In line with its "sensationalistic" approach to politics, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced (or boasted, rather) that the democratisation package which will be unveiled on 30 September will come as "a surprise" to "many different segments of society".

Clearly the PM (and his advisors) are mounting expectations over the package as you mount cream. The choreographic preparation, the choice of words while speaking about this "mystery package" (so far everybody has remained tight-lipped about the content), the date chosen for the announcement (30 of September, in the middle of the two dates the PKK had indicated as 'crucial' for the progress of the current political phase): everything points out to a careful and thought-through show. Because this is what the Prime Minister wants: the announcement must be a show, the 30 of September will arrive surrounded by expectation and even glamour.
It has to be said that normally when so much attention is paid and so much effort is put into preparing the box well it is because the content is poor. But, as we don't know yet the content of the package we will not speculate on it. Let's wait and judge once it is published. This does not mean one should remain silent on the government's attitude shown in these few days before the announcement.

Erdoğan stressed that "This package is the result of an 11-year process. But there will never be an end. Because this isn’t simple mathematics or geometrics. This is an ongoing social and political process". So far, that is in these past 11 years, what we could call 'preliminary packages' have been quite poor in content. Indeed, especially the so much boasted (again preparation to the announcement was carefully studied) "Kurdish Opening" or "Kurdish Initiative" (dating back to 2009) proved a total failure. Likewise progress on a new Constitution has been slow and one could say even virtually non-existent.

And if it is true that "facts matter" sometimes more than words, well the handling of the Gezi Park protest back in the summer showed everything but "availability" to dialogue from the part of the AKP government. Even announcing the "surprise" package these days, the PM did not forget to underline that "there would be no dialogue with those wielding stones, sticks and Molotov cocktails". One could perhaps understands that if this is the case, then no ear would be lent to an extremely violent police nor to torturers: indeed the package would take care of these "antidemocratic" demonstration of force and deal with them once and for all. Indeed, what a surprise this would be: to find in the package a serious and determined approach to end violence (both physical and political) towards whoever says something different from the government's line.

By this stage all we can do is wait for next Tuesday and see what really is in the package.
As for Erdoğan show: the film is the same we watched before. And actually he is becoming a bit boring in his outbursts of ego.