Economics and similar, for the sleep-deprived

A subtle change has been made to the comments links, so they no longer pop up. Does this in any way help with the problem about comments not appearing on permalinked posts, readers?

Update: seemingly not

Update: Oh yeah!


Wednesday, April 18, 2007

 
Kemal Ataturk wore ladies' underwear

I've been on holiday in Turkey for the last two weeks, and have spent the time absolutely longing to shout that phrase in the public square. It's illegal there you know. I actually regard Ataturk as a pretty positive historical figure, flawed in all sorts of ways but largely progressive and right on a lot of important points. But when something that trivial is illegal, my God does it chew you up. Yah boo sucks to anyone who was planning to say that political liberty is a secondary goal to development.

Oddly enough, I never really had much of an urge to say anything nasty about the Turkish people (a bloody nice bunch as far as I could tell), the Turkish nation (no better or worse than any other, although they did massacre the Armenians), the Turkish flag (an unexceptional piece of vexilology - nice white crescent and star on a red background) or the Turkish lira (which hardly needs me mocking it, although it seems to be holding up a little better since the last major currency reform - at one point during the hyperinflation period there was a current of opinion among nationalist MPs demanding that the central bank take Ataturk's picture off the notes, as it was disgracing his memory to have him associated with the TL).

The moment the aeroplane took off and I was once more breathing the air of liberty, all urges to insult Ataturk seemed to evaporate.

(I might post something at CT on this general subject, and on the purpose of the Turkish national defamation laws, which is to screw the Islamists, and on the way in which they're abused. But I need to be careful as I don't want us to get banned in Turkey).
5 comments this item posted by the management 4/18/2007 01:44:00 PM


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