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Comment by 7bit | original | Brits would quite like their private messages to stay private
[−]7bit · 2026-08-30 Sun 10:50 UTC · link
And yet, they voted for the governments that killed privacy and established surveillance in public, because they love privacy so much.
[−]IndySun · 2026-08-30 Sun 11:03 UTC · link
TBF, people tend to vote for other things - but yes, get 'that' bundled in the small print 'for free'.
[−]mrkeen · 2026-08-30 Sun 11:06 UTC · link
Per another comment here: "Generally speaking the more important an issue is, the less it is allowed to be affected by democratic processes."

The trick is to have a two party system and agree on all the important points.

There aren't any major parties willing to reduce espionage or ease up on Gaza.

If elections are coming up, they stick to gender theory, school sports or Lake Ontario.

"Vote blue no matter what" doesn't give you privacy, nor does abstaining or voting red.

[−]eks391 · 2026-08-30 Sun 11:16 UTC · link
> The trick is to have a two party system and agree on all the important points.

This is the exact characteristic about US politics that Americans wish were removed so their government was better for them. It favors a two party system, so no one is actually represented and have to choose between two parties they likely only agree with on few points, unless they are subscribed to that party's propogandic kool-aid.

[−]DarkUranium · 2026-08-30 Sun 12:08 UTC · link
The UK has the same system with the same problems.

It always converges to a two-party system eventually, the US just speedran the process.

[−]gjm11 · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:40 UTC · link
Plurality ("first past the post") voting systems always converge to a two-party system. There's even a theorem saying so, though of course the real world isn't always so polite as to behave the way the mathematics tells it to. Countries with better electoral systems don't so consistently seem to converge to a two-party system.
[−]1718627440 · 2026-08-30 Sun 15:23 UTC · link
You can have the same issues with more than two parties. Only big-enough parties matter and as long as they have the same opinion it's going to be that way. I mean that is not bad in the general sense. Imagine if there were disagreement about whether money should exist in every election. Society can only function if some basics are simply accepted by everyone.
[−]alt227 · 2026-08-30 Sun 12:09 UTC · link
As other people have said, when all parties agree on the same thing around digital privacy, what choice do the voters have?
[−]tim333 · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:06 UTC · link
It's a country of moderation in most things.
[−]nephihaha · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:49 UTC · link
No they didn't. They voted for several different parties who brought in the same policies and did not discuss them prior to elections.