Liberal political scientist Atilla Yayla has been sentenced in absentia by a Turkish court to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Professor Yayla was in 2006 charged with insulting the legacy of Kemal Atatürk. The academic’s ‘crime’ was to point out that the early years of the Turkish republic under the revered leader were not as progressive as the official history suggests.

“I want to emphasise again and again that Turkey’s most pressing problem is freedom of expression.” [Atilla Yayla]

So, for criticising Kemalist ideology as illiberal, Yayla has been threatened with prison. As they say, you couldn’t make it up.

Turkey in the EU? Not yet, thanks.

In a wretched display of southern me-tooism, there are proposals afoot to create an ‘Angel of the South‘ sculpture in Kent. The work is to be twice the size of (and half as good as) Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North in Gateshead. When asked by Five News what form the new sculpture should take, Tyneside residents suggested:

• a pound sign
• a lager top

The House, CBC Radio’s program on Canadian politics and the occasional act of statesmanship, took a detailed look at the Manley Report last Saturday.

John Manley responded to questions on Afghanistan and performed a masterful put down of the petulant Michael Byers. The Afghan Ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, discussed his country’s human rights deficit. And Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae, aka the former NDP premier of Ontario, talked about what his party likes about the report, including delaying any parliamentary vote until the spring.

Best news was that the 3,200 US Marines heading to the South of Afghanistan next month will be under the Canadian Command in Kandahar. This might not satisfy the Manley panel’s demand for a thousand more NATO troops, since the Marines are not committed to staying beyond the current year. But it does raise hopes something will be worked out to extend the Canadian mission past February 2009.

A RealAudio webcast of the program is here and there is also an mp3 podcast on iTunes.

Also, see Glavin on a True Blue Tory who had had it with his Conservative Prime Minister undermining the Canadian military.

“He spoke with our local road crew union, and when he did that, he wore a hardhat just like we wear, so that we would not be frightened of him.”

He also “walked right among the people, listening to their stories and allowing them to touch his clothes and skin.”

Sorry. Couldn’t resist.