Steven Seggie

Today's Trade Secrets. The thing about the human mind is that it looks for patterns when they're not necessarily there. It's true of disco lights (see next post) and it's true of the rise of the populist right in Europe. 1/2 on.ft.com/4eXdLdp

The dangerously simple story about radical populistson.ft.com [FREE TO READ] Open trade and the EU are not (yet) being destroyed by a phalanx of hard-right governments

This is nuts. www.theguardian.com/books/articl...

Alice Munro knew my stepfather sexually abused me as a child, says Nobel laureate’s daughterwww.theguardian.com Andrea Robin Skinner says her stepfather sexually assaulted her when she was nine, but her mother said she ‘loved him too much’ to leave him

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Steven Seggie

Try to imagine someone bombing Great Ormond Street. That's what Russia did to Ukraine this morning.

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Steven Seggie

Reply to

John B

I think football chants are a proper version of exactly the kind of musical function I’m talking about - the *whole* function of the music is to be sung, nobody really ‘wrote’ it, and it doesn’t need any kind of company involved for you to learn it. It just exists in the air.

there are loads of great threads coming off this post (one on PE which was fascinating) but this is one of the best

Because what you *really* want when you choose to go the theatre on the night of a big England match, is to watch the football.

I'm going to guess Paolo Nutini, who my sister met a few times and only had great things to say about him

I remember doing a gig with a Scottish-Italian singer in Italy. He loved to pull out surprises in the encore - surprises even for the band. One time he looked at all of us and went ‘watch this’ before going out and singing an old Italian folk song I’d never heard, and an audience of 3000 people…

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Steven Seggie

French elections - A personal statement Last night, I posted the following post after the RN/FN of Mme Le Pen came third in the French elections. That's it. I'm not apologising. It was bloody funny. Still is. Screw the fash ! Vive la République !

The RN seems to be THIRD in the election! THIRD!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Bring on the salty tears of Le Pen and the boy! 🤣

Final results of French 2nd round legislative elections. Compared to projections, the Republicans lost quite a few tight races

Législatives : A l'issue du second tour des élections, la gauche remporte 187 sièges à l'Assemblée nationale, devant le camp présidentiel (159 sièges), et le RN et ses alliés (142 sièges) ⤵️

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Steven Seggie

Reply to

Stephen Bush

I think if anything this is a moment for some people to think about their stereotypes about theatregoers and the prejudices they have about football fans.

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Steven Seggie

Reply to

Stephen Bush

Sorry to be snippy but the snobbery-drenched 'surely the Neanderthals who like *football* wouldn't have had the presence of mind to book tickets at the Old Vic in advance?' and the 'how awful for the audience!' - doesn't look like it was awful for the audience from the video:

James Corden delays play to watch England on stagewww.bbc.co.uk The actor pushed back the start of The Constituent so the cast and audience could watch the Euros.

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Steven Seggie

there are many reasons we need to win in the fall, but one of them is that i simply am not going to abide by letting both the brits and the french lecture us

*MACRON'S GROUP PROJECTED TO WIN MORE SEATS THAN FAR RIGHT *LEFT ALLIANCE SET FOR 170-215 SEATS IN FRENCH VOTE: ESTIMATES *LE PEN'S GROUP SET FOR 110-158 SEATS IN FRENCH VOTE: ESTIMATES *FRENCH LEFT SET FOR SHOCK ELECTION VICTORY, PROJECTIONS SHOW

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Steven Seggie

No pasaran

BREAKING NEWS: Voters turned out in numbers not seen in decades to stop the far-right National Rally from taking power in the French National Assembly. Polls predicted a first-place finish for National Rally, which instead came in third in initial results as polling stations closed.

Projections in France's election show voters rejecting the far rightwww.npr.org Voters turned out in numbers not seen in decades to stop the far-right National Rally from taking power in the French National Assembly. Polls predicted a first-place finish for National Rally, which ...

Le Pen and Bardella meeting tomorrow morning, oh to be a fly on the wall as they blame each other

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Steven Seggie

Reply to

Judah Grunstein

One final thought. Macron has emerged from this exercise as a political orphan. Philippe, Le Maire and Darmanin have declared their independence and Attal essentially did so tonight. He has no party to speak of and he kneecapped his closest loyalists. Unprecedented, even in previous cohabitations.

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Steven Seggie

"I think more than ever we need to go out and vote. We can't leave our country in the hands of these people [the far right RN party]," Mbappé said at a press conference in Hamburg ahead of France's Euro 2024 quarter-final against Portugal there on Friday." he did it www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/...

French elections: Mbappé says voting is 'urgent' after 'catastrophic' resultswww.lemonde.fr Star French forward Kylian Mbappé had previously called on young French people to vote at this 'crucial moment,' on Sunday, June 16, joining his team-mate Marcus Thuram in speaking out against the far...

It’s actually both a strong left and strong centrism.

In France, the left coalition comes in first, Macron second, the far-right third. The best way to defeat fascism is not centrism, it’s a strong left.

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Steven Seggie

Le Pen carrying on the only laudable Vichey tradition; losing

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BREAKING: Upside side down French flag spotted outside the Alitos' summer residence

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Steven Seggie

So let me get this straight. The centre right win the EU election. The centre left are in power in the UK, Germany, Spain. In Poland and Czechia, the centre right sent hard right governments packing. In France, the left and centre hold the line against the fash. Tell me again how Europe has fallen.

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Steven Seggie

Dear Marine Le Pen. I WANT MY FUCKING MONEY BACK!!

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Reply to

Taniel

OH, a big result: Marine Le Pen's *sister* has LOST her bid to join Parliament. She led 40% to 26% in Round 1. Her left opponent won by 0.5%. (Macronist, who came in 3rd, initially said she wouldn't drop out but then changed her mind. Ended up blocking Le Pen.)

It’s been a shitty week for Andrew Neil, The Spectator more generally, the Telegraph etc. First the UK now France. Dommage

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Steven Seggie

The UK and France just proved that getting out and actually voting makes a difference. Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently.

It held

Marion Marechal must be pissed now

I sort of agree with Judah, I'm pretty sure we are going to see war in the extreme right between Le Pen, Bardell and maybe even Ciotta.

If the exit polls hold, Marine Le Pen won't last the summer as leader of the RN.

First the Tories lose then Le Pen loses. A lot of work ahead but what a great week in European politics.