Comment by rhubarbtree

As a British citizen I am amazed at how much the government has invaded our privacy. I think it started after 9/11 when they first introduced terrorism laws and saw they could get away with it. I wonder if the ruling classes are nervous, given the state and direction of our economy and the inequality, as well as the iron grip a small part of the country has maintained on society. They are perhaps making preparations for a class revolt.

Having said that, in practice to date the extraordinary powers the government has acquired are rarely used, eg to quell the race riots last year. It feels more like a risk for the future and that makes it harder to argue against now. One day this will hit the fan.

I’m very curious, however, to see Americans criticise our government for its (mostly theoretical) overreach, whilst simultaneously the constitution of America is being torn to shreds by the actions of Musk and Trump, with some in the tech community even cheering on DOGE.