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The primary purpose of bringing together such a group of distinguished local British-Turkish politicians was to discuss ways in which to encourage the participation of the Turkish community in local and national politics in the UK and express support for the British-Turkish candidates in the nearby local elections in May 2006.
By academic standards, the meeting was very successful. The panellists covered a vast range of issues and answered many questions. What was encouraging was the number of people that attended despite the event being held on a weekday. Normally, a select number of people attend such academic meetings but on this occasion we were encouraged to host almost a hundred guests from different backgrounds, occupations and ages. There was a consensus on many issues, such as the need for greater Turkish-British participation in UK politics; the need for more effective lobbying and the importance of solidarity, dialogue and co-operation among different British-Turkish communities. Our speakers were exemplary in the amicable way in which they discussed issues, regardless of their political parties and views. Dr Mehmet Ali Dikerdem proved to be an excellent chair. LCSS is now planning to start its second London Turkish School of Politics, in which we will try to encourage and teach young British-Turks know-how of participating in UK politics. |
