←back to thread

361 points gloxkiqcza | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
torginus ◴[] No.45011561[source]
I genuinely do not understand where how the idea of building a total surveillance police state, where all speech is monitored, can even as much as seriously be considered by an allegedly pro-democracy, pro-human rights government, much less make it into law.

Also:

Step 1: Build mass surveillance to prevent the 'bad guys' from coming into political power (its ok, we're the good guys).

Step 2: Your political opponents capitalize on your genuinely horrific overreach, and legitimize themselves in the eyes of the public as fighting against tyranny (unfortunately for you they do have a point). They promise to dismantle the system if coming to power.

Step 3: They get elected.

Step 4: They don't dismantle the system, now the people you planned to use the system against are using it against you.

Sounds brilliant, lets do this.

replies(17): >>45011763 #>>45011799 #>>45011932 #>>45012205 #>>45012358 #>>45012512 #>>45012976 #>>45013249 #>>45013303 #>>45013857 #>>45014035 #>>45014477 #>>45014527 #>>45014559 #>>45016358 #>>45020627 #>>45021408 #
luke727 ◴[] No.45011932[source]
The thing you have to understand is that the average Brit wants and possibly needs the government to tell them how to live their lives. It's a completely foreign paradigm to the average American, though alarming "progress" has been made on the American front as of late.
replies(8): >>45011972 #>>45012013 #>>45012249 #>>45012258 #>>45012369 #>>45012965 #>>45013164 #>>45014618 #
_nada[dead post] ◴[] No.45012249[source]
[flagged]
luke727 ◴[] No.45012353[source]
My comment provoked you enough to create an account just to make a throwaway insult reply to it. I think perhaps it hit closer to home than you would care to acknolwedge.
replies(2): >>45012415 #>>45012622 #
kachapopopow ◴[] No.45012415[source]
they're kinda right, in europe we really don't give a shit about politics and if we do you're doing something wrong.
replies(2): >>45012644 #>>45012673 #
1. throwaway65042 ◴[] No.45012673[source]
Going by that reasoning someone must be clearly doing something wrong considering they seem to voice their political will at about the same rate as the politically active Americans.

Turnout in the latest presidential/general elections:

2025 German federal election 82.5%

2024 United Kingdom general election 59.7%

2022 French presidential election 73.69%(I)/71.99%(II)

2022 Italian general election 63.85%

2023 Spanish general election 66.6%

2024 United States presidential election 64.1%

replies(1): >>45013804 #
2. kachapopopow ◴[] No.45013804[source]
Yah, exactly, we do care about politics right this moment because the goverment did fuck up badly.