Mark this date: 25th June 2017. It could be a highly significant date for us, diaspora Cypriot Turks. It could prove to be the date we finally started to get organised, to get noticed. But only if we know how to grasp the significance of what happened on that day. Only if we know how […]
Turkey’s referendum result is undoubtedly a serious setback for Turkey’s long and torturous process of democratisation – but it’s not difficult to find signs of hope. The mood of NO supporters in the recent referendum on changes to Turkey’s constitution which dramatically expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ranges from manic depressive […]
He was a giant of a man. Our gentle giant. “Uncle Pasha,” we called him. “Huriye, let us take the children for a ride. Gather them round,” he would call out to Auntie Huriye, his wife. We would jump in his shiny black Dodge he had recently purchased with screams of delight. I remember he […]
My last wish When I die Is that you bury me in Cyprus Let my body be merged With the soil of my native land My head to my guts in the South My loins to my feet in the North Let me have two graves In the North and in the South For I […]
On a bitterly cold January evening, I walk with trepidation towards a grand, imposing church. Why trepidation? Because I know the temperature inside this magnificent venue is not going to be that different from the outside; I spent many hours trembling inside Union Chapel attending union meetings. The choice of the venue is perhaps anathema […]
As we get ready to set sail into 2017, we also take stock of the year that’s been. In Britain, Turkey, North Cyprus and the wider world we have seen a multitude of triumphs and tragedies. The cycle of life has brought joy and sadness to us, not always in equal measure. Terrorism has claimed […]
Another year has passed. We have arrived at 2017. A new dawn, or same old, same old? We always complain that the year has passed too fast. Really, we are expressing fear of our approaching old age. Ask the children of the world if the year has passed too fast. Those children who are dodging […]
2016 is certainly going to be remembered for many things. In years to come when you get a quiz question “in what year….?” there will be a good chance the answer will be 2016. The year of the underdog continues to back the most unlikely scenarios. No-one gave Leicester City a chance of winning the […]
The intriguing Labour leadership contest finally drew to an end on 25th September 2016, when Jeremy Corbyn won a resounding vote of confidence – a second victory in just 12 months. The Labour Party is now the largest political party in Western Europe with a staggering 600,000+ members. Over 300,000 have joined in the last […]
In the blink of an eye she was taken away from us. Years of compassion, dedication, courage gone. Two little children denied of a wonderful mum, her husband of a cheerful, compassionate partner. Why is it that the impact of the death of certain people is so much more profound? I did not know Jo […]
