The practice of legally banning terrorist organisations has always seemed as pointless as it is inconsistent. If Blunkett were to ban organisations that represent the interests of ideological dogma driven minorities who take peoples lives, large sections of Britains railways would have been banned years ago. Railtrack would issue a statement renaming itself The Real Railtrack (continuity wing). Maintenance contractors would have to hold their Annual General Meetings in secret and company directors would be hurried into the room in banaclavas and shades before announcing that year's dividend.  I know some of you are already muttering "Mark Mark you can't compare railway companies to the IRA or the UVF." You are right of course, the IRA would normally phone in a warning before they killed a member of the public.

Surely it must have occurred to Blunkett and previous home secretaries that potential terrorists are not going to be put off joining terrorist groups by the fact that the groups are banned. As a rule people who are prepared to plant bombs and commit murder generally have a disregard for legal niceties. Expecting banning orders to reduce terrorism is a little bit like expecting the Highway Code to prevent drive by shootings.  When was the last time anyone saw groups of armed men speeding from a killing shouting "Mirror signal manoeuvre! For God's sake do you want to lose points on your license."

Jack Straw's banning of 21 foreign organisations early last year lead the way for much of Europe?s over reactive anti terror laws, which followed in the wake of the attacks upon the World Trade Centre. However, it was perhaps the inclusion of the PKK (The Kurdish Workers Party) on the list of 21 that caused most concern. The PKK have fought a cruel war with the Turkish state, over 30,000 people were killed, between 3- 4 million Kurds were displaced and about 3,500 Kurdish villages and towns have been destroyed. The PKK are not angels and they have undoubtedly committed atrocities but three years ago they declared a cease-fire, which has by and large held.  They also announced their intentions to seek a Kurdish state through non-violent democratic means. Had the PKK been Irish republicans or Northern Irish loyalists their behaviour would not have seen them banned. On the contrary, by now their leaders would be running education departments or stomping around in a sash pretending that thuggery in a bowler hat amounts to culture.

So why did New Labour ban the PKK in April 2001? The answer, as it is with many questions of New Labour, is money and business.  Turkey is the Richard Desmond of the British arms and construction world. They might attract bad publicity but they do put their money in the right places. New Labour may well be embarrassed in taking pornography's profits. They may even flinch at the thought that men up and down the country are helping finance the Blair project by purchasing materials to masturbate with. Although I imagine many porn fans feel just as tainted knowing their money could end up in Labour's coffers. However, when it comes to working and promoting trade with a state that has the worst human rights record this side of Iraq Labour have no qualms. Perhaps if the Turkish authorities published "Hardcore pictures of Torturers wives!" New Labour might be less keen.

Quite simply the PKK were banned to please a valued client. The rest of the European Union followed suit on the 2nd May  2002 adding the PKK to the list of terrorist organisations, despite the fact that the PKK disbanded itself in April..

Turkey is enjoying it's new found international muscle and is about to take command of the 18 nation UN security force in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia's reluctance to allow US planes to operate from there has left the field open for Turkey to play host to Bush?s bombers, which is especially important if Iraq is going to be invaded. None of this will be lost on the EU.

The day after the EU decision , May 3rd, Turkish police arrested 11 members of Egitim-Sen ( The Education Union) in Mardin. Their crime was learning the Kurdish language. According to Egitim-Sen the 11, including a pregnant woman Sermin Erbas, were subjected to beatings, denied food for 3 days and nights, had plastic bags forced onto their heads, left naked and assaulted with pressurised hoses. Sermin Erbas  fell into a coma as a result of this treatment, she is still in a critical condition.

That same day emboldened by the EU action the Turkish military began operations in the Kurdish areas with their customary arbitrary detention and torture. On the May 25th the Turkish military entered the Kurdish region of Metina in Iraq. According to local reports thousands of soldiers deploying tanks and rockets on the ground and cobra helicopters in the air began their attack at around 3.30am. It is claimed at least 17 people have lost their lives. The EU?s actions far from preventing terror appear to have hastened it, they have given Turkey the green light for its human rights abuses.

Now Turkey is calling for KADEK (the political party formed by the PKK) and HADEP a longstanding pro Kurdish democratic political party to be banned in Europe. To most Kurds this is the equivalent of trying to outlaw Sein Fein and the SDLP.  To ban the PKK as terrorists is bad enough but in doing so the UK and the EU have actively encouraged Turkey?s own state terror.