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We're a very long way from being a totalitarian state and likely to remain so for quite some time The scary thing is that the difference between the UK and the
by Silhouette 10y ago
We're a very long way from being a totalitarian state and likely to remain so for quite some time
The scary thing is that the difference between the UK and the kind of place we might describe using words like "totalitarian state" is now more about how our laws are used in practice than what the laws actually say. The government and its agents already have very broad powers, our courts have already taken surprisingly illiberal positions when some of those powers have been challenged, and we lack the constitutional checks and balances often found elsewhere, more so if the government uses Brexit as a mechanism to remove those deriving from Europe without replacing them. We're basically just trusting that the government and its agents will be decent people and use the powers they have responsibly at this point, but as we've seen with the likes of Trump, that's a dangerous strategy when you don't know who the government will be in the future.
- brokenmachine 10y agoI agree with this. The last thing we need is more laws and new powers for the surveillance state. For example, Australia's Lindt Cafe siege - the guy was already under "24 hour surveillance" by ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence) - which did nothing to prevent the attack. Despite this, AFAIK there was not much blame placed on ASIO. I'm sure there are many other examples. I'm not saying it's an easy problem to solve, just that more surveillance is probably not the answer. Sure, the attacker is the real culprit, but adding more laws and surveillance will not prevent crazies from doing crazy stuff.
- Khaine 10y agoMan Monis was not under surveillance by ASIO. He was considered a "serial pest" and "not a threat".
- brokenmachine 10y agoSorry, yes I was mistaken. > Dr Barrett placed Monis on anti-psychotic medication after he told her he was under surveillance 24 hours a day from ASIO and Iranian authorities, including in the bathroom of his home. [1] > Mr Abbott conceded Man Haron Monis was not on a security watchlist, despite his long criminal history and known "infatuation with extremism". [2] Still, the whole thing demonstrates how useless more surveillance would be. If they can't even watch someone with a long criminal history and infatuation with extremism, why do they expect us to believe that looking at my dick pics will somehow stop terrorism? [1] http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lindt-cafe-siege-inquest-man-haron-monis-may-have-been-diagnosis-shopping-in-lead-up-to-siege-20150527-ghb0zf.html http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lindt-cafe-siege-inquest-man-haron... [2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-17/sydney-siege3a-could-it-have-been-prevented3f/5971968 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-17/sydney-siege3a-could-i...