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I suspect the main difference between the US and the UK is simply that in the UK the average citizen is more trusting of their government to do the right thing

I suspect the main difference between the US and the UK is simply that in the UK the average citizen is more trusting of their government to do the right thing with any powers it has. That in turn may be because historically the level of abuse in the UK has been lower and abuses that come to light do tend to get challenged and to result in changes in policy. It's obviously not a perfect world and certainly we do still have some problems with discrimination and wrongful use of powers, but perhaps we are culturally a little more pragmatic about these things than our friends across the pond. Whether that tolerance will one day come back to haunt those who supported stronger government powers if we elect our own Trump is a different question.

xmj 9y ago
>That in turn may be because historically the level of abuse in the UK has been lower This must be why persecuted religions fled from UK to US :-D
- _khau 9y ago
  This borders on revisionist nonsense. They weren't persecuted, they left the UK so they themselves were free to persecute others, which they were not permitted to do in England. The Puritans believed there was one true religion and wanted this 'fact' to be reflected in English law, government and society. They wanted a theocracy. These people were only persecuted if you believe that the store owner that was told he couldn't refuse to sell cakes to a gay couple on religious grounds also amounted to persecution (hint: it doesn't). Stopping somone from persecuting others does not mean that person is being persecuted. Something the so-called 'Christian' conservatives in the new world and now the US still fail to grasp after 300+ years.