Turkey ready

The European Commission has said Turkey is ready to start EU membership negotiations.But there was some qualification to Brussels' "yes"."It is a qualified yes that is accompanied by a large number of recommendations on following up and monitoring the situation in Turkey", said Commission President Romano Prodi, announcing the decision.

So after months of negotiations, reports, analysis and meetings, the result is an unequivocal maybe. Funny how the European Ideal runs into the mud when the issues are difficult ones.

But it also recommends restrictions on freedom of movement for Turks hoping to move to the EU.

So the the one things that most Turks want the most is not on the table.

Today’s report follows almost two decades of hand-wringing on the part of the EU and massive reforms inside Turkey.

So the EU is good at handwringing, thats news for all of us isn't it. In fact the European Union's new foreign affairs and defence strategy is likely to be based on handwringing as its core value.

A bloody struggle with Kurdish insurgents and a military coup made EU membership unthinkable until only a few years ago

Funny, the military coup was in 1980, and civilian government was returned a couple of years later. Did it take them twenty years to notice? Whilst for the Turk's sake I hope they never get in, for the sake of the rest of us I hope they do. That aside, the whole sorry saga of will they won't they has shown up the EU for the two faced organisation that it really is.