February 19, 2009

Peter Brimelow writes:  Taki Theodoracopulos, economically described on Takmag.com of which he is editor and publisher as a "journalist and socialite", is a force of nature who enlivens political life on two (at least) continents. He has made a number of appearances (not enough) in VDARE.COM, as for example when the late Sam Francis reported Scotland Yard's threat to indict Taki for "inciting racial hatred" in one of his London Spectator columns. With Taki's permission, we post his characteristically courageous Foreword to A Bridge Too Far. Turkey In The European Union, a new book opposing Turkey's proposed entry into the European Union by two equally courageous leaders of the much-persecuted Flemish patriot party, the Vlaams Belang. (See Table of Contents here.)

Why would anyone want to merge Europe with Turkey? Why would anyone want to merge Mexico with the U.S.?

Let's not mince words. Inviting Turkey to become part of the European Union is the equivalent of a man recently married to a beautiful young bride inviting Don Giovanni to be his houseguest during the honeymoon. The concept is more than stupid—it is suicidal.

If we can put political correctness to one side for a moment and view things objectively, letting Turkey join the EU would obviously be devastating for Europe's economies, her social harmony and cultural cohesion. It would also endanger Europe's political stability, by bringing the EU's as far east and south of Iran, Iraq and Syria and turning the Kurdish question into a European question. It could also establish a permanent fifth column in our midst—a bonanza for militant Islamists who believe that "infidels" should be put to the sword. Admitting Turkey into the EU would increase the EU's Muslim population—already unassimilated and restive—from around 5% to around 15% overnight. To say that Turkey could be a Trojan Horse would be an understatement.

About a year ago, I sat next to Liam Fox, then a U.K. Tory front bencher, at a dinner at London's Carlton Club where I was speaking. He was in favor of Turkey joining so I asked him why. "I have met many Turkish diplomats and they are all first rate", was his answer.

I could not have agreed more with what he said about Turkish diplomats. Modern Turkey has inherited from its Ottoman past a long tradition of suave, smooth-talking ambassadors who put to shame Madison Avenue's public relations hucksters. This kind of diplomacy has always been a Turkish strength, and throughout my life I have had many good friends of the Turkish diplomatic persuasion. They are indeed delightful and civilized people.

"But have you been to central Turkey? Have you met real Turks?" I insisted of Fox. He had not. Yet he was certain that he was right.

But the real Turkey is the Turkey that Sarah Ferguson recently visited—a warehouse for abandoned children straight out of a Dickensian novel.[The Duchess of York bluffs her way into orphanages in Turkey, By Chris Rogers, Daily Mail, November 2, 2007] Real Turkey is Midnight Express. Real Turkey is 70 million people who will use Europe as a stepping stone to Islamic Nirvana.

As a Greek, I have often been attacked by the Greek press for my pro-Turkish stance whenever my country and Turkey are about to go to war over some silly island. Hence my opposition to Turkey being allowed into the EU is not a knee-jerk reaction after 500 years of suspicion and hate. It is because I know Turkey and her people.

Turkey is a nation of deep Islamic traditions and beliefs which have been festering away beneath the 1922 Kemal Ataturk edict that outlawed the Islamist agenda and attempted to turn the country into a secular democracy. The arrogance and ignorance of those who rule us are so great that they choose to overlook the fact that Turkey since 1920 has been governed by an elite which may act European during diplomatic cocktail parties, but which is basically an army-backed faction holding down (with increasing difficulty) a cauldron boiling with suppressed Islamic fervor.

I built a beautiful sailing boat in Turkey, and got to know the poor souls who actually did all the heavy lifting. I drank with them, and dined with them, and all I can say is the poor and oppressed are the same everywhere.

The ones who built my boat got peanuts, and their only hope was that one day Islam would lift them out of their misery. Bin Laden was their hero and the Koran was almost their only relief from the drudgery of building Mr. Taki's boat.

These people were wonderful, but if they were given the opportunity or an excuse to kill "infidels", it was clear they would jump at it.

Admitting Turkey into the EU would upset the precarious balance of Turkish politics, releasing ultra-conservative Islamic forces which would drive the EU in different and displeasing directions.

Yet little or none of this seems to have been taken into account by those who rule Europe, whether "liberals" or "conservatives". They seem content to sleepwalk into allowing Turkey to join and altering European civilization forever (and not for the better), without giving European electors any choice or even a debate.

It is therefore of huge importance that the information and the many insights offered by this brave book are made available to the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time.