Erdogan modelled Turkey after Third Reich - Independent

President Erdogan may be democratically elected, but his Turkey is modelled on the Third Reich
In the present chaos, Erdogan can reinforce his demand for an executive presidency and the death penalty may return 'by popular demand'

At New Year, Turkey’s President Erdogan famously mentioned Hitler’s Germany as an example of an executive presidency, and the reference seems to be apt.
It was not long after Erdogan’s AKP (Justice and Development Party) came to power in 2002 that it became clear that the party was not as clean (“ak” means clean in Turkish) as they claimed. Charges of corruption against Erdogan for his period as mayor of Istanbul were dropped, a tax fraud amnesty was passed as well as an opaque public procurement law. Erdogan also reneged on his electoral promise to remove parliamentary immunity for non-parliamentary offences.
Backed by the cadres of the Gülen movement (Fethullah Gülen is a reclusive Turkish imam who since 1999 has been resident in Pennsylvania), Erdogan’s supporters took over leading positions in state and local administration. In 2008, there was a “settling of accounts” with “the deep state” – the secular state-military-mafia triangle which had hitherto ruled Turkey – which resulted in the imprisonment of well over 500 of the AKP’s opponents, mostly from the military.

It was the move from the Gülen movement in December 2013, which had infiltrated both the police and judiciary, to expose the widespread corruption in government and business circles, including Erdogan’s own family, which triggered the present confrontation.

In a witch-hunt, as Erdogan himself called it, thousands of police officers, judges and public prosecutors were removed the following year. There were also claims that 40 high-ranking officers in the military belonged to the Gülen movement, but the military resisted an investigation because of lack of evidence.
However, the arrest of gendarmerie officers and public prosecutors for stopping trucks carrying arms to jihadists in Syria increased tension with the military as well as the military’s reluctance to follow the government’s directive to intervene in Syria. Although a new chief of the general staff was appointed and the previously imprisoned officers were rehabilitated, the underlying grievance remained.
Turkey’s president has never ceased to stress he has been democratically elected – but so was Adolf Hitler. In a process similar to the Nazi party’s policy of Gleichschaltung (coordination) the AKP has gradually taken control of all aspects of Turkish society. Like the Third Reich’s Sondergerichte (special courts), two years ago a system of penal courts of peace was established, each with a specially appointed single judge to take care of opponents of the regime.
Like Der Führer, Turkey’s Reis (“leader”) has a strong sense of mission and a cult of personality has also grown around Erdogan. One party supporter hailed the president with the welcome, “O messenger of God”, and an AKP deputy claimed “even touching our prime minister is worship to me”.
The downside is that when things backfire, even a prophet can get nasty. In his broadcast after the failure of the July 20 bomb plot in 1944, Hitler regarded his survival as “a confirmation of the task imposed on me by Providence”. Likewise, President Erdogan regards the failure of the July 15 coup as “a gift from God” and an opportunity to cleanse the military and clean “the virus” from all state institutions.

To date, some 60,000 have either been detained or suspended in an extensive purge of the military, police, intelligence organisation, local government, judiciary, education system and several ministries –  all suspected members of FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation).
In addition, Erdogan has declared emergency rule for three months and a temporary suspension of the Human Rights Convention, all “to protect democracy” and “clean the state apparatus fully of members of the Gülen movement”. The president has guaranteed there will be no restrictions on rights and liberties, which hardly squares with the right to govern by decree and ban publications, speeches and public gatherings.
In the present chaos, Erdogan can reinforce his demand for an executive presidency. There is also talk of the return of the death penalty “by popular demand”.
A deeply divided country has now turned in on itself with the threat of mob rule, where Erdogan’s supporters roam the streets, attack his opponents and communities are split. Turkey is staring into the abyss but under the leadership of a vindictive president it is difficult to see what can prevent disaster.

Businesses had no plans for Brexit either - Bloomberg

New U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May says “Brexit means Brexit,” but many companies are struggling to figure out what the country’s departure from the European Union will bring for them. Outside advisers are eager to lend a hand.
Banks like Citigroup Inc. and Nomura Holdings Inc. have set up internal Brexit teams and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has hired Jose Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, to guide it through the thickets in Brussels.

Jose Manuel Barroso  Photographer: Carl Court/Getty Images
Outside the financial services industry, responses have ranged more widely. International telecoms giant Vodafone Group Plc has not set up a Brexit squad despite warning that it might have to move its headquarters away from London, while U.K.-focused discount retailer Poundland Group Plc -- confronted with a rise in prices of imported goods it sells because of a plunging pound -- has created such a panel, executives said.

Instead of tackling weighty strategic questions like these on their own at a time when the conditions of Brexit remain unclear, many companies are turning to accountants, consultants and lawyers, who are lining up spreadsheets, PowerPoints and conference calls to gear up for a boom in demand.
“It was such a shock to so many companies in so many industries that there is going to be an exit that they didn’t have any contingency plans in place,” said Karen Briggs, a senior partner at KPMG who was appointed head of Brexit at the accountancy firm, leading a team of 10 to 15 specialists who are advising clients.
Briggs said inquiries have focused on immigration, legal issues and tax matters related to Brexit. She said she expects to hire additional staff in coming months but could not quantify the possible financial impact on the firm.
Brexit Center
While the vote to leave the EU caught many companies and politicians by surprise, the Big Four accounting firms responded quickly. Deloitte had a dedicated Brexit Center led by partner Rick Cudworth up and running the day after the vote. It has set up a special website and email address to field client requests.

A Deloitte webinar on Brexit on Monday attracted 2,000 clients. The firm has opened a hotline for clients worried about immigration restrictions and devised a “Brexit lab” as a way for companies to assess the impact on their businesses.
“Clients are quite unclear about what steps they should take and they’re adopting a wait-and-see approach,” Cudworth said. “In a time of uncertainty it is better to be prepared. It’s about taking a very pragmatic approach.”

Ernst & Young has had a team since last year to prepare for the referendum and has put together a group of 60 partners to advise clients on how to respond. Steve Varley, U.K. chairman of the firm, attended two business leaders’ meetings with the government in the week after the referendum to press the case that U.K. companies want to be able to continue hiring skilled workers from the EU while maintaining access to the single market.

After the fall in the pound and in advance of possible restrictions on immigration, one of the biggest concerns among companies is the impact of Brexit on pay and hiring.

Consulting firm Mercer has put together a working group to answer client questions about talent, pensions and employee health and benefits issues.
Daily Queries
“Whenever there’s change, there’s a lot to be done,” said Kate Fitzpatrick, senior global mobility consultant at Mercer. “It will have an impact on overall talent strategy and where companies will find the skilled resources. We’re getting queries daily.”
While many companies are waiting to see what happens, financial services firms can’t afford to stand by until the Brexit conditions are clear. At Citigroup’s London base, a group of top executives meet every week to mull over the Brexit fallout and plot strategy, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity as the details aren’t public.
Colin Church, chief risk officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Conor Davis, head of credit sales for the region, are among the members. Zdenek Turek, head of the lender’s Dublin-based Citibank Europe Plc unit, and U.K. country head James Bardrick, help chair the meetings, the people said.
“If you’re a financial institution, there’s nothing you can really do about how the geopolitical situation pans out,” said Pri de Silva, an analyst at CreditSights Inc. in New York. “You’re going to have to wait and see how the chips fall and then act accordingly. It’s like trying to play a game without knowing the rules of the game.”
Nomura, Goldman
Nomura has appointed a steering committee, headed by Europe chief Jonathan Lewis, to examine the impact of the vote, people with knowledge of the matter said. In the wake of the referendum, Goldman Sachs hired Barroso as non-executive chairman of its international unit -- for which Brexit looms as a key issue, even though the firm did not cite it as a reason for the appointment.
Along with consultants and accountants, lawyers say they’re already seeing benefits as companies turn to them for advice.
“We think we are pretty suited for the questions which come, and they have been coming quite a lot,” Stephan Eilers, managing partner at law firm Freshfields, said in an interview. “Brexit has not been the fall over the cliff.”