and adaptation to very harsh laws against crime. Kilroy-Silk claims there is an unexpressed anti-foreigner drive within the essence of the British society and most people oppose the multi-culturalism in the country, and his party is clarifying the reality by mentioning this disguised enmity.

The color in British politics makes it both exciting and difficult to follow. However, politics bearing fruits that, on one hand, racism is being expressed under the canopy of democracy, and on the other, the unhappy Muslims are being used as tools for the domestic politics, would make the possibility of digesting Turkey that is waiting at the EU gates, very difficult. It is necessary for Turkish policy makers not to forget Britain's determining role on world politics.