It was a scorching day in 2006. England was playing in the World Cup. If I remember correctly, it was a Saturday. I was at work at our fish and chip and kebab shop, located just north of London. I knew we would get a massive rush of customers at half time from the pub, […]
I’m a Londoner of mixed Turkish and Turkish Cypriot descent, who has lived in the London Borough of Barnet for twenty years. Like many other British Turks inside and outside of this north London borough, I have seen my local authority’s relentless anti-Turkish and anti-Turkish Cypriot bias over many years. It’s gotten to the point […]
Rishi Sunak has sounded the klaxon for the General Election, which will take place on Thursday, 4 July 2024. Most political commentators see no way back for the Conservatives and their miserable period of government lasting 14 years is finally about to come to a crashing end. As much as I enjoy writing about the […]
The Illegal Migration Bill is now on Britain’s statute book. A total of 289 MPs voted in favour of the bill, giving the Home Secretary unprecedented powers to make arrangements for the detention and deportation of migrants, while 230 MPs voted against. Sensationalism rather than ‘virtue’, in Aristotle’s use of the term, has won again. […]
The Turkish diaspora in Britain is heavily engaged with political developments in their ethnic homeland of Turkiye. A record number of voters turned out for the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections a little over a week ago and an even greater number have cast their ballots in the keenly fought Presidential run-off that takes place on […]
I attended the Mayor of London’s annual Eid in the Square celebration in Trafalgar Square last weekend. It was a joyous riot of colour and noise, and the delicious smells lingering around from the edge towards thousands of people watching the activities on the main stage. The moon was visible overhead in the clear blue […]
The asylum bill introduced by the UK Government, in its current form, compels the Home Secretary to deny those refugees who arrive ‘irregularly’ access to the UK asylum system. If the bill passes, and it may, these asylum seekers, rather than being provided with protection, would be subject to detention in the UK and — […]
“What an immoral, shameless, ungrateful being”. These words and more were spouted out by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in desperation and anger. Such insults are so commonplace with him that one expects the opening lines of his address to the nation to be equally lethal. He curses people and […]
One of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to delve into a country’s history and learn about the incredible figures who played a pivotal role in shaping their nation’s future and identity. One such person is Juana Azurduy de Padilla, a South American female general who went into labour, gave birth and […]
One of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to delve into a country’s history and learn about the incredible figures who played a pivotal role in shaping their nation’s future and identity. One such person is María Remedios del Valle, who is described by many Argentines as “Madre de la Patria” – […]
