Secret government cables leak in full showing government to give Turkey visa free access to the UK

[BritBrit]

Despite David Cameron & Theresa May denying this only yesterday the cables have now leaked in full showing the UK government is in fact planning to give millions of Turks visa free access to the UK.

What possible reason could David Cameron have to deny it!!

order-order.com/2016/06/12/read-turkey-cables-in-full/

[FuzzyWizard]

Erm- it's mooted as a possibility and is only talking about special passport holders- politicians and public servants
Not sure what this has to do with the EU referendum.

[BritBrit]

FuzzyWizard I think there are 2 issues with it
1-yes it is not for all Turks but 1.5 million is quite a high number & Turkey is having many problems with terrorism, free speech & a more & more authoritarian government
2-this shows that David Cameron is lying, he was asked live on TV yesterday if the government had discussed this & he said no, well the cables have leaked showing he was lying, the government have been discussing and planning it, this calls into question his credibility and if other things he has been saying on the EU referendum e.g. Turkey joining the EU in the future are true

[Spinflight]

Subreption rather than outright lying..

Turkey may never join the EU but if our government gives Turks access anyway it makes little difference.

[shitchef]

Not sure what this has to do with the EU referendum

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! (I'm assuming that was a joke )

[FuzzyWizard]

Well if our government is planning on go in the Turks visa-free travel when Turkey aren't even in the EU then what difference does it make whether we are in or out?!

[FuzzyWizard]

Giving not go in

[Spinflight]

Do you know I hadn't thought of that Fuzzy.

Good point. :)

[Mistigri]

BoJo is a big fan of improving links with Turkey.

[JassyRadlett]

You know there are 56 countries with visa free travel to the UK, yes (not counting EEA members)?

[A4Document]

Revealed: The bizarre £240million 'Egg in a Cage' where EU leaders will hold their summits from next year

The European Council's new Europa building has spaces ready for future member states.

"Around the edge of the summit room are 32 interpretation booths – one for each of the EU’s 24 languages with extras to spare ready for if countries such as Turkey are welcomed as member states."

[FuzzyWizard]

Turkey is not going to be joining the EU. I live in an area with significant Cypriot population. Cyprus will never accept Turkish accession to the EU. Unless both Cyprus and Greece leave the EU then Turkey will not be joining any time in the next 50 years.

[Spinflight]

I think you are confusing the scores they give each other in the eurovision song contest with their respective governments.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Greece or Cyprus might raise a racket at the prospect though horsetrading better terms for bailouts or a blind eye to financial irregularities is the way the EU works.

One of the reasons no-one ever uses a veto is that every member has been sufficiently bribed before a decision is taken.

[Mistigri]

This article outlines some of the reasons why no accessions are likely in the next decade, and certainly not Turkey.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/turkey-is-not-likely-to-join-the-eu-in-the-next-decade/

[FuzzyWizard]

i think you might be underestimating the strength of feeling of many Cypriots. I have a colleague who still hopes to one day return to her house, she has shown me photographs of it. We once had a very awkward lunchtime where an argument broke out between her and a much younger Greek Cypriot colleague who had holidayed in "Turkish" Cyprus. It then turned out we had a Macedonian at the table too. Awkward!

[JassyRadlett]

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Greece or Cyprus might raise a racket at the prospect though horsetrading better terms for bailouts or a blind eye to financial irregularities is the way the EU works

Well, the thing is that no matter how much money or special favours it one them, any Greek or especially Cypriot leader who voted to allow Turkey in would never, ever be elected ever again. And their party would be kicked out.

As Fuzzy said, there is no give on this for most Cypriots. It would be like expecting West Germany to vote for the USSR join in the 70s.

[HermioneWeasley]

Ooof, fuzzy did you keep trying to change the subject in a very British way?

[FuzzyWizard]

There was no changing the subject! It had gone past the point of no return. I volunteered to take plates back to the canteen and scarpered.

[HermioneWeasley]

A wise decision!

[Limer]

I think the Turkey situation is going to get very messy. It sounds as if the EU (and the UK in particular) have been quietly whispering sweet nothings in Turkey's ear for a fair while now, reassuring them that their accession is on the horizon. Yet that same EU and UK are now loudly declaring "Turkey? Never!" to their native populations. Turkey only needs to open up the migrant trafficking routes again and the EU will capitulate. Greece and Cyprus will be ordered to shut up. Coupled with Greece's Euro crisis, this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

[FuzzyWizard]

Eh... That isn't how accession works. Accession requires unanimous treaty change ratified by all member states. There is no mechanism for ordering Greece and Cyprus to shut up. I'm not stupid enough to buy all of the bollocks being spouted by the remain camp but the Brexit scaremongering about Turkey joining the EU is bloody laughable and seems to rely on completely ignoring or poo pooing huge obstacles that make it vanishingly unlikely to happen.

[Limer]

I agree Fuzzy

But Turkey seems to think its accession is likely - how did it get that impression? The EU seems quite good at bending the rules, look how Greece got admitted in the first place.

[Mistigri]

Turkey seems to think its accession is likely

Candidates are hardly going to say "well, I'll put my name forward, but I know I don't have a snowball's chance in hell^. All the candidate countries are publicly optimistic about accession, none are anywhere close to achieving it. Turkey has completed one chapter (out of 33), and it has been a candidate for fifteen years (having first applied nearly thirty - 30 - years ago).

[gunting]

It's not just Cyprus that have big issues with Turkey.

Germany are currently in a row with Turkey over the Armenian genocide.

Turkey also do not meet important requirements to join. The EU helps keep the peace, we are the only generation to have not seen Europe at war. The only generation who were not forced to fight. How can we allow a county who continues to oppress the Kurds to join the EU?

Plus they do not have a sound democratic system in place.

[Roonerspism]

I love that people think Turkey is a long way off joining.

Of course it isn't. The fecking EU Superstate will force the issue in order to keep the migrant agreement going.

This is only the start

[AnnieOnnieMouse]

I call pre-referendum scaremongering brexit bullshit on this story