zlacker

>>mmaria+(OP)
It is only a matter of time before they attempt to regulate VPN usage. Here is an article written by a British MP hinting at that:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/onli...

>>sefros+kb
It definitely seems like she’s conflating two issues: access to pornography and child grooming. I don’t see why she thinks regulating VPNs would reduce the latter.

>>scott_+ed
She doesnt, she just wants to put in Putin-like levels of control and surveillance for the same reasons Putin does.

>>pydry+se
Jinping is probably a better comparison.

>>userbi+qi
Xi is fairly popular in China tho, unlike this "labour" govt.

>>dereli+vk
How would you know? In countries without free speech where anti-government speech is illegal, the only legal speech is pro-government or neutral.

>>gitrem+8q
I would know cuz there are independent polls made by western NGOs: https://allianceofdemocracies.org/democracy-perception-index

>>dereli+jN
Immaterial how independent they are because it's completely impossible to get honest opinions of repressive regimes. The people within the regime have no real way to know whether a poll response will make it back to the government or not, so they must assume that it will. When the repercussions for having the wrong opinion are that you disappear or find yourself "volunteered" for the front line, it's best to either lie or say you think the leader is a top bloke.

You can watch Youtube videos of citizens refusing to answer contentious questions quite easily. I believe William Spaniel has produced videos (relating to the Russian General Election) where he points this out, too.

>>scott_+UQ
How can you tell it is a repressive regime? They have elections, a press and they are pretty satisfied about their form of governance, actually much more than their western counterparts.

So let me sum this up. We cannot ask the people. We cannot base ourselves on how their institutions function and how well they perform.

This discussion highlights how westerners suffer from some serious superiority complex where only THEY can experience genuine freedom and democracy(probably due to their superior phenotype or some inane bs), and everything outside of their little group of friends is a masquerade. The issue with that is that westerners disconnect themselves from reality. They are losing ground and it shows.

>>dereli+sT
Organisations try to measure this: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/democracy-index-eiu

> This discussion highlights how westerners suffer from some serious superiority complex where only THEY can experience genuine freedom and democracy(probably due to their superior phenotype or some inane bs)

You are quite literally commenting on a topic where Brits are complaining about our democracy. You will find reams of articles about the problems with western democracies.

However, you're also commenting about countries that quite literally changed our governments in the last year. USA voted in Trump, the UK voted in Labour. Germany just voted in a new party.

China and Russia, the main comparison points, have not changed government since the 90s. This is nothing to do with phenotypes, it's 100% just looking at the facts.

>>scott_+n61
Russia is very similar to the rest of western democracies, so I won't comment further on that.

Regarding China, their leading party hasn't switched in 80 years, but their policies have and have plenty actually. Changing parties matters only a little bit in the grand scheme of things. I'd argue, for example, that Japan, that has been ruled by a single party for all of his modern existence, is still considered by many in the west as a functioning democracy.

>>dereli+Hb1
> I'd argue, for example, that Japan, that has been ruled

Seems like a somewhat tangential point to make? The people in Japan did get a choice to vote for another party.