Fascinating piece particularly for the ones who are interested in motivations behind politician's actions. Spoiler: it's not economy or oil. When asked why he needed to possess the territory, he said: “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success.+ www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...

I object the use of Laurel and Hardy in a piece as to stupidity as I strongly object the use of stupidity in a political context.

TRL but can say now that Hannah Arendt observed that those charged as criminals have more rights than the stateless (who have none, in practice anyway). Commit a crime, and you become a person in the eyes of the law.

Yes. Where the central governments turn more authoritarian local governments may and are becoming the locus of democracy. Although, there are challanges because of central governments' power. In Turkey, the regime put the mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who challanges+ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Jean Paul Sartre was very right to decline Nobel Prize..

Yes. Where the central governments turn more authoritarian local governments may and are becoming the locus of democracy. Although, there are challanges because of central governments' power. In Turkey, the regime put the mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who challanges+ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This is a clear warning: there will be an electoral pact on the right

In terms of rhetorical shift-the main justification for such actions used to be 'bringing democracy' whereas now it is 'national security.' In terms of its consequences both are equally bad, but the point about the latter is that it widens the space for executive (or one man) and unilateral action.

Just because he is or can be himself civil doesn’t mean that “civility” is not commonly used as cudgel to neutralize or defeat others. He is saying that out loud, civilly, and it gives hope to people on the receiving end of “you can’t say that!” faux outrage politics

On top of this, success rates in the UK for key social science grants are 1.5%. If you win one, it costs your university more than the award is worth (iirc, funding only covers circa 80% of costs once all’s said & done). For reasons nobody can explain, we must all apply for these grants.

Exactly as Walter Benjamin suggests - I'm saying this for Mamdani, of course.

One of the more interesting similarities between Obama and Mamdani is their use of history. The key difference is that the former believed there was great cultural power in just acknowledging history, while the latter explicitly uses the past to establish new political norms.

Women in Iran—not just Tehran, not just students—have been openly flouting the hijab and other modesty laws (and notably regime has not cracked down) but now shopkeepers all over Iran have kicked off another front bsky.app/profile/pers...

Our pop stars continue to be both more accountable and more responsive to feedback than the editorial board of the New York Times

This could have been much better if the most dramatic scene (cross examination of Goring? wasn't taken from A Few Good Men, which is one of the best courtroom movies. Jack Nicholsan is amazing there and the final scene has a great dramatict effect because the entire film+ m.imdb.com/title/tt2956...

Mamdani will be sworn in in the station that inspired the Turtles lair in TMNT 2: The Secret Of The Ooze

Trump famously said "I am your voice." Zohran seems to be saying "I hear you"

If I were teaching rhetoric now, here is my exam question: Discuss 'Bye, Mamdani!' as a statement of ethos and in terms of its political implications. (You'd fail if you reply my just saying populism).

New, from me: Time for something fun - I wrote about themes and fashions of the Knives Out Universe (KOU). 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/exploring-...

New Wave tried to do sth other then countering the predicament of that time merely by taking shelter in morality, as many movies do in these days. It was political. If it would help some people to get curious about the New Wave and make them to look into it I don't have any problem with it being+

This was one of the movies I very much enjoyed watching in the last days of the year. Godard is so far away now and you may even find some of his movies funny but I have always admired his passion for cinema and New Wave is obviously undeniable. I don't whether Godard+ variety.com/2025/film/co...

If you want to hear, not me, but the normally mild-mannered @profafinlayson.bsky.social suggest that Britain might now be entering a pre-revolutionary phase, get your ears around this massive Christmas pressie of a Culture, Power, Politics Emergency Podcast. culturepowerpolitics.org/2025/12/24/p...

My answer to this question would be no. I really struggle to understand why mainstream politics in the UK is so rushing to give up at a time when it's strong. But my main objection to this article is its ending where the author argues that even if Reform comes+ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The road to autocracy is paved with false equivalences.

No accounting, no inflation!

As real political public spaces increasingly shrinks, our politics increasingly relies on the illusion of virtual public replaces. Then, how are we to defend democracy against authoritarianism if we don't do justice to actual demos?

This is what you get when you explain social and political phenomena with economical terms.. www.ft.com/content/30a4...

Or redifine the problem/situation that requires intervention..

While delays aren't unheard of, whatever reason Labour gives if they postpone local elections at this time, all it will look like to most voters is that a hugely unpopular government is playing for time. That's going to boost particularly Reform, but also other parties. www.bbc.com/news/article...

We have bigger problems about AI than plagiarism or fake citations.

As Quintilian said, an effective orator is a good man speaking well. No virtue, no persuasion

The funny thing about rhetoric is that (I know this isn't how most people perceive rhetoric and this issue goes back to Plato) it's about politics more than "communication strategy." Thus, in order to develop a counter media strategy, first, you need counter the far-right politically.

Should have never left.. UK to rejoin EU's Erasmus student exchange programme. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Excellent piece by @adamprz.bsky.social He asks the most challanging questions as he always does: "Since in American eyes the Chinese system is not a democracy, how is it possible that the Chinese value democracy as much as Americans and yet approve of the system which is not a democracy?"

I'm not sure I like the way that they're done and the understanding of 'critique' in these movies, but I think this is true: 2025 is one of the most political years in cinema.. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/13/m...

One of my students referred to Aristotle on their final exam as a “philosophical influencer”. In fairness, they’re not wrong.

Not zoom or teams meeting, then.. the latest miracle discovery of the humanity!

Thesis writing diary 27: All I want for Christmas is to stop the time - one month is enough! Or maybe, two.. I think this is more doable than world-peace.

This is actually true. So, lets keep it that way. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

British Library staff asked for a decent pay. Instead they got ‘a few money-saving present ideas’, such as ‘consider not giving presents this holiday season’. They are on strike this week. I wrote about it for @lrb.co.uk. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/de...

mom come pick me up my AI toy is calling me inappropriate and disrespectful for making fun of Xi Jinping

Pls share/re-post! New Onora O'Neill Prize! Here's a brand new @ecpr.bsky.social book prize in pol-theory, regardless of whether it's your 1st/10th book! Had honour of asking Onora myself if she would lend us her good name: ecpr.eu/news/news/de... @biapt.bsky.social @psapolthought.bsky.social

Another notorious world record from Turkey: the regime is bragging about building the largest courtroom (capacity 2900!) in the Silivri Prison Complex known for housing hundreds of political detainees since 2010s

New courtrooms of the regime in Turkey.. Indeed, mind-boggling. I guess, as the justice fades away the spectacular of justice prevails.

Colleagues, I have been invited to join the Editorial Board of LSE Press and have recently taken up the position. If you ever wish to publish your book OPEN ACCESS, please do send your book proposals our way. press.lse.ac.uk/about

I'm sure Orban has been inspired by the new 'Turkish century.'

Maybe I’ll stand on a platform of making deadlines illegal. A revolution in anxiety management.

Children of Men was set in 2027. Maybe it wasn't a 'dystopian action thriller' but the anticipation of today. Yes, I'm talking about immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees.. whoever we are. @ppfideas.bsky.social a podcast about it would be great.