Tories support Turkish membership of the EU

[jake-the-peg]

http://www.cfot.org.u...al_launch-28Oct08.pdf

I didn't realise this - I must have nodded off at some point - I'm pretty pro-EU and I've not decided myself!

What do the resident Tories here have to say about this are they behind this?

[Gromit]

The British Government have been supporting Turkey's application for many years. Turkey are a key NATO player and strategically placed on the edge of the middle east.

http://www.independen...try-to-eu-563802.html

France and Germany are against Turkey's entry, and at the moment there are Accession talks, and the prospect of Turkey joining the EU but it will be 20 years plus at the earliest, that they could join.

Hague, shadow Foreign Secretary was on a BBC debate yesterday, and it would appear, the Tories do not have a Foreign Policy.

[jno]

Armenians accuse the Turks of genocide (I have never been sure whether it was or wasn't, but the Turks say that whatever happened it was under the Ottoman empire, not modern Turkey, which seems a fair point). They have an influential diaspora, particularly in France, rather similar to the Jews in America, which is why France is against Turkey joining the EU. But as Gromit says there are strong political reasons for having it in the union rather than outside.

[VHG]

The problem with many of these countries joining the EU is that they are POLITICAL decisions made by leaders of other EU countries.

So, for example, the EU leaders would rather have Poland looking Westwards towards Europe than Eastwards towards Russia, so Poland are allowed in the EU. And what happens - hundreds of thousdands of them come here.

If the EU was just a "common makert" (what we all voted for) then allowing Turkey in would be OK, but it is not just a common market anymore.

The EU is now some huge "super state" that seems to have control over everything, and letting Turkey in gives her ALL the rights of any EU country.

Turkey has a population of about 70 million, of which almost all are Sunni Muslims.

Once fully in the EU EVERY person who lives in Turkey would have the right to come and live here and work. I know that wont happen, but even if 500,000 came here that is 500,000 more immigrants and 500,000 more Muslims.

We have more than enough Muslims in the country as it is.

I am TOTALLY against Turkey joining the EU, but then I am totally against the EU in its present state.

I would normally vote Tory but will probably vote UKIP due to their anti-EU and anti-immigrantion stance.

[R1Geezer]

I was under the impression that the EU has specified that Turkey would have to make a lot of fundemental changes before being considered. The sorts of changes that they are unlikeliy to make. Personally I don't want an entire muslim state to enter and move here thus speeding up the Islamification of Britain and the EU generally.

[rov1200]

It is not just the Tories who are for Turkey to join the EU. Labour are pushing for it also. In fact Miliband, our Foreign secretary gave a speech saying what a benefit it would be for the EU if they joined. The suspected reason is because officials in the US thought it a good idea and outlined in a posting above being a useful barrier between the different societies. Hopefully we don't take too much notice of the US foreign policy since the demise of Blair and Bush.

[rov1200]

Milibands support of Turkey joining the EU:

http://www.telegraph....o-Europes-future.html