Are we living in a dictatorship or a Democracy?

[Eccles Blue]

The Government may snoop on the bank accounts of state pensioners!!! How dare this repulsive, disgusting, repellent bunch of liars and (alleged) fraudsters who give billions to their friends by way of false contracts, snoop on pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their taxes? I am beyond disgusted, beyond comprehension and beyond being a glass half full person. This has upset me so much, not for myself, the only money I have going into my bank account is my State Pension and my Teachers Pension. I claim no benefits but I do have friends who have to because of health problems.
I cannot express how humiliated I would feel if they snooped on my bank account, probably the last piece of privacy we have.

Sorry but .... daft old woman I know.... I have got emotional about this. This is not the country I love and have defended all my life.
Rant over. Apologies.

MSN

 

[splinter]

The Government may snoop on the bank accounts of state pensioners!!! How dare this repulsive, disgusting, repellent bunch of liars and (alleged) fraudsters who give billions to their friends by way of false contracts, snoop on pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their taxes? I am beyond disgusted, beyond comprehension and beyond being a glass half full person. This has upset me so much, not for myself, the only money I have going into my bank account is my State Pension and my Teachers Pension. I claim no benefits but I do have friends who have to because of health problems.
I cannot express how humiliated I would feel if they snooped on my bank account, probably the last piece of privacy we have.

Sorry but .... daft old woman I know.... I have got emotional about this. This is not the country I love and have defended all my life.
Rant over. Apologies.

MSN

I concur, be thankful you was born when you was it's going to get a lot worse

 

[city2]

This government is the most corrupt we have had in power, bullying, sex scandals, money laundering, tax dodging bastards, one rule for one and fuck the rest, all flying in separate jets to the same meeting , covid fuck up, £300 a day for attending parliament with subsidies for the food, fuck me im on a rant that’s Eccles blue fault.

 

[crooky]

Reminds me of this classic.

 

[Eccles Blue]

This government is the most corrupt we have had in power, bullying, sex scandals, money laundering, tax dodging bastards, one rule for one and fuck the rest, all flying in separate jets to the same meeting , covid fuck up, £300 a day for attending parliament with subsidies for the food, fuck me im on a rant that’s Eccles blue fault.

Oh heckle meckle I get blamed for everything, as my brothers and sister tell everyone...'It's because she's the eldest'!! :-) Sorry.

 

[Kirkstall Blue]

This government is the most corrupt we have had in power, bullying, sex scandals, money laundering, tax dodging bastards, one rule for one and fuck the rest, all flying in separate jets to the same meeting , covid fuck up, £300 a day for attending parliament with subsidies for the food, fuck me im on a rant that’s Eccles blue fault.

Corruption is rife Sunak electioneering at his press conference without calling a GE.

 

[East Level 2]

In answer to the thread title: We live in an elected dictatorship.
As a nation we have elected the dictators who want to control every aspect of our lives while preaching the benefits of "small government". - Actually I think they'd praise the advantages of small government as benefits is a dirty word to them and many of their supporters.
Great rant @Eccles Blue

 

[JASR]

The Government may snoop on the bank accounts of state pensioners!!! How dare this repulsive, disgusting, repellent bunch of liars and (alleged) fraudsters who give billions to their friends by way of false contracts, snoop on pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their taxes? I am beyond disgusted, beyond comprehension and beyond being a glass half full person. This has upset me so much, not for myself, the only money I have going into my bank account is my State Pension and my Teachers Pension. I claim no benefits but I do have friends who have to because of health problems.
I cannot express how humiliated I would feel if they snooped on my bank account, probably the last piece of privacy we have.

Sorry but .... daft old woman I know.... I have got emotional about this. This is not the country I love and have defended all my life.
Rant over. Apologies.

MSN

It's not just pensions/pensioners - It's also anybody claiming child benefit or Universal credit.

I wouldn't say it's now become a dictatorship, as the lack of privacy a citizen has, is almost nowt already.

Internet usage, mobile phone usage - As documented by Ed Snowden has been harvested wholesale for (now) decades.
CCTV cameras, (including people's doorbells), vehicle camera's all document peoples movements without your agreement.
The police can (IIRC) already get people's bank details on request.

So, this new advancement into people's privacy is more that everyone (pensioners, parents, benefit claimants) is effectively being labelled a potential criminal trying to subvert the financial laws of the land, and these are checks on the potential of that being true for an individual.

I think it's an overreach, and is about trying to claw back/stop spending govt money that is targetting the 'easier' to prove' smaller amounts, rather than dealing with the far larger tax planning/evasion money that richer individuals can ferret away - ie it's targetting the vulnerable, because it's a lot easier/quicker to do that, rather than go after the rich.

 

[Metal Biker]

This current 'Tory' Government is indeed corrupt to it's very core with no concern for the people it claims to govern. They were given power and they ran with it, but that's the key issue; they were given power through our current democratic processes, they didn't seize it by illegal means. A Government can, theoretically, govern however they wish, It's up to the voting citizens to determine whether they care or not. It is Parliament that remains sovereign.

If they ever decide to postpone or refuse to hold a general election at the moment one is legally meant to be called, then i'd say we're in a dictatorship. For now we just have a shitty government who hold a majority in the House of Commons, granting them the power to pass through their shitty policies with seemingly little interest in making everyone's lives better except their own. It's a cuntish approach, I grant you, but overall the UK is still a democracy. If we weren't, we wouldn't have an option to boot them out.

 

[Kompany Car]

rather than dealing with the far larger tax planning/evasion money that richer individuals can ferret away - ie it's targetting the vulnerable, because it's a lot easier/quicker to do that, rather than go after the rich.

Yep I can’t see them looking at bank accounts registered in the Cayman Islands or changing the rules around non doms, that Sunak’s other half exploits.
Low hanging fruit is what it’s about.