You make a point. It would need to be comprehensive in it’s reach.

The best way to achieve it in my view would be to strip much of the Presidential powers away. Trump has clearly shown that there is far too much power concentrated in the executive and that many of the unwritten rules are as good as non-existent.

I don’t have enough knowledge to claim to know exactly how to do it. It would require a bipartisan effort and extensive legal work to ensure it’s watertight. Giving Congress more power and giving the executive more accountability would be the way though I believe.

As much as I would personally like to see those responsible held to account I think you’re right in that it would cause untold amounts of harm. It is the right thing to do but there would be huge fallout.

Personally I think America and it’s reputation would benefit much more from putting in place robust laws, even amendments to the constitution to openly and definitively show the world “guys, we’re really sorry. This will absolutely not happen again. Ever”. That’s the only way.

If you prosecute those responsible without changing anything then they will be back with even more vengeance and even more extreme and messed up ideas.

I’m not quite sure what it was that I said to trigger that response but I was referring to a leader not accepting a salary to do the job, rather than a leader who doesn’t even have to take bribes which is what the user meant. It was a misunderstanding that was cleared up further in the comments.

I have no idea what part of my comment you’re responding to though. I apologise of this isn’t the case but it looks to me as though you’ve interpreted something in a particular way and used that to go on an angry tirade against Kier Starmer and the rise of right wing politics.

That’s fair enough but not what I was talking about. I’ll leave you to it.

Transparency International highlighted the UK has slipped due to record spending on election campaigning . Labour, Conservatives and Reform have been guilty of this in various instances.

It’s easy to blame a single party, as some commenters in here might, but this is very clearly a systemic issue.

There need to be strict limits on campaign spending and absolute transparency about where that money has come from.

No more overseas donors. No more Think Tanks taking donations for “research”, from opaque sources and funneling it back to the party.

Politics needs to be cleaned up and freed from the grasp of these rich wankers who think because they have more money they can set the rules on how we as a people are governed.

Welcome to America.

Anything and everything is susceptible to private wealth and exploitation of the poor.

Doesn’t matter if it’s your health or your property or you name it. It can and will be exploited to take money from you. The plebs.

a leader so spineless that you don’t even need to pay him? Who’da thought?

Sorry but what do you mean by this? I’m struggling to see how this is bad. Would you rather a leader took all the money they could get their hands on? Because that’s how you end up with Trump.

Sheer opulence.

Oh man. I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like you’re having a tough time. Far be it from me to ask, so don’t feel as though you need to, but are you getting any professional help? It has been enormously beneficial to me in the past and I highly recommend it. I’ve had a rough year myself as my baby daughter sadly passed away. At times it doesn’t feel like there is much left to life other than your current state of mind but if you can assure yourself that’s not the case and that things will gradually get better then they will. I wish you luck in your struggle.

That story about the sexism sounds like the result of entrenched views on masculinity and ignorance. Absolutely daft. Hopefully you taught her a lesson that day. I find younger people generally more understanding of the equality between genders (excluding all the manosphere bollocks). I’m positive it will keep improving as it has done steadily over the years, though more acceptance would be better!

Thank you for the blog. I’ll try and make sense of it aha. I’ll read the Nitter post too when I’m ready. Have you ever watched Adam Curtis documentaries? He’s incredible. There was a clip where some Asian shop owners in the 80s were beong harassed by drunk Englishmen in a really racially abusive manner. It made me realise that whilst we have a long way to go the current attitudes are also quite a distance from where they used to be.

Side note: Do you partake in any form of political activism? As a not very young but not very old person I’m sort of stuck looking for ways to make a difference in the community and have some kind of impact on change, even if it’s small. You seem like someone who would possibly have ideas about all that. I could be wrong!

Right. I agree with everything you said.

I don’t see this as a problem with Israel though.

This a problem with the way the USA. The way billionaires use their wealth to spread their political beliefs and influence.

Israel is a benefactor, like the far right figures he also bankrolls.

The issue for me is the USA’s failure to police the rich elite and stop them from using their money to meddle in foreign affairs.

It’s been an issue long before Trump and under Trump it’s getting much worse. They are the enemy for me. The oligarchs of America.

I think what this actually means is that some companies are now using technology to extract as much money as they possibly can from you and me.

I bet it will soon be the majority (if it isn’t already).

Am I reading this right?

To me that reads that Robert Shillman is funding both Israeli interests and far right interests.

There’s a link but that doesn’t mean that Israel are doing the funding? Quite the opposite. They’re taking cash from some absolute arsehole who is also funding a load of far right agitators.

Have I missed something? I am not being obtuse.

Wow. Thanks for the in depth response! Really appreciate it.

Reading some of those stories is slightly disheartening. The world is such a fucked up place and hard to make sense of when you’re growing up without people discriminating against you for something you have no control over. It makes me incredibly angry that people behave on that sort of way. Really thought we had turned a corner after the whole "all muslims are terrorists’ bollocks of the 2000s as well. I have seen videos of what it was like in the 1980s and 90s and it was horrific. Surely we would never return to that. Surely.

It was interesting reading that there seems to be some different versions of the same discriminatory behaviour even within your community as well as being victims of it. It’s baffling to be honest. I know it’s not as simple as “lets all hug it out” but surely those that seek tolerance should also be practicing it. I’m guessing there’s a lot of cultural history related to it that I’m not currently aware of. Still, it’s interesting.

It sounds like your experiences, whilst you wouldn’t wish them of anyone, have given you a preparedness for when people say and do stup pidly intolerant things. I guess it helps build character in a morbid way. You handled it well.

London is something I’m thankful for in terms of the cultural diversity. I’m in Surrey just outside of it so it’s much quieter but also much less diverse. Everyone is very well behaved and tolerant where I live but perhaps because there’s very little to tolerate. There are big Muslim communities in Surrey though and they seem to thrive but there’s not much reason to visit unless you practice Islam. I do go to London and enjoy a few things though and it’s great to see all different types of people getting along.

Are you aware of the narrative that right wing influencers are trying to peddle at the moment in terms of London being a crime ridden hellscape? It’s laughable. Completely shows they need that sense of fear and division in people to make their messaging effective. I’m guessing where are in there is nothing of the sort! Hopefully aha.

Can I ask, why do you think you experience sexism more than any other form of discrimination these days then? Do you think it’s due to the whole “manosphere” Andrew Tate rubbish or just a failure of some to change their entrenched views of the other sex? Or both?

America is hopefully a unique case on my view. I think we can make it easier on ourselves jere and in the EU by punishing social media companies and persecuting hate speech. That is impossible in the US due to Freedom of Speech laws so people can spread whatever lies they want. Particularly billionaires. They can also pay as much as they want to influence elections. Again, they can’t here. Our system is a bit more robust. It’s not infallible, I just hope it will stand up better than the US to the tidal wave of right wing propaganda.

Well done for persevering with the autism too. Sounds tough. It’s hard to say as I don’t know you personally but you seem like someone who has their shit together so good on you.

Enjoy the essay back.

Am I fine with age verification? Yes, I am. Especially for social media. I don’t want children being brainwashed by right wing propaganda that is prevalent on there and I believe the state has a duty of care to protect citizens.

No channels of privacy? No, I am not fine with that. I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest that private conversations are not possible though, either via chat encryption or any other method. Is there any for the UK?

Chat control? I’m not sure. That sounds vague. I would need to know the specifics and what it’s protective purpose is.

You are welcome to call me blind. You still haven’t presented any evidence that the government is keeping secret social scores on it’s citizens though, nor any evidence of state wide internet restrictions on privacy. If there is such evidence and I believe it is a threat to an open and democratic society then I will act.

The USA is currently descending into authoritarianism, in my view precisely because “freedom of speech” and freedom of ownership are so closely protected. Malicious forces can spread whatever messages they want and influence whoever they want with impunity.

My view is that the current UK government is not a threat to the people. The elites looking to purchase power and influence and eventually become the government are the biggest threat. Social media is their most effective weapon.

I would argue that if you can’t see that then you are blind yourself.

I’m happy to agree to disagree though. Civility and all that.

Ah. Sorry to hear about your Ex. Sounds like he was in the hole, so to speak. Probably for the best that he is now your Ex! At least you were not persuaded by his opinions out of love and stayed true to your beliefs. It’s staggering that he couldn’t see the contradiction between believing Facism to be the best form of government and having a woman of race as a lover. Many such people often live in denial of the facts to suit their beliefs though, as I’m sure you experienced. Anyway, you can do better!

I find it staggering that people are willing to hold those beliefs about Muslims despite the obvious lack of evidence for such ideas. It’s fear propaganda, pure and simple.

As you are a Muslim woman, of which I sadly know none, may I ask you a question?

I would be curious to hear about your personal experiences with the general public in terms of interactions and people’s behaviour. Excluding your ex of course, I don’t want you to relive personally painful memories. I just mean how do you normally find people that aren’t Muslim treat you in society? Has it got better or worse, or the same over the last 5 years? And do you think it sould be diffrrent if you were not a Muslim? Also do you have connection to a large Muslim community? Would be curious to hear what their reaction has been to all this atrocious hate material.

It sounded like you don’t have much faith in the public attitude, and I’m sorry for that. I will always try and persuade anyone though that there are many good people who are proud of how tolerant and open British society is and are angry these luddites are tarnishing our reputation.

Again, sorry, what makes you say that?

I have seen evidence that he met with Russian officials in 2020 including intelligence operatives.

What ties him to Israel or the UAE?

I sense a dangerous level of willful disbelief.

Disbelief of what? That the UK government is keeping secret social scores on it’s citizens? Yeah. Until I see evidence of that.

They are starting to police the internet more though. I personally think that’s due to the huge amounts of misinformation used to manipulate the public via social media. I.e. The Southport Riots which were inflamed by spreading of lies about immigrants.

This is probably an unpopular opinion here but I think there should be more control. Peoples view of reality is being completely distorted by the internet and what they see and read. It will only get worse with AI and deepfakes. I personally think it does need more policing. There is a good documentary called "Hypernormalisation’ by Adam Curtis that explores the reality distortion we experience. It is worth watching.

My political views are that one of governments main duties is to protect citizens from harm. That includes protecting them from business malpractices from social media companies and foreign influencers looking to destabilise the population. I believe our government should take action to prevent harm from those.

I am not being wilfully ignorant of what they are doing. I support it. That may make me unpopular here but so be it. I stand by that belief. I will change it if I am presented with tangible evidence of things like social ratings for citizens or nefarious uses of peoples information. I haven’t seen any this far though. Feel free to send some if you have any.

I

you don’t believe they are locking down the internet

No, I believe they are policing the internet more than previously. The part I definitely don’t believe is your idea that they are using this information to make secret social scores on citizens. That’s a dystopian fantasy in my view.

Aside from introducing age verification checks do you have any evidence that it’s being “locked down”? You’re right in that my understanding is limited as I’m only aware of what our government has passed into law, not what people think is happening.

If you have some article or evidence that helps explain it I would be grateful.

I understand why you wouldn’t.

An important distinction for me is to believe what you see in the real world vs online.

Online you will see posts with thousands and millions of likes spouting racist, hateful material and it appears as if that is the prevailing opinion. It isn’t. Social media is wide open to manipulation. Many of these likes will come from accounts in Russia, America, Nigeria and even India. It’s a mass manipulation tool.

If you watch the BBC Question Time special on Immigration that is far more representative of the UK. An audience selected to best represent how the UK is polling at the moment.

On that show you will see Reform broadcasting their usual hate messaging around immigration. You will also see good people stand up to them and say they are wrong. You will see all the other politicians on that show condemn Reform as well as the majority of the audience.

I really suggest watching it. The BBC, for all it’s faults, has integrity. That immigration special, filmed around Christmas 2025, really gave me hope that we can stop Reform and that they are not an inevitability. Far from it. We can stop them if we all work together and I believe politicians as well as people will!

Locking down the internet is a huge deal too, they are setting up every ip, every account, connected to a name and face and connected with all other information running it through half baked ai threat detection by companies like palantir to make secret social scores to determine everything.

Sorry, what? In the UK? I don’t believe that for a second, unless you have some irrefutable evidence for that. I could write an essay about why that’s not true.

surrender your information to the US as well make no mistake.

If that is happening it is by the design of the technology made by someone like Peter Thiel. The UK government would never knowingly allow such a thing to happen. There’s no benefit and they risk being ejected from government if found out. It sounds ridiculous to be honest, sorry.

Very concerned here obviously as one would guess. We are fucked, I don’t want to see Europe also fall to fascists that have every intention of fixing elections for the worst people in the world to remain in permanent control. We will be helping your fascists, secretly and openly,

Likewise! I am very concerned just how easily the US has fallen to the right wing spell. Steve Bannon has been shown in the Epstein files as linked to helping all sorts of right wing parties in Europe, including Reform. Luckily we at least have more stringent campaign funding rules that America’s “spend what you want”.

That is the price America pays for ultimate freedom of speech. It is lauded as the peak of democracy there, yet that very protection is used to guarantee unlimited financing of political campaigns by PACS and the elite. It’s actually a weapon turned against the people. But yeah. Freeeedom.

The west is going to fall like dominoes barring some real leadership that is not forthcoming because we somehow still trust the controlled opposition of the oligarchs that have captured all of our parties

Not if citizens are wise to the manipulation tactics used i.e. social media. Many here are becoming aware. Rules are becoming more stringent. I have hope. Reform tend to do well in the less educated sectors of society. If we can educate them then they will see them for what they are. They thrive in poorer areas too. If the economy gets back to prospering then again, they will fade.

We need real leaders now

Mark Carney. His Davos speech was excellent. My hope os he starts taking the lead more with middle powers holding firm in the face of economic bullying from superpowers.

America and China cannot survive alone. They need the middle powers still, just less than the middle ones individually need them. As a collective though they have power.

My hope is the ties between EU countries grow stronger, hopefully we rejoin soon and we become a collective force.

That or Trump passes away amd MAGA fade into civil war. That would be nice.

That’s very true. The bigger it gets the more the lines blur between who is racist for personal gain and who is racist because they’d full of hate. Eventually the latter takes over everything if the movement grows.

Luckily I believe there are many more good and decent hard working people who would do much to stop Reform from ever getting near power than there are people who would support them. I just hope it’s true.