Thread 'Let's talk politics'
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 Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866 
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It's going well in the UK. Sharpening your pitchforks already? British IT consultant arrested after posing with gun in United States on LinkedIn The government’s decision to delay mayoral elections cannot be justified on democratic or fairness grounds Britons' social media pages scoured for 'anti-migrant posts' by civil servants Sky News Australia: ‘Onslaught’ on free speech in UK after woman charged over private messages |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256 
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And US is proposing details should be given of all social media accounts used in last five years to get a tourist visa. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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Well, at least this one isn't about what it says it in the socials, that someone might be offended. It's about fire safety. It's been done here in the NL as well, even in my own stairwell. https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/killjoy-council-bans-christmas-door-wreaths-and-threatens-to-fine-those-who-leav-5HjdPBj_2/ In response, the council said: "We understand this can feel frustrating, especially at Christmas, but communal areas in our blocks of flats, including hallways, stairwells, and doors in enclosed spaces must be kept clear and fire doors must be untampered with for fire safety. "This is a government requirement, was agreed with residents, is part of tenancy agreements and helps keep escape routes unobstructed and prevents damage to fire doors which keep people safe. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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Then again... A pensioner was hit with a £250 fine by overzealous litter wardens for spitting out a leaf that blew into his mouth. Roy Marsh, 86, was slapped with the ridiculous ticket after the incident while out walking in a seaside town. The pensioner said he was accosted by two council enforcement officers after pausing for a rest near some reeds on a windy day in Skegness, Lincolnshire, earlier this year. 'As I was sitting there, a gale blew a big reed into my mouth. I spat it out and just as I got up to walk away two guys (enforcement officers) came up to me,' he said. Mr Marsh was told by one of the officers at the South Parade Car Park in the town that he had been seen spitting on the floor. He claimed he told the officer he was being a 'silly boy'. 'It was all unnecessary and all out of proportion.' Mr Marsh added. A fine of £250 was issued after the incident in February, which was later reduced on appeal to £150, which Mr Marsh, who lives in the town, paid. 'It was something that could have happened to anyone,' he said. 'It's left me anxious about going out.' |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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That last one beggars belief. Firstly, the council workers should have applied discretion at the scene. There must have been others who could have done so at a later stage too. Interesting to see some of the madness happening where there are Right wing councils and some where they are on the left. I am not sure how much your last example is about those representing the citizens locally and how much is about a lack of common sense among council workers. |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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So, Musk has decided that it is OK for those paying him money to use his tools for making and publishing abusive images of women and minors. I deleted my twitter/X account when he bought the platform. His latest lack of regard for those wronged on the platform confirms I will never return to the platform while he owns it. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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From that same X, posted by a woman: So what if Grok can put people in bikinis?https://x.com/i/status/2009539628445941851 |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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ChatGPT and Gemini will make the same images but they aren't mentioned as being spawn of the devil or that it's time for Ofcom to block those. https://x.com/i/status/2009684469188546967 |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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The UK confirmed its plan to end private messaging. Grok: The UK's Online Safety Act empowers Ofcom to require tech firms to use "accredited technology" like client-side scanning for detecting illegal content in encrypted messages, targeting child abuse and terrorism. A Jan 7, 2026, House of Lords debate confirmed an April 2026 timeline for action, per Lord Hanson's statement. Critics view it as surveillance; supporters emphasize safety. Sources: UK Parliament Hansard, Ofcom updates. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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Laila Cunningham wrote: I have had more abuse on this platform than anywhere else but I still oppose any attempt by government to ban or control X. It is not their job to protect us from opinions. Free speech means just that, free.https://x.com/i/status/2010032306858115125 |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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If a user does it someone unconsentually, the user should be punished, not the platform.When said platform has the ability to take down such images and refuses to do so, then the platform should also be punished. I suspect we are never going to agree on this and there is far more about Musk than just this issue which means I will not use any platform owned by him. (Not that he will ever notice my absence!) |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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In reply to Dave's message of 11 Jan 2026: Then punish all search engines, all image hosting sites, all porn sites. Know what? Just punish all of the internet. But that's exactly what your government and the EU are trying to do with their Online Safety Act and Digital Services Act laws. This isn't about protecting women and children. Do you know it may even make it more difficult for those women and children to find someone who listens to them, when you disable all the free speech social media platforms and have them monitored by... by whom even?If a user does it someone unconsentually, the user should be punished, not the platform.When said platform has the ability to take down such images and refuses to do so, then the platform should also be punished. In your country kids aren't even allowed anymore to wonder out loud about illegal immigration, because then their school will put them into a mandatory anti-terrorism programme. A state-funded computer game is warning teenagers that they risk being referred to a counter-terrorism programme if they question mass migration. Pathways is an interactive game designed for 11- to 18-year-old pupils and funded by Prevent, a Home Office programme for tackling extremism. An in-game meter monitors how extreme the character’s behaviour is. Those who “lose†may be given counselling to deal with “ideological thoughts†or referred to an anti-terrorism expert. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/09/prevent-video-game-extremist/ Also look at how the character Charlie is addressed: as they, not as he or him. |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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Also look at how the character Charlie is addressed: as they, not as he or him.On gender identity we may be a tad closer than on free speech. I have long likened a man identifying as a woman to a white person self identifying as black. I understand the logic of your position. I just happen not to agree with it. |
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Send message Joined: 30 Dec 05 Posts: 507
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If you are buried when you die, and in a hundred years they dig up your bones. The sciatic notch and brow furrows can only determine your biological sex. |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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An interesting statistic relevant to Musk's description of UK as a police state. Number of people shot dead by police in 24/25 in UK: 2. Number of people shot dead by police in 24/25 in US:1280 Edit: that makes the US figure about 128 times as many per head of population. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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In reply to Dave's message of 11 Jan 2026: I understand the logic of your position. I just happen not to agree with it.These are kids 11-18 that are indoctrinated this way, make normal what may not be normal. It's okay for us to determine for ourselves that this is right or wrong, but it's not when you're in your formative years. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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In reply to Dave's message of 12 Jan 2026: An interesting statistic relevant to Musk's description of UK as a police state.It was about people being arrested for posting things on social media, their thoughts on active news items. That number is then posted as 12,800 or so, but I asked Grok about it, and she says that's the number of total arrests made in the UK in 2023, with no distinction between why these people were arrested. Most weren't convicted anyway. |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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I am more worried about people being shot by police than them being arrested for what they put on social media. At the same time, many of the arrests I have read about should never have been made. I would guess that the ones that are clearly ridiculous are more likely to make the front pages of newspapers. |
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Dave Send message Joined: 28 Jun 10 Posts: 3256
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These are kids 11-18 that are indoctrinated this way, make normal what may not be normal. It's okay for us to determine for ourselves that this is right or wrong, but it's not when you're in your formative years. I don't know what happens in other countries on the gender thing. I have only known one woman (eighteen at the time) well who wanted to transition to be a man. She was on the waiting list for the gender identity clinic when she took her own life. I have known a number of men who have transitioned but all after the age of eighteen. When working as a mental health nurse in in-patient adolescent units, I came across both young men and women who wanted to transition and in every case, our advice as professionals was to sort out the other issues they were admitted for first and only then think about whether they still wanted to transition or not. The overwhelming majority who worked through the other issues did not still want to transition. The biggest problem is lack of mental health professionals to help young people deal with the other issues. |
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Jord Send message Joined: 29 Aug 05 Posts: 15866
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Going well, UK. Four million people are to be denied the vote in May’s local elections in a “disgraceful attack on democracy†by Labour.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/01/14/may-elections-council-cancelled-local-government-act/ |
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