A liberal democracy died yesterday. Do you care?

Turkey voted itself a dictator with unprecedented powers. When Turkey was formed it was a liberal secular democracy. I disagreed with many of the edicts (couldn’t wear head scarfs in public for instance) but it was a stable democracy in a sea of Middle East unrest. Now they have voted Erdogan to be a defacto ruler for life.

How do you feel about it? Do you give a crap? Is it important to you?

My feeling is that this was one of the greatest electoral defeats for democracy in modern history and the Turks and world should be very afraid. He has jailed political opponents, and is turning Turkey, once a beacon of democracy, into just another regular strong man dictatorship akin to what many of the Arab nations have had.