this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2025
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Every day we get closer to an Orwellian society. The United Kingdom may already be one.

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[–] ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com 94 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Almost the entire western world is going authoritarian. Very worrying trend. It has to be stopped.

[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the only thing that can really stop it IMO is mainstreaming decentralized social media and messaging services.

You'd need to effectively replace Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Whatsapp etc.. The only thing that totally keeps us from 1984 is that all these platforms for now have decided to be relatively free and impartial (compared to how bad it could be). But that could change at any time if the powers that be decide to on a whim. They could completely ban all privacy, pacificsm or any kind of political opposition tomorrow.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago

No it won't stop it. Blood and violence is needed but we are sheep.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 77 points 1 month ago (1 children)

From the fact Britain produced Orwell, Huxley's Brave New World, and Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, I figure the UK has always been some shade of "Orwellian".

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

Historically, the UK has always been very self assured in their goals and never looked for outside input while disregarding the people that they were upending. Anyone who wasn't helping them was viewed as an enemy to be controlled, oppressed , or destroyed. If that isn't a non-political explanation of rightwing authoritarianism, I'm not sure what is.

[–] onion@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 month ago (5 children)

The UK ain't part of the EU mate

[–] menemen@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

It's worse in Germany.

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[–] vane@lemmy.world 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We are living in Orwellian society, it's just the news catching up with reality.

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The news has been trying to obfuscate this awareness for as long as possible.

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[–] ALiteralCabbage@feddit.uk 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The UK would be one if anyone could be bothered to run it properly.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They're looking to install Nigel Farage as their prime minister. The island is derelict.

[–] Tangentism@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not quite.

Farage keeps running around saying "Pick me! Pick me!" and the press keep asking "Is farage a viable candidate?" while not offering the same credence to anyone else.

The British public are "We're fucking sick of this bollocks from the establishment" and a lot of them are falling for the privately educated ex city trader Farages nonsense that he's a "man of the people" because all the centrist parties are saying "aren't immigrants awful?" in an attempt to distract from their own incompetence and quite frankly, the left is 10 years behind in offering a coherent alternative to all the bullshit.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

a lot of them are falling for the privately educated ex city trader Farages nonsense that he’s a “man of the people”

This parallels Trump, but I think it's mostly not that people are really fooled into believing these wealthy politicians are just like them. I think the attraction is more that the current system isn't working for a lot of people and hasn't been for a long time. Someone who offers to tear it down can attract a large following even if they don't have a good proposal for what to replace it with.

It took a while for me to see that because I find the racist and nationalist beliefs of the likes of Trump, Farage, and the AFD so appalling it's hard to see anything else.

[–] Tangentism@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Definitely, it's them playing stupid so centrist liberals will mock them because they can't help themselves and they use that to say to the genpop "look, I'm just like you and these sneering elites are laughing at me, and by extension you"

I think the attraction is more that the current system isn't working for a lot of people and hasn't been for a long time.

Exactly. They play the outsider who has the balls but not embroiled in the quagmire, to come and "drain the swamp"

The perverse hilarity of trump saying this is that he is the 1%, he is the trust fund kid that had everything handed to him on a platter. He literally is the swamp (a corrupt child rapist)

Farage in the UK went to one of the top schools (Dulwich college) where he was disciplined for singing Hitler youth songs. He got a job in the city through his dad as a commodities broker before going into (disrupting) politics and people seem to believe his shit when he acts like he's one of the common folk!

People need their heads banging together falling for that shit!

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[–] TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Not even close to the horrors of an Orwellian society and saying it is is an insult to the characters in those books. It isn't great though, and it's heading in a troubling direction

[–] unabart@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think the characters in the book will forgive as that's a work of fiction and they are not real. That's like saying I insulted Bugs Bunny for having big teeth. We'll get through this calamity. ✌🏻

[–] DrDystopia@lemy.lol 7 points 1 month ago

I'm the guy that gets offended on behalf of what ever I want.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 month ago

and it’s heading in a troubling direction

I'd say it's heading in an orwellian direction...

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[–] artyom@piefed.social 9 points 1 month ago

Orwell never could have imagined society as it exists currently.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago

The EU is using genocide censorship as an excuse to abort all "freedom" laws. A hillarious twist.

[–] upstroke4448@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

As an American it's nice to see were not the only ones in a complete downward spiral.

EDIT: wild that there are users pretending to be butthurt by this obviously joke comment so they can farm upvotes from the tens of users on Lemmy

[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 1 month ago (2 children)

As an American, no it's not nice. Why would I want more of this shit elsewhere?

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[–] lemmyknow@lemmy.today 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wishing ill on people, eh?

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[–] belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org 7 points 1 month ago

Nice? I wish it was just the US so getting to another country would make it safe for us. This is awful.

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[–] inna@lemmings.world 6 points 1 month ago

For the age verification is it possible to sign a petition? I think is not too late to join forces… or anything but not letting them go further.. as of the chat control probably only contacting the representatives. I really hope lawyers and businessmen try to fight it…

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

how will this "client side scanning" be implemented?

it's, not only worrying, but very confusing.

[–] lemming@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago

Have you already written to your members of parliament about chat control, and possibly other matters? Seriously, do it. There is very little you can do, but this might actually help. Slightly. Maybe.

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