Tag: election
Twitter wrong to block tweets during Turkey election – Wikipedia founder
Furious Tories take aim at Rishi Sunak in series of speeches after local election drubbing
LEADING Tories took aim at PM Rishi Sunak in speeches yesterday.
Liz Truss branded China the “largest threat to the free world” — despite Mr Sunak defying calls to classify the country as such in March.
At the National Conservatism conference in London, Home Secretary Suella Braverman railed against migration and leftie wokeism — two key Tory battlegrounds.
And Jacob Rees-Mogg labelled the PM’s decision to scrap a deadline to ditch thousands of EU laws as “pathetically under-ambitious”.
The PM is under siege after his party lost 1,060 council seats this month.
Last night Sunak continued his international diplomacy blitz in Iceland for a Council of Europe Summit – where he vowed to double down on his migration promises.
The PM is set to say: “It is very clear that our current international system is not working, and our communities and the world’s most vulnerable people are paying the price.
“We need to do more to cooperate across borders and across jurisdictions to end illegal migration and stop the boats.
“I am clear that as an active European nation with a proud history helping those in need, the UK will be at the heart of this.”
Market Extra: Turkey ETF ends 8% lower as presidential election heads for runoff
‘Succession’ Season 4, episode 8: The show’s election explained
Season 4 of Succession has long been building towards the upcoming presidential election, and at last, it’s finally here.
In “America Decides,” the eighth episode of Succession‘s final (and arguably most dramatic) season, the Roys are camping out at ATN’s headquarters while watching the country’s votes pile in. The frontrunners are Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), the Republican candidate, and Daniel Jiménez (Elliot Villar), the Democratic candidate, with the siblings split between who to support.
While episode 8 is filled with the usual family drama and some hilarious moments — shoutout to cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) for that incredible wasabi scene — there’s a lot of pressure on the Roys throughout because they’ve got a big decision to make: which candidate they’re going to publicly vouch for on ATN. American politics sit at the epicenter of this episode, but if you’re a Roy, presidential elections are also grounds for your own personal moves. The siblings aren’t only deciding who they want as the next president, they’re betting on who’s going to help see their own self-interests through.
But who are Mencken and Jiménez? And why are the Roy kids divided between them? Let’s dive into Succession‘s election, its candidates, and why the Roys are all vouching for different outcomes.
Who are Mencken and Jiménez?
Credit: Screenshot HBO
Mencken and Jiménez are both running for president, but their political parties aren’t the only thing that set them apart. We first met Mencken all the way back in Season 3, episode 6, “What It Takes.” Here, we learned that Succession‘s former president of the United States, unnamed but good friends with Logan (Brian Cox), wasn’t running for reelection. So Logan and the kids travel to Virginia for a secret conference with big Republican players to decide on a nominee. Roman (Kieran Culkin), and eventually Logan, take a liking to Mencken and decide to back him.
Mencken is an incredibly worrisome pick however because he’s a far-right conservative with his beliefs basically bordering on fascism. But despite Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) objections, Logan and Roman both believe they needed someone extreme to get voter attention, and they’re unfortunately right. In a short couple of months, Mencken manages to become the Republican nominee with a lot of support. Mencken’s also managed the added bonus of paying for ads to run on ATN and a “direct line” to editorial meetings, meaning Roman and Mencken basically have a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” agreement going on — much to Shiv’s horror when she finds out later in Season 4, episode 5.
On the other hand, Jiménez is a completely new character. We don’t really know much about him besides the fact that he’s the Democratic candidate, which is something we only learned earlier in Season 4. We also know that Nate (Ashley Zukerman), Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) ex-fling, is working on Jiménez’s team, not to mention Shiv is siding with Jiménez. Besides that, another important crumb of information to remember is that Mencken and Jiménez’s election predictions are pretty close. In episode 7, “Tailgate Party,” we learned that Jiménez is ahead of Mencken by only four points — and where this small gap eventually gets closed is something the Roys have a strong playing card in.
Who do the Roys support and why?
Credit: David Russell/HBO
Which candidate does Roman support?
Roman is a big fan of Mencken. Apart from the fact that Romulus regularly does questionable things over the four seasons, he has an actual agreement with Mencken to tank the GoJo deal. We know Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman have been eyeing to derail Waystar Royco’s acquisition since episode 5, making them both co-CEOs until further notice and seeing their own aspirations through. In episode 8, Roman mentions that Mencken can pull some strings, like discrepancies in foreign policy, to render the GoJo deal a no-go. Mencken is someone that Roman can do great business with, and vice versa, which explains why he was going as hard as he was this episode to support him.
Which candidate does Shiv support?
Shiv is pro-Jiménez. In part because she’s terrified of what Mencken would do as president, which goes against her own political ideologies and morals. In another, perhaps, larger part, it’s because she’s pro-GoJo. Jiménez would back the GoJo deal and let it go through. Shiv’s also pulling all the strings to get Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) and Jiménez on buddy terms, essentially passing on the Waystar torch to them both while maintaining a high-powered position for herself. In Shiv’s plan, Roman and Kendall would be bumped out of their CEO positions, but she’d still be a key player as agreed with Matsson. Jiménez being elected, would help her get there.
Which candidate does Kendall support?
Kendall was swaying between both candidates throughout the episode, eventually arriving at pro-Mencken like Roman. On the one hand, like Shiv, Kendall was equally apprehensive about what Mencken would do as president and thought Jiménez would be better for the country. There’s also the fact that one of Mencken’s supporters harassed his daughter on the street, so it’s pretty bad emboldening the guy who’s the reason that happened. On the other hand, Kendall wants to be CEO and Mencken’s the president that’ll help see that through.
Throughout the episode, Kendall’s caught between wanting the best for his family, wanting the best for America, but perhaps more importantly, wanting the best situation for his own self-interests. When he finally realizes that Shiv’s been lying to him and conspiring with Matsson, Kendall drops all his moral quandaries and decides to back Mencken with Roman — solidifying his role as CEO and stabbing Shiv right back after that painful betrayal.
So what’s going to happen next?
A lot more backstabbing I’m afraid.
The presidential election was yet another playing field for the Roys to explore their own ulterior motives, and it’s not over. By the end of episode 8, ATN’s publicly vouched for Mencken and predicted that he’d be winning the presidential election, despite 100,000 votes being “lost” in Milwaukee, a fact Roman chooses to ignore. Roman’s called the election in favor of Mencken, Kendall is no longer disagreeing with him, and they’ve both found out that Shiv was conspiring against them. The presidential verdict still hasn’t been decided, and by the looks of Shiv’s explosive phone call with Matsson at the episode’s end, more ferocious games are to be played.
Season 4 of Succession is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Twitter limits access to some tweets in Turkey ahead of tightly contested election
On the eve of potentially one of the most consequential elections in the country’s history, Twitter began blocking posts in Turkey. “In response to legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today,” the company tweeted on Friday, in English and Turkish. “We have informed the account holders of this action in line with our policy. This content will remain available in the rest of the world.”
In response to legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today.
— Twitter Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) May 13, 2023
Twitter didn’t say which tweets it was blocking, and the company no longer operates a communications department Engadget could contact for more information. Predictably, the decision to comply with a censorship request from the Turkish government has put a spotlight on Elon Musk’s free speech beliefs. On Friday, Musk, who named Linda Yaccarino as the next CEO of Twitter that same day, lashed out at Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias when he suggested the decision “should generate some interesting Twitter Files reporting.”
“Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?” Musk tweeted at Yglesias.
Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2023
As The Washington Post notes, Sunday’s election could have significant ramifications for Turkey. After two decades in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the most credible threat to his presidency in recent memory. Ahead of Sunday’s contest, most polls showed opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu had a slight lead on his opponent. If elected, Kilicdaroglu has promised to reshape the country’s domestic policy. Erdogan’s defeat could also have a profound impact on Turkey’s relationship with other powers in the region, including Russia and NATO. Per CNN, If one candidate can’t win more than 50 percent of the vote, the country will hold a run-off election on May 28th. As of the writing of this article, Erdogan holds an 11 percentage point lead on Kilicdaroglu, though that could change as more ballots are counted.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-limits-access-to-some-tweets-in-turkey-ahead-of-tightly-contested-election-171432725.html?src=rss
Twitter joins Turkey’s presidential debate, censoring posts ahead of election
As Turkey prepares for a presidential election on Sunday that may have ricocheting effects on populations worldwide, Twitter is taking on its own criticism, restricting certain content related to the election to reportedly keep the site functional in preparation for a predicted flood of posts — but onlookers are waving censorship red flags.
“In response to legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today,” wrote the company’s Global Government Affairs account in a series of tweets on Friday night. “We have informed the account holders of this action in line with our policy. This content will remain available in the rest of the world.”
By Saturday, users were calling out the platform’s choice in cries of free speech censorship.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded to the immediate notes of concern in his own way, taking to Twitter to engage with users after the announcement. Musk prompted more worry, however, implying that the Turkish government had reached out to Twitter about the upcoming election in a reply to a user’s request for the reasoning behind the block. Musk wrote, “We could post what the government in Turkey sent us. Will do.”
Musk also responded to Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias, who accused the CEO and his platform of acquiescing to Erdoğan’s censorship demands, tweeting: “Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?”
The hotly-contested election may decide the fate of the country’s longest-held incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been in power for the last 21 years. Erdoğan’s alignment with Turkey’s conservative and Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) has solidified his presence as an authoritarian and nationalist figure.
In 2016, sections of the Turkish military, joined by citizens galvanized by social media coverage of the news, attempted a government coup to unseat Erdoğan, but the deadly attempt failed to remove him from power. The country’s alignment with Russia has recently pushed Turkey out of favor with other global power holders, while at home the leader is bribing potential voters with the promises of free gas and cell data.
This year, as Erdoğan faces off against his parliamentary-focused opponent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish citizens are also voting with recent natural disasters (and the government’s response) in mind, after a series of devastating earthquakes killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed millions of buildings in central and northern Turkey. At the time of this writing, Kılıçdaroğlu is narrowly polling ahead of Erdoğan.
At the same time, human rights organizations have warned voters and onlookers of the potential for nationwide censorship by Erdoğan’s government, with some warning of a widespread digital effort to undermine the election’s outcome.
“The Turkish government has accelerated its efforts to enforce censorship and tighten control over social media and independent online news sites ahead of this election,” wrote Human Rights Watch senior technology researcher, Deborah Brown, in a report on Turkey’s history of oppression and a rise in digital censorship tools. “The vote will test whether voters in Turkey can rely on social media for independent news and to express their views on the election and its outcome, despite government efforts to put companies under its heel.”
Rishi Sunak warned to return to traditional Tory tax cuts or he’ll lose the next election
RISHI Sunak must return to traditional Tory tax cuts and freedom or lose the next election, he will be told today.
As the Tories mark 13 years in power, the PM will be warned after last week’s dire local elections results he must buck up and listen to his grassroots Tory army.
Rishi Sunak warned to return to traditional Tory tax cuts or he’ll lose the next election[/caption]
Tory big beasts including Priti Patel, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries will call on party bosses to return to proper Conservativism or risk another drubbing at the ballot box.
The allies of Boris Johnson will speak to thousands of party members at the Conservative Democratic Organization conference in Bournemouth today, organised by big beast Lord Cruddas, and show them some love after the worse-than-expected results.
Many are furious with the party for booting out BoJo, then putting Rishi Sunak in No10 without giving them a say.
The former PM is not himself expected to attend, but allies including former MEP David Bannerman want him back in Downing Street.
Former Home Secretary Ms Patel is expected to say: “We risk losing votes if we forget who we are and what we stand for.
“The solution to these challenges is not more state control, more spending, and more taxes – which sadly have featured in recent budgets.
“As Conservatives, we must never forget that we are here to serve the public, and to do so in a way that promotes freedom, enterprise and opportunity.”
She lashed out at party chiefs who “rarely seem to be out there meeting the people”, adding: “perhaps if they did that, last week we could not have seen 1,000 of our friends and colleagues lose their seats”.
Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told The Sun: “Members are quite bruised over what’s happened over the last year – many of those campaigned and voted for Boris and are dismayed at how the party has behaved.
“We want to prevent such a catastrophe from ever happening again.” The Tories lost more than 1,000 seats during the local elections as thousands opted to give them a bloody nose and put Labour in power.
Downing Street failed to shut down speculation of tax cuts – after DWP boss Mel Stride suggested they could slash 2p off income tax if enough Brits went back to work.
No10 insisted the PM wanted to cut taxes “as soon as possible”.
But the PM’s spokesperson said it would be a decision for the Chancellor at the next budget.