One of the things that always strikes me when I travel, is how uptight we are in Australia about some things.
We like to think of ourselves a country of laid-back, easy-going, she'll-be-right-mate shelias and blokes, but I wonder how true that actually is.
Maybe it's true if your only point of reference is the Brits and Americans. But the anglo-sphere is nervous, twitchy
… and regulated.
It really becomes obvious when you're travelling around the Mediterranean, and continental Europe.
If you want to see laid back, try buy anything in Spain around siesta time!
And right now, I'm writing this blog from the famous Cicek Pasaj (The Flower Passage) in Istanbul. It used to be a flower market around the turn of the century, but now it's a bunch of tasteful cafes and restaurants.
Outside is the bustling Istikal Avenue. And I don't mean bustling in a Lygon street kinda way. I mean bustling in an Istanbul-city-of 20-million people kinda way.
Some days in summer they can get a million people through in a weekend! The paved street, some 30 metres wide, is wall to wall with the young and old, turks and tourists.
And right through the middle of it, is a great big tram!
I'm amazed there aren't more accidents. There's no guard rails. No warning signs. No flashing lights, no high vis vests. Just a cute little bell the driver constantly rings to say, “Hey old lady, you're about to be squashed!”
And young boys run along behind, jump up and swing from the side, enjoying a free ride and the warm breeze in their hair.
And the driver doesn't get angry. He doesn't stop the whole show. He doesn't call the police.
Rather than regulate, the Turks seem like they'd rather let people take responsibility for themselves. In this case, it seems to be working.
And I think it makes for a happier, more alive people. Sure, you've got to take a bit of extra responsibility for yourself, but you don't have the state breathing down your neck all the time, having a say about everything you do.
Not that Turkey is a citizen's paradise, without a care in the world. Just down from here, at the end of Istikal Avenue, is Taksim Square.
Through June and July, Taksim square was filled with hundreds of thousands of protestors. It started with a small protest about turning some of the last remaining green space in the city (trust me, there isn't much), into another shopping mall.
There must be 2,000 shops along the 2 miles of Istikal Avenue. Seems like it probably wasn't a great planning decision.
However when the government used the heavy hand of the police to break up the protest, and when the Prime Minister hurled a few insults at the rabble (what was the PM doing getting involved in a council planning process?) the small mob ballooned into a civil uprising.
There's no tear gas here today. The worst thing I've got to worry about are the hawkers and pick-pockets
…or getting hit by tram.
No, apparently today the tear gas and the protestors are down the coast a little way at Silivri.
In a special built (and heavily defended) court house, verdicts were handed down against the people allegedly behind a James Bond evil genius style of plot to overthrow the government.
Some 275 people – including former generals, parliamentarians and journalists – were charged with forming a clandestine nationalist “terrorist” organisation called Ergenekon. Ergenekon's alleged goal was to feed social unrest through a number of high-profile assassinations and terrorists act, and ultimately bring down the government
… and defeat the Autobots once and for all.
It's a turning point in Turkish politics. But the people I've spoken to are sceptical, and divided.
On one hand, military coups are relatively common in the history of the modern Turkish state. For a long time, the military has seen itself as the ultimate defender of a secular and democratic Turkey – a precious gift handed down to them from modern Turkey's founding father, and military commander, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
And so some see the trials as a coming-of-age for Turkey, and the end of military domination of political life.
However, as the Taksim uprising showed, not everyone is that trustful of the government either.
There's a perception that the levers of politics are actually being pulled behind the scenes by what people call ‘the deep state'. In the mid 90s, a senior politician, a wanted criminal and a police chief ended up in car crash together, and some of the connections between business politics and the criminal underworld make people nervous.
And people are also nervous about a perception that the government is becoming more authoritarian. Add “Islamist-leaning” to that picture, and you have a dangerous recipe for a repressive religious state.
Nearby Tehran in Iran was once known as the Paris of the east before the revolution crushed those ‘infidel' freedoms. It's an example that weighs heavily on the minds of Turkey's freedom loving youth.
And that's just scratching the surface. This is just the picture I've pieced together from talking to a hotelier, a cafe-owner, a tour-guide and some guy on the train.
But it makes what goes on in Australian politics seem like a boring bed-time read.
And you know, maybe it's because political life in Australia is so vanilla, that the government feels a need to butt in on everything you do – just to make you feel like they're relevant.
But from here, it's over to Greece. And boy, if you want to talk about political dramas, Greece has a full pantheon full.
I'll drop you a line from there.
M Haese says
Well written indeed Jon. I have recently returned from the Med and have similar observations.
Col Roberts says
Hi Jon,
Enjoy your writings, your word pictures hit the spot.You’re becoming
a real accomplished short story author, kind regards,lap up your holiday,
Col
paul says
Totally agree, just got back from 2 months traveling all through eastern Europe and spain…..so relaxed and easy going and thankfully unlegislated. I compare it to back here and wonder just how long it will be before Ozzie gov start taxing you on smiling too much or god forbid, assessed by the size of ones posterior, taxing one for flatulence! Is there anything left that isn’t currently, or hasn’t been double taxed?
It also seems that all the hard work from years of both civil libertarians and popularity seeking government leaders, have us all completely legislated up the razoo! Thank god that IN SPITE of governments efforts ( especially the current labour party) that the Australian public have managed to help us collectively, avoid the vortex of the GEC. No thanks to either the banks or the parliamentarians. Love your article and I really enjoyed and related to it. Look forward to your next piece. Paul
– Adelaide.
Patrick says
Great story Jon. I do admit to get bored with the usual drawn out newsletters and would prefer bullet point facts. However, credit where its due, well written and factual here. Cheers Pj
kit walker says
when you realise that the government does not care about the people only looking after them selves that is the time you have real freedom sad but true you have to look after yourself and always remember the 11th commandment…” Don’t get caught “
Paul M. says
Really insightful and well-written pen picture of the Turkish regional situation. I concur with Col Roberts above.
And I liked your tie-ins with Australia too, putting our often manufactured and usually unnecessary hysteria in perspective.
Keep it up, please!
Veronica says
So true I’ve always loved Melbourne but over the past few years I really feel like they are governing more and more and trying to take our freedom away, things like lowering speed limits in certain areas I know is to make more money for the government and making less lanes to get into the city when traffic was already getting worse, which they are making more money from. I remember a more laid back Melb and I’m only 31yrs 🙂
dean says
Governments do what governments do..Govern. Interestingly , in cultures and community’s where governments lack, alternate structures..(as in turkeys military and perhaps the .mafia) grow to fill gaps. I live half my life in Bulgaria, neighbor of Turkey, where you can almost describe the govt as a failure. Ill managed incompetent, bungling, corrupt and lazy are but a few sad but accurate descriptions that fit. This has given the mafia the ability to operate at all levels, and strip the country of its will to move forward.. Now, whilst this suits a youngish person like myself whom loves the freedoms and challenges that such incompetencies create, i feel absolutely sorry for the youth, whom lack everything from access to good education, job opportunities, social support right thru to the many pensioners whom cannot afford basic health care and who die early as paupers. Many people here in my village cannot even afford water and electricity to their house. Their governments lack of direction and legislative direction has failed them.
We have to be careful when we think that less is good….better is good..but not necessarily less…
Stephen Booker says
Ever since I started visiting Western Europe and the Balkans I have appreciated the fact that people there have a good opportunity to take responsibility for themselves. This can be good, but it also has a downside as do all things we socially construct. They are however, highly regulated and over bureactratised in other areas. The BIG awakening I had was the false notion we held/ hold that we enjoy massive freedoms. We dont. We are highly regulated in so many areas. As I said above, some good, some not so good. When I hear people say let the marketplace rule what happens I get jittery. That infamous channel WIIFM starts to play (Whats in it for me). Laissez faire was seen to fail so long ago. What is important is that travel broadens the mind, and hopefully makes us think and reflect and strive for improvement in where we are at. Great piece of writing analysis and reflection Jon.
Stephen
irampecoogeeIndrek says
You’re sooo right. But is it because Australia is only a bit over 200 years old. What traditions have we got? We’ve got very little history. We’ve never had a battle on our soil (Eureka was a sort of a paint ball game) we’ve never had foreign armies running over our fields, we are well away from boarder that could influence the way we live and I supose, we are the lucky country. So is it just luck that we have the likes of the key stone cops running the country. That’s both sides of the fence. When you take away the fluff and the feathers, both sides of the fence aren’t too dissimilar. I believe these turkys invent problems just to be able to justify their being. But if I can take our layback attitude an extra step by saying that a lot of these local problems are our fault also, because we, us, have allowed these people to get into power because “she’ll be right” These pricks have nothing else to do except call each other names, stay for a couple of terms to get their pension and get into our faces. The best education for any of our kids surely has to be to send them overseas to see for themselves the real life and what to expect when our ever shrinking world will eventually swallow us Aussies up and introduce us to something which will be too late for us to do anything about it. We have been dumned down and I’m afraid that we have become a bit of a push over. Tell me I’m wrong.
Johanna says
I always thought we had freedom here in Oz, until I went to Greece for a holiday.
After the initial shock of ‘no rules’, I went with the flow and loved it! If you fall over in the street in Oz, the initial reaction is ‘how do I sue?’, whereas in Greece it’s ‘open your eyes and look where you are walking!’. People take responsibility for themselves.
Coming back to Oz, I realised that we are not really free. We even need a sign on our takeaway coffee – ‘caution, contents may be hot’!
paul says
OMG what a brilliant comment and example!!! and what about when someone breaks into your home and threatens your life and your family, then sue YOU when they fall over and injure themselves in the process?
Shane says
We’ve never had a battle on our soil? Ever heard about more bombs dropped on Darwin than Pearl Harbour? Your not wrong about being regulated, only southern rule not put upon us in the NT is we can still ride a bicycle to the local shop without a helmet on without being fined (not enough population up here to make enough revenue out of it yet).
Tom says
We conveniently view our history from the European invaders’ point of view. The indigenous people have had invaders, military and civilian, murdering their people and stealing their ancestral inheritance. We must take responsibility for our ancestors’ actions. This requires more than an apology by politicians, although that was a welcome development. We must have a more open dialogue between the two communities – both of which are guilty of racism. Education is the key, as I see the situation. For each of us, life is whatever you make it for yourself. Whoever relies on Government handouts, will always remain second-class citizens. EVERYBODY must be given the opportunities which come from education. We of European descent need to be educated in the “Caring for Community” which our indigenous neighbours have managed to maintain far more effectively, despite the post-war drive to materialism.