3 ms·

The situation is an order of magnitude worse in the UK.

• simonh 9y ago
  Perhaps, but then we have effective safeguards over here that the US doesn't have. Particularly, we have a truly independent and non-politicised judiciary. That's a big deal. We don't have the absolute and uncompromisingly worded constitutional rights of the US, but we're also far less likely to suffer erosion or elimination of those rights in practice that we see in the US. E.g. If the UK government wanted to have National Security Letters they'd just pass a law allowing them to do so. But there's no way the judiciary would allow them to create and apply such letters otherwise, the way it happened in the US. So yes the security state here does go too far IMHO but it's much more explicit and open to public debate and challenge.
  • jopsen 9y ago
    Indeed, also EU member nations are subject to European Court of Human Rights. Even if the UK leaves the EU, it's not unlikely you'll maintain a relationship to some of that. Depending on how hard/soft brexit turns out to be.
    • beojan 9y ago
      > Indeed, also EU member nations are subject to European Court of Human Rights. Council of Europe members. Russia is a Council of Europe member, so the UK isn't leaving that. On the other hand, it also isn't as effective as you might think.
• alacombe 9y ago
  or in Europe in general.