Time to stop calling them "Honour Killings"

I have wanted to blog about the terrible case of Tulay Goren, a Turkish Kurd, missing since 1999, whose father is currently on trial for her murder, for some time. The terrible details have unfolded week by week. What incensed me was the evidence her father, Mehmet Goren gave, claiming he was a member of the PKK ( a Kurdish seperatist group) in the past, and did not believe in 'honour killings' As if this somehow gives him the credentials that he was a man of principle. I've heard this before. Men who have been violent towards their wives, boasting that they would never hurt a woman because they have political principles - rubbish!
This case has finally come to trial mainly because Tulay's mother was persuaded to give evidence against her husband and his brothers. It cannot be underestimated how much courage this woman has shown in coming forward after so many years. Hanim Goren, who risks being ostracised, has told how she saw her daughter tied up on the bathroom floor, just before she disappeared forever. Tulay's sister, Hatice, in a chilling twist, told police years ago, her father told her brother to kiss her sister goodbye as he would not see her again.
Hatice Goren died in a car crash seven years after 15-year-old Tulay Goren went missing in January 1999. Hanim Goren has lost both her daughters.
Much has been written about these so called 'honour killings' Its time we called them cowardly murders. The behaviour of women seen to have dishonoured their families can be as harmless as wearing make-up or talking to boys. Honour based violence is often secretive, and very hard to detect as families close ranks and young women are too afraid to come forward.
I hope Tulay Goren will after many years receive justice and this high profile case acts as a deterrent to men who think its okay to behave in this criminal way, and that they will somehow get away with it hiding behind the cloak of so called tradition or culture. If it also acts to encourage other women to come forward to report these crimes, then perhaps Tulays terrible death will leave some lasting legacy.
Lets break the silence over this crime and lets call it was it is - murder and cowardly violence.

MPs expenses - can we start to draw a line?

Wishful thinking I know! This toxic topic has dominated our news and media for a very long time. Too long, and it has got to the point if this keeps bubbling and festering in the coming months, not only will see permanent damage to our democracy, but we will see the lowest turnout in any general election in our modern history. Yesterday saw the publication of the Kelly Report. Nick Clegg has rightly already said MPs should accept the Kelly report in full.
But a handful of Labour and Tory MPs are determined that the general public should somehow feel sorry for them. Take Tory MP, Nadine Dorries: on the news last night she bleated, whilst filmed getting on a train, that Kelly has 'no idea what MPs really do' Apparently, unlike other people in paid employment, she sometimes has to travel back to her constituency 'late at night' She also extolled the virtues of employing her daughter, because she was the only person she could trust with all her top secret and highly confidential work!
Then we've seen representatives of the 'wives club' (wasn't that a Hollywood film?) Can anyone imagine a headteacher, or any other public servant being able to employ his or her spouse or family member in this way? It doesn't happen in the American Senate or in local government.
It may well be that most work hard, but it simply appears like gross nepotism.
My particular favourite and should receive a gong for the most eccentric and out of touch outburst came from Sir Nicholas Winterton, the Tory MP for Macclesfield, who said that “the way MPs are being treated is quite despicable”.
He added: “Mr Kelly is a senior civil servant on a generous index pension link who is trying to reduce MPs to abject poverty and I don’t know why.”
So there we have it - MPs will be reduced to poverty!
Lets now hope that MPs will collectively wake up and support these measures, which the public broadly welcome, so that the likes of Dorries and the Winterton's, can either stand down if they don't like it, or be voted out by their constituents, many of whom will know what its really like in the real world: some may even live in poverty, so that we can all move on from this sorry, disgraceful and sordid episode in British public life.
There are far more important issues that MPs should be focusing on.

We must take on and challenge the BNP, but Question Time is not the best place

I haven't blogged on the hype about this, but like many others have heard Griffin's divisive and hate-filled interviews and watched him shoot himself in the foot, including insulting British generals:
"Those Tory generals who today attacked the British National Party should remember that at the Nuremburg Trials, the politicians and generals accused of waging illegal aggressive wars were all charged — and hanged — together"
Besides displaying these unhinged rantings he believes everyone's out to get him!
I have been against the BNP being given the credibility and air time, the same as with every other mainstream political party. Its what they clearly crave: wider public recognition.
No, Griffin and his cohorts must be put under public scrutiny on many of their policies - like Holocaust denial, like their denial of how the wider Commonwealth: black and Asian have made enormous contributions to Britain in war and peace time. Paxman and Newsnight comes to mind, but Question Time? NO.
This is where politician's can grandstand with little opportunity to be challenged.
The BBC are apparently ensuring that there will be BNP supporters in the audience, so every time Griffin mentions immigration, taking our jobs etc, expect guaranteed applause both in the studio, and outside.
Take the way Nigel Farage of UKIP, regularly appears and trots out the usual myths on Europe, Immigration and jobs. Forget the dog whistle, he blasts out his divisive statements in a bloke next door way designed to get the maximum applause. But the BBC in their wisdom (and obviously with an eye on the audience ratings) are going ahead with this.
Ken Livingstone told the Today Programme this morning that every time the BNP attack sections of our society - and Muslims are the current enemy for them, it leads to race attacks on our streets. There is credibility in this argument. Hearing these divisive messages on prime time TV leads to insecurity and fear for Britains ethnic minorities, and can fuel hatred from BNP sympathisers, Race hate crimes are on the increase.
Looking at the line up, the only heavyweight on the panel with the ability to land any knock out blow to Griffin in my view, rests with Chris Huhne.

Dutch MP arrives in UK for a 'debate on Islam'

Now that the ban to allow Geert Wilders into the UK has been overturned, this Dutch MP who is awaiting trial in Holland for inciting hatred, declared his visit a "victory for freedom of speech"
This from the man who has called for the Koran to be banned.
I was surprised to hear the UKIPs Lord Pearson, who invited him last February, explain on the radio this morning that this was about "freedom of speech," and he was "looking forward to having a debate about Islam with Geert Wilders!" He went on to warn of the "dangers of Islam and Sharia Law"
Given Geert Wilders' views on Islam, it would be a bit like inviting Enoch Powell to have a meaningful debate about multiculturalism. I mean, there are far more learned and moderate scholars who would bring greater knowledge, and`a greater sense of tolerance to this debate.
As it stands we will have to witness more division and controversy from a right wing individual who seeks to inflame and incite hatred, if his antics in his homeland are anything to go by.

Is a womans life worth less than a man?

I pose this question after a number of recent high profile cases where women have been murdered by their partners and the sentences do not seem to reflect the crime committed.
Take the news that millionaire banker Neil Ellerbeck, murdered his 'unfaithful' wife' (as reported) Kate, but was cleared of murder and gets sentenced to eight years for manslaughter, after the jury accepted that he didn't intend to kill her. The fact that he was 15 stone, to her 8 stone, and that she had 45 difference injuries, and a post-mortem examination revealed that she died from asphyxia and compression of her neck after “moderate to severe” force, do not seem to suggest this. No, she has been widely reported as the 'unfaithful' wife suggesting that she deserved what she got, so he gets eight years. The fact that he also had a mistress is neither here nor there.
Media coverage implies that an unfaithful wife can only have herself to blame.

In 1997, David Hampson got six years for manslaughter after beating his wife to death with a hammer because she nagged him; his sentence was reduced to four years on appeal.
Last year the government consulted on proposals to change murder laws, whereby women who killed their partners after suffering years of abuse, could use this as a partial defence. This follows cases like that of Emma Humphries, who got life for killing her violent boyfriend, later quashed by the Court of Appeal. Over the years we've seen women get life for killing violent partners, and men treated more leniently.
Why are women still treated far more harshly in our courts than men?

Working Mothers Bashed - Again!

The latest hatchet job on working mothers allegedly rearing unhealthy children is trotted out again. Apparently our children have unhealthy lifestyles: watching too much telly and eating junk food - utter rubbish!!
Of course there's no mention of working fathers in this so called research. Where are they in the equation while all these children are stuffing themselves with junk food? Why aren't they taking their kids out to ensure they are getting the exercise they need?
Women just can't win. If we all stayed at home and lived on benefits, we're accused of not setting the right example, expecting handouts, and raising feral kids.
Most women who have children have little choice but to go out to work. I've always worked while bringing up my 3 kids. I've also been a councillor for the last 15 years, and I may stand accused of not always being at home every evening over the years but, unhealthy and obese my children are not! My kids don't like junk food, have rarely eaten it, and have never spent hours watching the box.
Its about using some common sense and about balance. Setting aside family time, whilst putting food on the table, is what most women do. Mothers who work, do so to ensure their children have a better standard of living, can enjoy other activities, eat healthier, and enjoy holidays. Not all women are in a position to have a choice. I'm fed up with hearing how single mothers are the root of all that's wrong with society in the UK today.
I simply don't buy this attack on working mothers, and that somehow 'housewives' have healthier kids.

Turkish MP at Liberal Democrat Conference

Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats hosted a number of successful fringe meetings in Bournemouth this year. One of the highlights was 'Turkey and the EU', jointly hosted with Liberal Democrats Friends of Turkey, which I was pleased to chair, where the keynote speaker was Nursuna Memecan MP for Istanbul and a member of the ruling AK Party. Nursuna is also a Member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. Lord Wallace of Saltaire was also on the panel, speaking with great insight and authority on Turkey, along with Bridget Fox, PPC for Islington South, who presented the perspective of a PPC with a large Turkish speaking community. Nursuna bucks the growing trend of women in Turkey who wear headscarves. She is a woman, educated in the USA, and from the traditional secular tradition of Turkey.

In her speech Nursuna Memecan set out her perspective as to why Turkey is an important ally for the West, and a much misunderstood nation. She added:

• faster progress should be made in achieving membership of the European Union for Turkey


• the British government should be more active in pressing for a lasting and equitable solution to the 'frozen problems' of Cyprus and national minorities


• the British government should also take a more positive and courageous position in combating prejudice against Turkish entry to the European Union


• Turkey should already be regarded as an equal partner in decisions on the future development of Europe


• Turkey's increasing regional and global importance as a political, economic and cultural force should be recognised


• progress to internal reform and respect for civil rights within Turkey should be acknowledged and encouraged.

At a well attended meeting, we had wide ranging questions on Cyprus, Armenia, the Kurds, and Azerbaijan. Nursuna dealt with the questions positively, acknowledging that Turkey has a long way to go, but at least was trying to deal with many of these historic issues.

There is so much negativity towards Turkey's accession to the EU, some time in the distant future. Much of it is based on prejudice and it seems ignorance. Dialogue with articulate, talented politicians, help members of all political parties gain a greater understanding of other cultures and nations.