Can Okar

I cannot think of single legal or moral argument for how that is legitimate or fair. I’m actually genuinely shocked which surprises me.

One thing that transcends borders and context is fairness. That’s why when you do something unfair, it’s obvious. So when you nullify a HDP victory in Diyarbakır based on something you knew when the winning candidate was allowed to stand, that is universally unexplainable.

I simply expect that we would afford the same human decency to those who arrive in our lands, even if we disagree with the policies that brought them there. Just as we would expect Europeans or Americans to accept our humanity and our right to pursue happiness.

I get it, at least a bit. The way in which refugees were taken in was haphazard and integration attempts have been even poorer. But how can we forget that Turkey is a net exporter of people? We are the most mobile of people and we expect hospitality in our new lands.

I am willing to bet that people who have filled my mentions today talking about the blight of Syrian refugees: a) were furious at Trump’s Muslim ban b) would move abroad if they had the opportunity and/or have friends/family who already did

A couple of small things: 1) I’ll happily debate everything but I’ll stop engaging if you claim I can’t have a view because I live outside Turkey 2) I write in English because it is my first language - don’t seek any deeper meaning there 3) That AKP-surname thing is hilarious

AKP says “people with surnames that show they would vote for them” were deleted from electoral rolls. Just wait until they hear who İmamoğlu voted for.https://twitter.com/t24comtr/status/1115994161247916032 …

(with apologies to @JaredWall01 - only the word “çare” could have worked in that gag)

We’ve been talking about “unicorns shitting rainbows” ever since the Brexiters tricked the UK with a lying bus. Turns out the çare was İmamoğlu all along.

We talk about V-shapes and L-shapes but if a solution isn't proposed that changes the credit-fuelled dynamics of the Turkish growth model, we're just looking at a continued slope of decline. Having said that, the powerpoints also really need to be improved.

We all talk about the Minister's style but it really is time to talk also about his substance. Right now, it feels like the driver is asleep at the wheel. Turkey's recession demands difficult decisions that will hurt in the short to medium term. Otherwise, nothing will change.

You could say that I'm being harsh here but the fact remains, the Minister gave almost exactly the same speech in August 2018. There has been plenty of time to put together a series of policy proposals that will arrest the Turkish economy's precipitous decline.

Leadership is hard. But anyone who has ever led any kind of organisation will know that aspirational targets are easy, doing the legwork to get there and setting out a roadmap of actionable milestones is tough.

A more sober reflection on the speech just given by the Turkish Minister of Finance and Treasury, Erdoğan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak. It was all a series of distant objectives or end-states without any of the concrete steps Turkey will need to take to get there.

This is my perennial mood about Brexit too by the way:https://twitter.com/canokar/status/1115898521062977536 …

Anyway, it's over. That was terrible. I'm starting to lose hope that there is any kind of plan.

On a serious note, Turkish Minister of Finance and Treasury, Erdoğan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak, has spoken about higher taxation for the wealthy. How about taking any tax at all from the billionaires the AKP has created through world-record state tenders?

IT'S ALL FUTURE TENSE AND THERE ARE NO DETAILS OF ANY SORT. THIS IS HOW A SCHOOLKID PRESENTS A BOOK REVIEW OF A BOOK THEY DIDN'T READ. (all caps because this is excruciating)