There are no elections(institutions)without symbolic dimension.Their use for the analysis of authoritarianism or democracy without taking into consideration of this dimension will be flawed Elections in Hybrid Regimes: Conceptual Stretching Revived Lee Morgenbesser research.ebsco.com/c/7fhaq6/vie...

I watched this both out of personal and professional curiosity. It's a perfect example of everything I disagree as to how authoritarianism emerge and is sustained. I need to write sth longer about it. Though, Jude Law is great as Putin. There is one sentence which sums up the understanding of+

There was one on the BBC earlier if that helps.

DC. So fun!! Some see friend/enemy in ALL politics. Others are blind to friend/enemy politics even when kicked by them in the face. Not all politics is friend/enemy, but its dynamics cannot be just wished out of existence — they can only be abetted — by this … Sportswashing

Who, I wonder, is too racist for the BBC now? This is the language of the NF and the BNP, neither of which were invited on to the sofa to chat politics. Racism spreads when institutions legitimise it

Oswald Mosley was barred from appearing on the BBC for 34 years. Surely they can manage to avoid Goodwin for 34 days at least

It’s alarming that there’s a great big Nazi convention happening in Portugal featuring, among others, the inspiration for the Christchurch mass shooting and none of the big media outlets think that’s worth reporting on 😬

"The fact that the party which is leading in all of the national opinion polls is now using the sort of rhetoric previously reserved for the very fringes of the far-right is deeply alarming – as is the fact that this rhetoric is being publicised and normalised by Reform’s media supporters."

Anyone watching Nicholas Cage's Spider-Noir? I'm not fan of Marvel films but I like Cage.. and him in a noir spider movie sounds fun!

Thanks for sharing this @zackpolanski.bsky.social Obviously you're a bit misrepresented by @theguardian.com But still, there is one problem in your approach, which is a very common mistake about authoritarian populism. It's thought that the reason behind authoritarian populism is that it's a+

Seriously? Even the Greens? What's wrong with the politicians in this country? At least USA has a group of democratic socialists. Where are the democratic socialists of this country? @zackpolanski.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

For the ones looking for lessons for understanding how authoritarianism works through the regime's latest assault on the opposition in Turkey: 1/4 I don't find explanations describing the situation in Turkey as transition from competitive authoritarianism to full autocracy - mainly because such+

tl,dr; Scientists no longer allowed to use federal funding to publish, attend meetings, or talk to the public. They cannot collaborate internationally. Grants can be cancelled for any reason, at any time, political appointees have a final say over what gets funded, and who gets funded.

Today, ousted leader of the main opposition party in Turkey by the regime in collaboration with the previous management of the party is holding a rally in Ankara. My brother Bülent Köse is there, too. As I have been saying, what's going on in Turkey now is not merely about+

Good to see law still functions (before it's too late). It's so important! www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05...

Action- the administration says they are making 100% salary reductions in response to our marking and assessment boycott and that all other work from participants during this time is "voluntary." Response- We strike for two months straight. westbridgfordwire.com/university-o...

Ben and I have been arguing we should see Musk's interactions with people like Lowe operationally—less an expression of deeply-held convictions than instrumental incursions in the terrain of memetic politics to cultivate and boost figures Musk identifies as future political partners/clients.

Episode Five - Stuart Hall asks: Is There An English Ideology? www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/en... With @jemgilbert.bsky.social & Caitlin Doherty, with a special appearance at the end from Catherine Hall

An alternative poll based on actual facts: do you want cheap and clean energy or fossil fuels?

Anger Over Oxford Union’s Tommy Robinson Invite Amid Suggestions of GB News Deal GB News— whose presenter Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg sits as a trustee of the Union's governing charity — is set to film the far-right activist's appearance, Byline Times is told

If you're anti-tech or anti-AI, you might be considered as 'terrorist' US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows | WIRED share.google/CHT2QjgGvQQj...

If I was Tony Blair I don't know if I'd have picked a week when the UK population was melting from record temperatures to call on the UK Gov to move back towards fossil fuels

Thanks Mr Blair but a baselessly confident 6,000 word diatribe telling the UK to move right on every issue while embracing Trump and Silicon Valley wasn't even that cute all those times Dominic Cummings wrote it.

Reading it was also fun! Amazing..

What's going on in Turkey at the moment is unprecedented, indeed. The regime doesn't merely seek to capture the opposition party but tries to eliminate the opposition from below. Sure, such move of designing the opposition is the demonstration of weakness for Erdogan and his+ alhurra.com/en/21387

This isn't just about capturing the main opposition party. It's about totally eliminating the political opposition from below. It's about eliminating politics.

Probably because we didn’t get shot first

This isn't just about capturing the main opposition party. It's about totally eliminating the political opposition from below. It's about eliminating politics.

Of course, he's not sorry. But, more importantly, no one should be allowed to say racist or sexist things and, then, just say 'sorry' without actually meaning it. But this red line has been passed long time ago.

Every email I receive from a journalist about Turkey begins or ends with the same question: has Turkey stopped being competitive authoritarianism? I respond all of them by saying: 'competitive authoritarianism' isn't helpful to understand the situation neither in Turkey nor in the US, for instance.+

Erdogan revoked his decision of closing down Istanbul Bilgi University. This may seem like an extreme arbitrariness. But it's not; authoritarianism has its own logic and way of doing politics. This decision reflects the limits of the regime and the level of its unpopularity. Respect to the students+

True, but this doesn't make big difference. The international attention on Turkey has varied between trying to 'explore' an allien planet, pity and (external) solidarity. I remember answering questions about how it's like living under authoritarianism as if I'm from another planet and this kind+

This is a very fine adaptation of Albert Camus' The Stranger..

Such a crazyness! Erdogan has reversed his decision to close down Bilgi University after 3 days..

Review of the play in Guardian inspired by a project centred on the notion of Rhetorical Citizenship - Speech, speech, speech! www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/m...

The leader of the opposition party in Turkey on TOMA (anti-riot police vehicle).He said "From now on, we are only in the streets.” This is a fight where only one can win! And this is why antagonism cannot be eliminated from democracy. Enemies of democracy aren't our friends or legitimate adversaries

Therefore what's going on in Turkey now isn't merely about the regime capturing the main opposition party, CHP, institutionally. But it's about eliminating the the way of doing politics by the new leadership, who has radicalised politics and pushed to widen the political space. I do think that+

The leader of the opposition party in Turkey on TOMA (anti-riot police vehicle).He said "From now on, we are only in the streets.” This is a fight where only one can win! And this is why antagonism cannot be eliminated from democracy. Enemies of democracy aren't our friends or legitimate adversaries

The head of the main opposotion party CHP, who is ousted by the regime is marching from the headquarter of the party to the parliament with a growing crowd. To watch the march 👇

Shame, shame, shame!! The new management of the main opposition party appointed by the regime got help from the police. The police broke the party's gate, used pepper spray etc to evacuate the building. Who are these people? Party staff, MPs, party managers on various levels! Big shame!

As the regime shut down Bilgi University, a little bit context about Turkey's universities. Private universities are more common in Turkey than they're in Europe. State universities have lost their critical power primarily in 2016-17 when the regime dismissed thousands of+ bianet.org/haber/istanb...

A little bit retreat from ultra-crazy Turkish politics to still-less-crazy British politics.. This was good. I'd rather Democratic Left than 'soft left,' too.

Students of the Bilgi University are protesting closure of their university by a presidential decree. Their education has been ruined. No one knows what will happen to them. Hundreds of sraff list their jobs in one day. The police is on the campus now.

Here is Erdogan's strategy: keeping the opposition with its internal problems rather than him. I hope CHP knows what it's doing because there are other ways but they have preferred to accept the congress. And this is certainly a step-back for the opposition.

As the regime shut down Bilgi University, a little bit context about Turkey's universities. Private universities are more common in Turkey than they're in Europe. State universities have lost their critical power primarily in 2016-17 when the regime dismissed thousands of+ bianet.org/haber/istanb...

Of course, this is ridicilous.. but look at the hostility to politics! 'Palantir has accused Sadiq Khan of “putting politics above public safety” after the London mayor blocked its £50m contract with the Metropolitan police..' www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

This is important.The regime in Turkey seeks to replace the current leadeship of the opposition party with the previous one under Lemal Kilicdaroglu (who lost the election against Erdogan in 2023). So far, none of the names in the previous Kilicdaroglu rule have accepted to be reinstated-which is+

As if it's not enough to remove the leadership of the main opposition party (CHP), yesterday, the regime shut down Turkey's one the finest universities (Bilgi University) just with a presidential decree and without any explanation.

Another dark day for democracy in Turkey:The court ruled to suspend the current leadership of the main opposition party CHP, whose presidential candidate is in jail.The current leadership is to be replaced by the previous leadership of the party, who is to be appointed by the regime. Early election+