I was recently away in Erbil the capital of Kurdistan, and Rojava in Syria. I have decided on this occasion, to solely write about my experiences there. I hope it’s of interest, particularly at this dynamic time globally, with so many international issues impacting all our daily lives.
It’s perhaps important to also note, that over the past ten years as an elected councillor in Thanet, I have been in contact with many Kurds who have chosen for whatever reason, to live in Thanet, and who work in a variety of roles.
Many of us were, of course, relieved and surprised at the fall of the murderous Assad regime on December 8th last year. “The rapid dissolution of the Assad regime was initially met with euphoria on the streets of Damascus — disbelief even, that the administration that so violently put down so many is at an end. The fall Bashar al-Assad after a violent 13-year civil war was hailed as a new era. But two months after, there are concerns that one dangerous regime has been replaced by another.” Harry Stourton.
These are concerns that I and many others share. Post Assad, the current situation in Rojava is extremely worrying. Politicians are looking at what’s going on there, but are they actually seeing the detail? Under the new regime led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Kurds aren’t involved in forming the new government and writing the new constitution, as they should be and expected to be. Without Kurdish involvement any new framework will be undemocratic and will continue to breach human rights and foster the continuing exodus away from the region.
The delegation
We were a civilian delegation of six, three of whom are Kurds from Turkey, Syria and Kurdistan. Ihsan Qadir, General Secretary of the League of Kurdish Regions, Dr Farahan Ahmed, and Dr Khoshnaf Al-Kadi. Being cross party, Conservative Mayor elect of Maidstone, Martin Round and myself represented UK political parties. Roger Lyon, an authority on the Middle-East, known for setting up the anti-apartheid movement, prominent trade union general secretary and ex TUC president was also sharing his invaluable knowledge. Three of us had also participated as independent observers in the 2017 election for independence in Kurdistan.
I was privileged not only to be included in this mission, backed by the FCDO, but also to lead it. Many of those we met especially welcomed a delegation led by a woman. We were the first civilian delegation to gain access to Rojava since the revolution. Our priority was to engage with and ensure as many of the political parties, religious organisations, trade unions, women’s organisations and others, know we are fighting for their democratic rights and advocating for them, for a truly democratic Syria and lasting peace.
We spent a week split between Erbil the capital of neighbouring Kurdistan, and Rojava in Syria. Over seven days we engaged in more than 25 meetings, each having many participants and involving extensive dialogue.
It was important to do this in order to understand and respect what is a complex and dynamic situation. We met more than 270 individuals. We were extremely busy, using all of our time for engagement activities — starting early in the morning often until late at night. As it was, we could have utilised more time. Word quickly spread and many organisations organised quickly and efficiently to meet with us. People were very eager to meet us. And we are now eager to continue to take the work of the delegation forward, to use it as a springboard to assist democracy and the establishment of human rights.
Conditions in Rojava
Although the people are inspiring, positive and resilient, Rojava has been smashed. It is in a shocking condition. There are huge challenges to rebuild the city, it’s institutions and the people.
People need our personal and political support. From the thousands of children who have no access to education, to the collapse of public services, to the lack of transport, (although there is a non-working railway and an airport that could easily be bought into use,) to the fragile bridge over the river Tigris, the key safe route in and out of Rojava, which is just a pontoon bridge, not only limited by weight (nothing over 30 tonnes can cross at a time,) it’s prone to being washed away.
Factor in, the absence of a banking system and a general widespread climate of fear; Rojava is just three kilometres from Turkey, and Turkish militia have frequently attacked the city and its inhabitants.
The challenge is immense.
Political stability?
The attempts to rebuild Rojava, encompasses civil, municipal and political levels, and underpin Rojava residents desire and attempts to form a genuine inclusive and secular democracy; but democracy firstly requires political stability.
We heard first-hand how the agreements reached recently in Damascus by the self-appointed president Ahmed al-Sharaa who is in control during the transitional period, are not inclusive. Without full democratic inclusion the peace now established will be fragile. The economy will not be sufficiently rebuilt. People will not be able to return to live in Rojava or Syria. The West will continue to see a stream of Kurdish refugees. I hear that the Calais refugee camps are home to many Syrians still fleeing.
A different way
During the decades of war and strife, the redoubtable, utterly hospitable Rojavans, with meagre resources, have organised their society in a truly heroic and democratic way. Women participate in all bodies, and ethnic and religious balance is also ensured, for example, “each municipality council must have one Kurd, one Arab and one Assyrian or Armenian Christian, and at least one of the three must be a woman.” It really is a remarkable and inspiring example of democracy in action.
The challenge now is to insist on Syrian Kurds being at the Damascus negotiating table in order that they can build up and out of the rubble and chaos.
Our mission
Our delegation has returned to the UK to do all it can to promote this cause. Conservative Councillor and Maidstone Mayor elect, Martin Round will shortly form his Mayor’s charity around the needs of Kurdish children — and in the true spirit of Kurdish cooperation I will be working to support his fundraising efforts. Watch this space.
I’ll continue to work with the League of Kurdish Regions taking forward a number of political initiatives. As a writer my ambition is to also co-author a book which captures life in Rojava in particular and Kurdistan more broadly, focusing on women’s lives and aspirations. I’m also hoping to facilitate more people to travel to Rojava to build political links and community bonds. Again watch this space.
Political will
During our many meetings, we were reminded about the UK’s global reputation for nurturing democracy, and many referred to the Northern Ireland peace process and peace dividend as a potential model.
In parts of the Middle East we’ve witnessed continuing atrocities, breaches of human rights, bombings and fighting etc. We’ve seen firsthand that resolution is now within grasp. It needs political will to create a brighter future.
Children — the front line
In any war zone children always bear the brunt. In Rojava I saw the very poor conditions for far too many children; and I was horrified. There are of course many children in Rojava who are orphans, many that I saw, who are ‘working.’ I saw infants selling products on the roadside, I saw how hungry and underweight they looked, how ill-clothed and shod they were — often not wearing warm clothes although it was freezing. I saw how stressed they looked.
I didn’t see any toys — save for groups of kids happily playing football, I saw no bikes, no scooters, no play areas, no child wearing a watch, no girl wearing jewellery, and of course no mobile phones or digital devices of any kind. Boys as young as eight were working as mechanics, girls around ten were looking after younger children, possibly their siblings. These kids have nothing — but amazing and gracious smiles!
These young people are the future of the country. Without peace and democracy these children will not have an education, then they will be prey for ISIS forces.
Kurdistan
Kurdistan is often described a bright candle in the night, often the only light in an all too dark Middle East. The UK government now urgently needs to use all the diplomatic levers at its disposal. To get behind the people of Rojava, and to pressure the new president to include them in drafting the new constitution.
Next steps
We’ll return to the FCDO and we’ll seek to meet with as many politicians as possible. When it comes to the functioning democracy, the UK rightly has a prized global reputation. Kurds now need to be fully involved in rebuilding Syria, our government need to ensure that’s an expectation that Ahmed al-Sharaa should met. We’ll also be urging government to look and see what’s actually going on in Syria. A greater degree of humanitarian aid is urgently needed in Rojava.
There is a huge amount at stake.
And how, other than her usual faux outrage at her government to try to keep local people onside & the stench of her revolting party away from her-while remaning in Labour & blaming it on the Tories routine, does still Labour Karen feel about her dictator leader just days back cutting the overseas aid budget nearly in half-to the lowest percentage of national income on record, leading to the resignation of the International Development Minister? What cognitive dissonance will she employ this time to avoid the clear disparity of her parties actions to her articles?
our government need to ensure that’s an expectation that Ahmed al-Sharaa should met. We’ll also be urging government to look and see what’s actually going on in Syria. A greater degree of humanitarian aid is urgently needed in Rojava.
1. How do they do that by destroying the overseas aid budget, while wasting tens, if not now hundreds of billions on total rubbish?
2. You keep saying you will be urging the government-as said previously they aren’t remotely interested in anything you or anybody else has to say. Labour is now an autocratic dictatorship, just like the orange freak in America, that your on the take wimp leader was nauseatingly sucking up to last week, to toe-curling cringingly appease the tantrum throwing man-child with bribes like a state visit to see the corrupt King in return for a trade deal if the liar actually went through with his threats/bluffs.
Well done Karen and Khosnaf – our local Thanet members on the delegation. Having worked closely with a variety of Kurdish groups over the last forty years,I know how much the Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq,and Syria value contact with Western European activists,and this can help to kick off major changes. The ultra-left rant you published should be ignored unless,the author is prepared to disclose their name – which I very much doubt.This is cowardly and daft.
Well, that’s just the sort of left wing extremist rubbish you would say, comrade keith!!
Ultra left? Not at all. I despise them as much as the far right-especially now we have seen their true colours since Starmer was elected & they defend his behaviour & those of his party to the hilt, despite them doing worse then the Tories did when they correctly lambasted them for it.
Print my name? Yeah, sure-you did see the woman who had the police knocking on her door for calling on Facebook for Labour Councillors involved in the WhatsApp Group scandal to resign a week or so back? The never ending people getting door knocks & phone calls over their public thinking on gender issues etc for the last decade or so in increasing numbers?
We don’t live in a free country where you can give a comment, or have a logical/different opinon on certain things any longer without somebody ‘getting offended’ & potentially reporting you & getting the Stasi 1984 thought police around on spurious & psuedo-scientific ideology for so called non hate crime incidents. If these people weren’t so cowardly as to try to stifle free speech/anything they don’t like by such means, then people could use their own names without fear of repurcussions.
The question she refuses to answer remains-why does she continue to post mild rants about Labour every month, yet still remains in the party, backs them, blames the Tories for what Labour are doing & why her goals that are clearly so different to her parties since July 2024?
I think you’re rather paranoid, “SGBNA”, regarding free speech.
“Mike Bassett” (I’d prefer to use my real name but there’s a computer problem at present, so I can’t.)
I do also find it funny being called ultra-left, by somebody who assuming you are using your real name was Jeremy Corbyn’s agent.
I’ve also traveled in the area. I cycled across N Iraq a few years ago from Erbil to Halabje on the Iran border. The principal persecuted minority on the Kurdish Autonomous Region is the Christians and Yazidis. The Jews have already been ethnically cleansed from the area, with scarcely a murmur from ‘progressive’ politicians. Odd that you omit to mention the fact that the Christian minority is now the target of institutionalised muslim hate in the region.
Whilst in Iraq i met a Swedish NGO worker for wimnins’rights. Her taxpayer expensed jaunt included staying in a 4 star hotel in Suleymaniye and traveling in a landcruiser with armed an armed escort to Halabje to put up some posters in a community centre of some sort – in a town where most of the women are illiterate. A perfect example of the madness of ‘foreign aid’. Thankfully Trump is defunding USAID and returning money to taxpayers. I wish we’d do the same in the UK. I’m fed up with paying tax to support this gravy train.
So Barry you support a lunatic who is acting as Putin’s stooge do you? Trump is mad, he is acting in defence of Putin, so he can grand stand by saying he stopped the war in Ukraine, that will never happen, and its up to the democracies to oppose him, and his lunatic ideas! The Muslim world is trying to remove the shackles of religious superstition, thats why there isn’t a functioning Muslim dominated country!
It took over 200 years, from around 1500AD, for Britain, and most of Europe to throw off the shackles of Catholic domination that had prevailed for centuries, and had led to the deaths of millions! Some 75 years ago Europe from Belfast to Moscow lay in ruins due to the most devastating war in history, and the survivors including myself, thought it could never happen again, except it may well do if Putin and Trump aren’t stopped. Well done Karen, every effort no matter how small, must be made to bring peace to people who are struggling to oppose authoritarian war mongerers, religious superstition, and lunatics like Trump, and Putin!
Nice holiday who paid for that….
Maybe represent Thanet instead
Who paid for that, The Brim? In this case, the Swedish taxpayer!
FCDO…tax payer
Try spending some time and do something to improve the toilet that Thanet has become.
Thanet has not become a”toilet”, Alex Peters. It is a deprived area as are many other areas in Britain,.
People are defecating on Northdown Road.
“SGBNA” -Northdown Road is a single street in Thanet.
If you think that Thanet is a toilet then I think that your potty training is inadequate.
You must have a short memory Phyllis-there have been people defecating & urinating on Northdown Road for some time now-as reported here on February 12th. Our hopeless council are not interested, yet are keen to set up non-smoking zones.
Why this petition matters
Started by lucy gray
No no no … this is not normal behaviour …our community does not feel safe.
Any person, adult or child, walking down or shopping on Northdown Road has been increasingly affected by incidents of:
• Public defecation and urination, creating health hazards.
• Open drug use, endangering residents and visitors.
• Aggressive and intimidating behaviour, making public spaces unsafe.
• Persistent fly-tipping, damaging the environment and attracting vermin.
The antisocial behaviour of rough sleepers in Cliftonville, Margate have made parts of our community including children and vulnerable households unsafe, unhygienic, and unwelcoming for residents, businesses, and visitors. While we recognise the complex issues surrounding homelessness and addiction, urgent steps must be taken to ensure that public spaces remain safe for everyone.
Yet more showing off and self promotion from egotistical Karen Constantine, also known as ‘councillor for the Costa Del Sol’ due to being located at her 2nd home in Spain most of the time.
Luckily she’s not standing for re-election to KCC & taxpayers can breathe a sigh of relief as this free-loader departs. I am ‘seeing red’ at the fact that during her last 4 years tenure as KCC representative for Ramsgate she attended only 50% of the meetings she was required to attend.
Of course she drew the full amount of her taxpayer-funded allowance. This is confirmed on the KCC website sections on attendance and allowances received. Good riddance to this champagne socialist!
I’ll take the time to read the article and responses properly later when I have more time as this is imprtant.
As an aside I had relatives enforcing the no fly zone in the late 80s early 90s I think it was as boots on the ground to call in allied air support.
I also served with a chap in the British Aemgnwirh a heavy accent and a big moustache in the 80s and 90s. His life story showed me just how collocated the region is and the mess the Sykes Picot deal with the French at the end of ww1 made of things. He told me he had been studying engineering in the U.K. when the Shah was toppled, he went home to Iran to fight for his country against the Iraqi’s attack and was a mechanized infantry officer. He came back to the U.K. and enlisted with us before the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequently served as an interpreter in Bosnia , Afghanistan and Iraq…. His loyalty is to Britain….. but he is Iranian by birth, Kurdish by (lack of state) and his family were Jewish by religion … he is agnostic.
Here in the U.K. we support the right to self determination (now at least) and our the Irish, Scots and Welsh being in a marriage of majority choice. The Kurds never have and unfortunately never will be given the right to self determination, but they will live in hope.
Support the right to self-determination? Hahaha. We (the MAJORITY) voted for self-determination in the referendum and what did we get? Almost every member of both houses and the bulk of the bone-idle civil service have done everything in their power to give the EU even more control over the UK.
Self determination for the Kurds… who cares?… Try sorting out the coming religious war that will surely occur in the UK before looking for yet more mischief abroad.
Alex Peters- if by “referendum” you are referring to the Brexit one, it didn’t have much of a majority, and now most people in Britain realize what a terrible mistake it was and still is.
“Mike Bassett”
Mike Bassett… words fail me. “…it didn’t have much of a majority?… A majority is a majority end of.
What do YOU expect… remainers are the only ones with ‘right thinking’ and your MINORITY remain vote should prevail?
Now most people realise the HofP, the civil service and people JUST LIKE YOU have done everything to destroy any chance of a realistic Brexit. Democracy… it doesn’t even begin to exist in the UK any more.
The results of the EU Referendum meant only a minority voted to leave! 17,410,742 voted leave, and 16,141,241 to remain. Total Turnout = 33,551,983 = 72%
This means 52% voted to leave, and 48% to remain. Therefore, only 37.4 voted to leave: Proof 52% of 72% of the turnout = 37.4% which is not a majority who voted to leave! As this was a major change to the (unwritten) British constitution, it should have required 66% to leave, or remain, but the Tory’s made a mess of it, so we left due to a small minority of 37.4%! All of them had no idea what the terms and conditions were if we left, and are only now realising what a mess it is. Time for another referendum!
The “Brexit” referendum did not require a “super majority. If 3 people voted, and 2 said “leave”, then we would have left.
In the actual vote, a small majority of those voting were in favour of leaving, so we left.
Currently, a rather larger majority is in favour of rejoining the EU.
Democracy is still in existence in Britain. There is no reason to think that it isn’t.
Well Mike, in every General Election since the war, more people voted AGAINST the elected government, than for it, call that democratic? I am not a member of any political party, but I am of the Electoral Reform Society for many years standing. Its time the UK joined the grown up countries, and introduced Proportional Representation, using the same system in Northern Ireland, Wales, And Scotland would be a start!
Brexit happend, under the auspices of the Tory government, the ones who began the process.
The UK decided to leave the EU, so leave we did.
The haggling since has nothing to do with the referendum.
If (for example) you choose to leave the golf club, you hand in your resignation and stop paying the fees. That’s it.
But, if you want to occasionally use the bar, the pool, the gym,then you have to negotiate with the club – and they have absolutely no requirement to negotiate with you.
And here we are with Brexit.
Democracy is still in existence in Britain. There is no reason to think that it isn’t.
Democracy has never existed in the UK Mike! There is a form of the democratic process in parliament, otherwise most people have never had an MP represent them! In any case what does your MP do for you? Nothing is the answer, because they are there to hold whatever government is in power to account, otherwise they do nothing for their constituents! Mostly 99% or more of constituents problems are dealt with by locally elected councillors, and not their MP. I am coming round to thinking the “list” system is the best way to elect a democratic government, whereby people vote for a political party, and not for some idiot who is being foisted on them by even more idiots in their constituency! Voting for a political party’s agenda/policies is better than voting for an MP who can and will ignore you once they have your vote!
Alex Peters- What is this religious war which you say is coming? Goodness, Alex Peters- what on earth have you been reading or watching?
Perhaps Ms Constantine could use her remaining days in office to address the issue of dentistry in Thanet?
Unlikely-just like Gauche caviar Polly B bleats about the rights of the Afghan Women’s Cricket team & wrote a letter about it to the ECB, yet at the same time voted against a grooming gang inquiry into UK girls being sexually abused & gang raped for decades
I don’t think Ms Billington is at all gauche, in the other sense of the word.
Karen Constantine’s ‘seeing red’ slogan & poster image used on her website were stolen from a politics student at Canterbury Christ Church University who arranged for her to speak at a ‘Making Politics Matter’ event at the university.
Not once has she thanked the designer or asked for permission to use the slogan and design. There is nothing original about this dishonourable woman.
North Star, you are either misinformed or talking out of your behind. I designed the Seeing Red lock-up at the request of Kathy Bailes of IOTN. I shot the picture of Ramsgate Harbour, used in the background and used a picture of Karen that was kindly supplied by a photographer friend. I selected the font. Neo Sans, because it matched other Labour Party material I was designing at the time. Nothing “dishonourable” about that.
If you wish to come out from behind your cowardly moniker, I’ll happily share the Photoshop file with you as evidence.