Pretty good for Macron... maybe too good for high turnout in second round.
Candidates of two main parties (Rep+PS) together at 7% 😮
Le Pen +2%, far right 'just' +6% 🙄
More importantly, not much "mainstream right" left to distribute in second round! 🤔
All in all, not bad for Macron. But not too good for French liberal democracy.
Already listening for 5 minutes to a RN MEP talking on @FRANCE24 about the victory of the "Somewheres" over the "Anywheres". I wonder where he got that terminology from. 🤔
It remains insane that also in France a geriatric professional politician is the voice of the "radical left".
So far every politician interviewed on @france24 comes out strong against Le Pen, both Pecresse and a woman from Mélenchon's party (M himself will probably take another weasily position though).
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The main story of the first round of the #FrenchElections2022 is not at the extremes but at the heart of liberal democracy. And it's not a particularly French story, although there are certain French particularities. A speculative thread. 🧵
1. Far right is not big winner. Le Pen gains 2%, which is minimal, while other far right (Zemmour and Dupont-Aignan), get 5% more than D-A got in 2017.
Zemmour's support is part poor given massive media attention for him as well as his support from within mainstream right.
2. This +7% for the combined far right should be seen in the context of the main story of today, the complete implosion of Les Républicains, the mainstream right, which lost 15% (!) compared to 2017.
If you want to better understand why the 2022 Midterm and 2024 Presidential elections will not be free and fair by design, and why the Republican Party is fundamentally anti-democratic, I've made a shortt selection of (recent) articles from across GOP-dominated states. #thread
Time for some movie recommendations/reviews again. I have been watching a lot and am a bit behind here.
Some absolute gems and a few disappointments.
Fatma 🇹🇷
Turkish short series about a tormented cleaner who goes on a killing spree. Exceptional acting by lead actress in a highly intelligent, intense, and original series. 9/10
Black Crowes 🇸🇦
Long Arabic series that is supposed to portray live in the ISIS Caliphate. Pathetic acting and dramatic music together with thin story makes this boring anti-ISIS propaganda. 4/10
I often get emails from European students who want to do a PhD "with me." So, let me try to explain how US PhD system and academic system work, so that you can make a more informed decision. 🧵
1. First and foremost, in the US you do not apply to a professor but to a department!
2. Unlike in most other countries, in the US you go to grad SCHOOL, which means you must take 2-2.5 years of classes, take a (pointless) "comprehensive exam", before you actually start working on your PhD research.
1. Let me start by saying that I will not make a moral argument for tenure. Clearly, I support it, and think it is crucial for academia, but there is a moral question why some people have ob security and others do not (particularly in US context).
2. In the simplest terms, tenure means job protection. It means you have a "job for life" barring exceptional circumstances -- such as, your university/department goes bankrupt, you are involved in (serious) criminal activities.