SleafordMod @ SleafordMod @feddit.uk Posts 61Comments 271Joined 5 mo. ago
True. I still think I'd prefer the firing squad though. Maybe it's because I think the effects of the other two options could be less predictable and therefore more unpleasant.
Blame David Cameron I guess. The result was 52-48 by the way although I guess that's an insignificant difference.
In principle I think a majority should count... but maybe there should have been a second referendum to clarify what type of Brexit people wanted. The UK could have remained in the EU single market and/or customs union while fulfilling the mandate of the first referendum to leave the EU. Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland all participate in the EU single market to some degree, without being EU members.
Interesting idea. I suppose you could start a Lemmy community for meet ups for people in your country. I don't know how easy it would be to find willing people who are relatively local to you though.
I think I'd choose firing squad if I had the choice. Lethal injections and electrocutions can go wrong, and I think they sometimes do go wrong, causing a lot of pain and suffering. Firing squad should be a pretty quick death with less suffering.
True to an extent. Also though I guess there are people who felt like Brussels told Britain what to do. I don't agree with that, because Britain was part of the decision making process, in the EU parliament. But I guess in a democracy the majority view wins out, even if you don't agree with that view. If we ignore democratic views then voters get very angry and more extreme.
However I'm definitely not someone who thinks democracy ended in 2016 regarding the Brexit question. Democracy obviously continues, so I think it would be completely legitimate if the UK had another EU membership referendum at some point.
Yeah there's some truth to that. Working at home can be lonely in my experience. But on the other hand you save all the hassle with commuting.
The stasi would blush at the surveillance foreign corporations and the British government now engage in as a matter of course
My understanding is that the Stasi were very repressive - "using torture, intimidation and a vast network of informants to crush dissent". I'm not aware of the UK government using torture to crush dissent.
But spying on all of the public all of the time comes at a cost to society I would rather not pay. It quells dissent in the short and maybe mid term, but that extreme intrusion, ultimately drives otherwise moderate people into the hands of extremists
I don't think the public should be spied on all the time. But if there is some way that illegal communications (like planning murder) could be intercepted, without spying on others, that would be good.
The terrorists win when we sacrifice liberty for temporary security (or whatever that quote was)
There's a quote by Benjamin Franklin which apparently is: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". I always thought that quote was a bit weird though, because humans do give up some form of liberty in return for safety. E.g. we give up the freedom to murder other people without legal consequences, because in return we get some safety: protection from being murdered by others.
Well, shit. I will just follow the news and hope for the best while expecting the worst.
Do you think Labour are catering to xenophobes? I don't think they're saying much that is xenophobic. I think it's just that they know many people voted for Brexit and Labour doesn't want to upset those voters.
Maybe I will end up disappointed then. I just hope to see Europe standing on its own two feet if the US has no interest in Europe anymore. And I hope to see Europe continuing to back Ukraine.
True. On Lemmy I can still be bombarded by stuff about the two billionaires running the USA, if I look at the active threads on all instances. But I can avoid that by just looking at threads from the instance I'm on, or by visiting particular communities individually.
I've been thinking how socialising on the internet with strangers is so hugely different to socialising with people in real life.
In real life you can see someone face to face, you can get a sense of their personality, and you learn to trust them. Those things are harder on the internet. You can't see a person's face, or hear their accent. Someone on the internet could be lying when they tell you about themselves, and it's harder to tell if they're lying.
Also of course on the internet people are much more willing to be rude and offensive because there are few penalties. If you meet someone in a pub, they probably won't be rude to you, most of the time. If you disagree about something, you might say "okay, agree to disagree" and move onto another topic. But on the internet people will just be disrespectful cunts because they can get away with it, without negative social consequences for themselves.
In conclusion, internet socialising should be better than it is.
Fair enough. I will probably read more about him within the near future. I'm not saying I absolutely believe he will stick to support for Ukraine and European independence, I'm just saying that I hope he does.
I don't think xenophobia is motivating Labour to stay clear of the EU at the moment... I think it's just political reality, unfortunately. There are quite a few working class people who traditionally vote for Labour, but they also backed Brexit, and Labour doesn't want to lose those voters to the Conservatives or Reform.
Maybe I'm wrong but that's my perception.
Merz has ruled out forming a government with AfD hasn't he? I think he did on TV last night. So I assume he will try to form a government with SPD.
Anyway, I really am not massively informed on German politics. But I've heard a couple of good things from Merz so far (his support for Ukraine, and his desire to make Europe more independent of the USA). I hope he will maintain his commitment to those ideas.
Realistically I don't think Britain is going to rejoin the EU (or even the single market or customs union) any time soon.
I think it can happen one day. Maybe in at least 10 years' time.
The xenophobes are mostly outside of London. In London, 60% of voters wanted to remain in the EU. But in the UK overall, 52% of voters wanted to leave the EU.
But yes I think the EEA would be too politically risky at the moment. The EU Customs Union might be more realistic (Turkey is part of this) but I think the current UK government don't even want to do that. They don't want to lose the votes of people who wanted Brexit.
Maybe I should read more about encryption. I was thinking maybe a company like Apple could just keep the encryption keys stored somewhere. So if needed they could decrypt particular messages. There could be big punishments, prison time, for anybody within Apple who decrypts messages without a court warrant.
I don't know much about Merz but it's possible to have a politician who is shitty and self-serving, but who still says good things occasionally.
E.g. Boris Johnson. Purely a self-interested politician who has said many stupid things. But one of his views which I liked was his support for Ukraine.
I would probably argue that China is a little different to the UK, given that China is a one-party state.
Yeah maybe the UK government shouldn't be able to spy on Apple messages sent anywhere in the world. But maybe UK agencies like GCHQ should be able to get the messages of specific individuals who threaten the UK, with a court warrant, like how law enforcement has been able to bug the phones of criminals with a court warrant.
I dunno. Maybe I should educate myself more on encryption and how it all works.