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Comment by PunchyHamster

11 days ago

That was always the playbook

> Is there a precedent for this before in a democratic country ?

I'd argue US is not very democratic country given how many of what govt does goes against people's wishes. Same as UK

9 comments

PunchyHamster

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bilekas  11 days ago

> I'd argue US is not very democratic country given how many of what govt does goes against people's wishes. Same as UK

That could be argued but the core principle is freedom of commerce and private companies get a lot of runway. This seems completely counter to tha.

  • testfrequency  11 days ago

    The UK is a lot more compassionate about people’s wishes, it’s not nearly as bureaucratic and polarizing “democracy” as the US. Laws in the UK are passed quickly, and feedback is always considered. Whether you agree or not on the regulation is another discussion.

    • vixen99  11 days ago

      Probably you're right overall but that doesn't apply to anyone who chooses to want to educate their kids in a non-taxpayer funded State school. Around 100–105 independent schools were reported as having ceased operations after the UK government introduced 20% VAT on private school fees from January 2025. Some may feel (I would not dare suggest it) that the current government is on a mission to close them all up unless they attract sufficiently rich parents like Eton. Closing the latter would be news indeed. However - exit Exeter Cathedral School after 847 years, which taught Charles II's composer and Coldplay's Chris Martin. It's closing with financial difficulties which have beset the sector in general since charges were introduced.

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  • 15155  11 days ago

    "Freedom of commerce" doesn't mean "unchecked globalism" - there are plenty of dual-use items that only friendly countries or citizens can obtain (and within those categories, there aren't any further restrictions besides "don't share.")