Blipmeet with Prostel in Amsterdam

Got to Amsterdam this morning for my first meet-up with blipper Prostel and his friend from Istanbul ~ we had many happy hours together in that gentle old city under a wintry sunshine. We walked and talked and went indoors for a drink and a bite and to get warm again; time passed so quickly and in dear harmony! thank you Prostel & friend:)

And now back home I learned from the newsbroadcast that mr. Erdogan in Turkey acted out of revenge against his rival mr. Gül by raiding newsmedia in Turkey.... when will national leaders accept there are limits to their powers and that their people want democracy not dictatorship!

from the papers: ''Consequences? The mutual dependence is too big '

NRC correspondent Marloes King commented:

"People here are shocked by the arrests, whilst it's no big surprise. These journalists are a provisional culmination of a purification that is in progress since one year. Erdogan sees the supporters of Gülen as state enemies. Previously he also purified the justice and police of alleged Gülenists. Those arrests tell us whatever changes in Turkey. They confirm the existing concerns about the rule of law, freedom of the press and the authoritarian tendencies of Erdogan to pinpoint at opponents as terrorists. "

"The EU today condemned the raids. Turkey has been since 2005 a candidate member of the EU and the negotiations are proceeding extremely slowly. But in recent months it's become clear again how much the EU is dependent on Turkey. It is important that the Turks help in the fight against IS, and it's important they continue to absorb Syrian refugees and support the EU sanctions against Russia and not undermine them. So what are the consequences for the EU?! The interdependence between Turkey and the EU is too big. "