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[Sarek]

Turkey has been an official EU member candidate for over 10 years already, and the negotiations haven't really moved forward much in that time. Coupled with the fact Turkey is rapidly moving towards very authorian regime there is almost zero chance of them finishing the membership negotiations anytime in the foreseeable future. Even if they somehow actually managed to finish them Turkey's membership would then have to be approved by every single current EU member, the chances of which happening are are barely above zero.

 

[G.ZZZ]

Honestly, less visa restriction as i see it is just a good thing. They won't become an EU member state anyway, too many issues (political, social, economical) and germany will never allow it as it would decentrate the EU toward the south significantly. Tourist VISA are also not the same thing as working VISA, and i suspect significants barriers would remain for turks to work in the EU, as well as taxes on imported goods, maybe lowered a bit and all, but still.

The migrant deal is not very clear. Are we essentially paying turkey to create a huge refugee camp from which we will elaborate asylum requests from?

 

[Tak3n]

Honestly, less visa restriction as i see it is just a good thing. They won't become an EU member state anyway, too many issues (political, social, economical) and germany will never allow it as it would decentrate the EU toward the south significantly. Tourist VISA are also not the same thing as working VISA, and i suspect significants barriers would remain for turks to work in the EU, as well as taxes on imported goods, maybe lowered a bit and all, but still.

The migrant deal is not very clear. Are we essentially paying turkey to create a huge refugee camp from which we will elaborate asylum requests from?

yes, that is why the UN think it is illegal, essentially all migrants are to go to Turkey and the EU will process them there

Expect a lot, and I mean a lot of rejections on asylum applications

 

[KingSnake]

As long as the refugee camps in Turkey are properly supported and people can live decently there until their asylum request is processed, I think this is a decent compromise. In the end US, Canada and UK do the same thing.

This should diminish the incentive to cross the sea into Greece.

 

[Tak3n]

As long as the refugee camps in Turkey are properly supported and people can live decently there until their asylum request is processed, I think this is a decent compromise. In the end US, Canada and UK do the same thing.

This should diminish the incentive to cross the sea into Greece.

The problem I have is the EU never seem to be pro active, by now they should be dropping leaflets all over the smugglers route telling people not to pay for transport to Greece as they will be sent away...and telling them to report to Turkey for processing

The smugglers will just be lying to their customers and it will take several months before this filters through to the migrants and 1000's more would of died by then

 

[Beefy]

This was just on BBC news. They said the agreement goes against EU and UN law. They also said Merkel was the one pushing for this the most. As she is scared about the up coming polls.

 

[Madness]

I want more Turkish people in he EU for extremely selfish reasons. Namely, good cheap haircuts and decent kebabs. Germany, you don't know how lucky you are. Spanish food offerings are miserable when returning home from a night out.

Really like how you've reduced an entire group of people down to ethnic stereotypes and then try to portray it as a good thing. Turkish people do more than cheap haircuts and kebabs.

 

[BKK]

This was just on BBC news. They said the agreement goes against EU and UN law.

A bit hypocritical of UNHCR to bring up EU law after they urged EU nations not to follow the Dublin Regulation (an EU law).

 

[CyclopsRock]

Are you speaking for yourself there? Because I reckon most people have long since made up their mind about Cameron, and it's only a very narrow section of vociferously pro-EU Tory supporters that are likely to change their opinion of him if he fails to win this referendum.

Not that I think he's deliberately throwing this referendum or anything. He might not lose much from losing, but he sure as hell wouldn't gain anything from it.

I don't think they will redefine it, but us leaving the EU will. Or, rather, look at it this way.

At the start of the season Spurs lost our opening game to Man Utd thanks to an own goal. "What a Spursy start to the season" we say. The next three or four games go without a win, though we do draw them all - against teams we should have been beating. "This is dire" we say. "Why can't we break down these teams?!" We're languishing three quarters of the way down the league. Fast forward to our game against Newcastle at the end of October and by this point we're doing much better! We haven't lost a game since the opening day and even that was a soft loss thanks to an own goal!" Fast forward to now - we're 2nd in the league, we have the strongest defensive record in the league and we're competing for the title. Now people look back on our start and show it off as a record of strong defending and not giving in to pressure.

The games haven't changed, the results are the same as they ever were. But, due to what came afterwards, the way they're framed in the narrative and looked back on is totally different. What started as our rough opening patch where we couldn't win becomes a defiant sign of a strong defense when the record later shifts. I think this is the risk Cameron faces - you can view most things two ways, and if he manages to keep us in the EU - effectively stopping his historically-out-of-touch-on-the-EU party from ripping up the country and their own government - then his ploy to keep UKIP at bay during the election will be seen as cunning political play that helped lead to a majority. If not, it'll be seen as a reckless gamble by a PM who would risk anything not to be seen as a one-term PM presiding over a coalition.

I'll not give an in-depth reply because it's off-topic, but if you think that's a 'legacy' he'll struggle to protect then you have a much lower opinion of him than I do.
(I, at least, give him credit for being an intelligent sneak, rather than an honest fool.)

I think we all like to imagine that we have more control over our legacy than we really do. It won't be up to Cameron what people think of him when he's gone.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

Really like how you've reduced an entire group of people down to ethnic stereotypes and then try to portray it as a good thing. Turkish people do more than cheap haircuts and kebabs.

It was extremely tongue in cheek. Was that not obvious?

 

[KonradLaw]

It's brutal reality check. Those laws were great, but they were created for a world where asylum seekers were few. They weren't designed for mass migrations.
And at this point nobody in EU cares what's legal anymore. It's not like anyone will be able implement any sort of punishment for breaking those laws. And EU countries are too desperate to care about any laws when they see potential to end this crisis.

It's kind of scary, as we're used to laws shaping reality so much that we mostly forget this happens only when there's power out there able to enforce them. Without it laws are just useless guidelines that can be easily ignored, even in western societies.

 

[Lead]

Really like how you've reduced an entire group of people down to ethnic stereotypes and then try to portray it as a good thing. Turkish people do more than cheap haircuts and kebabs.

obviously. The best kebab joint in my area is run by turks though, they do know their kebabs

 

[Facism]

Really like how you've reduced an entire group of people down to ethnic stereotypes and then try to portray it as a good thing. Turkish people do more than cheap haircuts and kebabs.

it's alright, mate. Living in the UK, i'm used to this sort of diet racism.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

it's alright, mate. Living in the UK, i'm used to this sort of diet racism.

Pretty much all jokes are against someone, and many use stereotypes. Saying I want Turkey in the EU because of their delicious food and cheap haircuts is surely one of the least harmful stereotypes going. Clearly tongue in cheek. It's also a stereotype that, if you look at the Turkish immigrant population in the Europe, actually has some basis in fact.

By calling this racism, you're diluting the unabashed, serious and very real racist rhetoric that is being spewed across Europe and America right now.

I mean, just get a grip eh?