The under-16 social media ban marks the end of the open UK internet

Quoting: Mohandevir

Quoting: SlaxerIn Canada if you're loud enough, our politicians will freeze your bank account, get you fired from your job, and throw you into a cage if they don't like your opinion. If you honestly believe that these people care about your kids, you are on fucking crack.

Please provide examples because, unless you are a criminal, I never heard or witnessed any of this. You seem to live in an alternate reality.

I presume he's talking about the Ottawa convoy. Which, I mean, while it was pretty incoherent, the core people were calling for the dissolution of the elected government on their say-so. That is, they wanted to overthrow the government. And they were taking donations from the US to aid in this endeavour. So some of them got their bank accounts frozen, I just find it hard to consider this an overreaction. We should also do that to the Alberta separatists who met with White House officials, stole the voter information on every citizen of Alberta, and again are almost certainly taking money from the US. Goddamn traitors.

Quoting: Purple Library Guythe core people were calling for the dissolution of the elected government on their say-so. That is, they wanted to overthrow the government.

I don't wanna get into that here, but that's not true at all. The good news is, you don't have to take my word for it. After the Emergency's Act was called to use, the government was obligated to have the POEC (Public Order Emergency Commission) to provide an inquiry in a court-like setting so that the public can decide for themselves if the use of exceptional political power was justified.

This was a long time ago now, but here it is so you can see for yourself. [Public Order Emergency Commission](https://publicorderemergencycommission.ca/public-hearings/)

[Regardless of your opinion of what was protested, a judge has deemed the use of the Emergency's Act to be illegal.](https://theccf.ca/federal-court-of-appeal-emergencies-act-decision-your-questions-answered/)

If it isn't already clear, the best way to form an opinion is to do your best to try and see things for yourself. The news, your politicians, and even this thread (including myself), can only provide a perspective from their POV. You don't have to trust me, and I prefer that you don't. Verify.

Quoting: Caldathras

Quoting: SlaxerToo many people have forgotten that democracy doesn't end the second you leave the voting booth during an election season. At the end of the day, this is actually our fault as citizens for letting our governments do this - and apparently we're still content to let them continue on with it.

In Canada, our MPs in parliament get paid around $200k+ a year; it used to be around $150k a year, but they've decided to give themselves a raise just because they can.

Ah, speaking to a fellow Canadian. What can we do between elections to control our government? The federal government/politicians have done everything they can to prevent it. We have no MP recall. The modern politician ignores citizen protests or invokes the Emergencies Act to silence them. Referendums are pointless, as the federal government does not have to legally implement or follow the results of a referendum. It's basically just a poll. (Look it up, like I did. Referendums, in most provinces, are binding, but not at the federal level.) So, what recourse - other than elections - do Canadian citizens have to influence and control the Canadian government?

The politicians gave themselves raises exactly because they knew that Canadian citizens are powerless to do anything about it. I agree that $209.8K for a MP backbencher is obscene. On the flip-side, at the local government level where I live, our elected officials are only paid $28.9K annually (as of 2023). It used to be $12.9K before that.

I guess I'd be happy if MPs made less than $200k/year (Canadian, let's not forget). But I'd be more happy if CEOs made less than $200k/year, Canadian. They're the ones really driving the escalation. It's all fine for MPs not to make much, but you have to pay the unelected deputy ministers and other top people running huge government departments something vaguely resembling the going rate or all the talent will leave for the private sector, and it looks silly for cabinet ministers to be trying to tell subordinates what to do who make five times as much as they do.

Quoting: Slaxer

Quoting: Purple Library Guythe core people were calling for the dissolution of the elected government on their say-so. That is, they wanted to overthrow the government.

I don't wanna get into that here, but that's not true at all.

Yes it is. Was it a credible threat? Probably not. Were all of them even aware of what was going on? Absolutely not. A lot of them just thought they were complaining about a policy forcing truckers crossing the border to the US to do something US policy was forcing them to do anyway, which is moronic but there's nothing wrong with it per se. And they were annoying and loud, which isn't a crime. And some of them were threatening and racist and the people in Ottawa found them intimidating, which in some cases probably was a crime and it would have been good if the Ottawa cops had just enforced the law about that, the whole thing might not have got so out of hand, but that still does not an insurrection make.

But their official manifesto thing called for the government to disband various parts of itself and for the prime minister to resign on their say-so. The leaders pretty clearly hoped the whole thing would snowball, there would be more and more of them, and the cops and maybe even the military would refuse to do anything about them, and then they'd be able to displace the elected government of Canada. I followed the thing at the time, all the way through, and I followed the inquiry, and I am not entirely in agreement with its findings, some of which seem to be telling me not to believe my lying eyes because cracking down on traitor Albertan assholes isn't politically expedient.

And, bringing it all back to the issue at hand, half the reason cracking down on traitor Albertan assholes isn't politically expedient is . . . social media.

Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 17 Jun 2026 at 11:50 pm UTC

Quoting: Purple Library GuyI guess I'd be happy if MPs made less than $200k/year (Canadian, let's not forget). But I'd be more happy if CEOs made less than $200k/year, Canadian. They're the ones really driving the escalation. It's all fine for MPs not to make much, but you have to pay the unelected deputy ministers and other top people running huge government departments something vaguely resembling the going rate or all the talent will leave for the private sector, and it looks silly for cabinet ministers to be trying to tell subordinates what to do who make five times as much as they do.

I mean, their salary comes from the money that they take from you every year. If we're the ones providing their salary, that makes us their boss, doesn't it? Do you believe their performance deserves a pay raise? Remember a large chunk of the 338 MPs sitting in our parliament are the "eat the rich" types, and here they are paying themselves $200k a year because they feel like it. Our dollar is worth half of what it was in 1995, but your salary probably didn't go up to match the inflation. If you're wondering why everything has risen in price, this is one of the main reasons why. This is caused by inflation, and inflation is caused by printing money. There is only ONE group of people that are legally allowed to print money: the government.

If you like the idea that they're going to be consolidating control over the internet, starting with the deployment of age restrictions, then maybe you think their pay raise is deserved. I personally don't.

Quoting: SlaxerI mean, their salary comes from the money that they take from you every year.

CEOs' salary comes from the money they take from me every year, but I didn't get to vote for them. And their salaries are in the millions and tens of millions, not the couple hundred thousands.

Quoting: SlaxerRemember a large chunk of the 338 MPs sitting in our parliament are the "eat the rich" types

What are you on? I'm arguably an "eat the rich" type, and I can tell you basically none of my people are in that parliament.

So, there are Conservatives, presumably you're not talking about them. There are Bloc Quebecois; I suppose in theory one or two of them might be "eat the rich" types because the party isn't defined by economic ideology but by putting Quebec first. There is Elizabeth May of the Greens; even she isn't really an "eat the rich" type. There are five centre-left New Democrats; the new leader of the NDP probably wouldn't be upset to be called an "eat the rich" type but he doesn't have a seat--the NDP MPs actually in parliament are not. And then there's the Liberals with a bare majority; the Liberal Party of Canada is an economically centre-right formation. There is exactly zero chance any of their MPs are "eat the rich" types except maybe Steven Guilbeault now that he's remembered his principles.

Really, the Conservative echo chamber in Canada is an exact imitation of the American one, and its most ridiculous overarching theme is that the Liberal party of Canada (or in the US, the Democrats) are some kind of raging socialists, when in fact they're the (second) most corporate-friendly assholes in history.

Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 18 Jun 2026 at 12:05 am UTC

Quoting: Purple Library GuyAnd some of them were threatening and racist

Quoting: Purple Library GuyBut their official manifesto thing called for the government to disband various parts of itself and for the prime minister to resign on their say-so.

If this was true, then it would've been legal to use the Emergencies Act then, wouldn't it? But it wasn't legal. It was illegal.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyI followed the thing at the time, all the way through, and I followed the inquiry

I don't think you did. But whatever... that's enough.

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: SlaxerI mean, their salary comes from the money that they take from you every year.

CEOs' salary comes from the money they take from me every year, but I didn't get to vote for them.

They tax you? When did they do that? Buying a Tesla doesn't count btw.

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: Mohandevir

Quoting: SlaxerIn Canada if you're loud enough, our politicians will freeze your bank account, get you fired from your job, and throw you into a cage if they don't like your opinion. If you honestly believe that these people care about your kids, you are on fucking crack.

Please provide examples because, unless you are a criminal, I never heard or witnessed any of this. You seem to live in an alternate reality.

I presume he's talking about the Ottawa convoy. Which, I mean, while it was pretty incoherent, the core people were calling for the dissolution of the elected government on their say-so. That is, they wanted to overthrow the government. And they were taking donations from the US to aid in this endeavour. So some of them got their bank accounts frozen, I just find it hard to consider this an overreaction. We should also do that to the Alberta separatists who met with White House officials, stole the voter information on every citizen of Alberta, and again are almost certainly taking money from the US. Goddamn traitors.

Exactly as I tought. This particular case may have been mishandled by our gouvernment (personnally I tought it lasted way too long considering they took the Ottawa citizens as hostages), but manisfestations are common things in Canada. When its pacific and legal, they let them express their griefs. The maga proganda likes to take edge cases and make you believe it is the norm. Absolutely no perspective. That's how they work.

The americans took that bait, look where it's leading them. Someone doesn't like the actual situation? Fine, I get that, but it can be worse, we have a practical proof of that coming from the "freedom defendors" themselves.

Last edited by Mohandevir on 18 Jun 2026 at 12:52 am UTC

Quoting: Slaxer

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: SlaxerI mean, their salary comes from the money that they take from you every year.

CEOs' salary comes from the money they take from me every year, but I didn't get to vote for them.

They tax you? When did they do that? Buying a Tesla doesn't count btw.

Well, actually, funny you should mention Tesla. So, Elon Musk just did a massive IPO of SpaceX, with Twitter and a few of the little money-losers rolled in. The IPO has a ridiculous valuation. Musk has successfully leaned on the people who define things like the S&P 500 to change the rules to include it in them. That means that despite it not having a track record, it's in these key indices. So if my retirement fund buys "safe" index funds, the new Spacex stock will be in there at its ridiculous price. Then, when the insiders who started with a bunch of that stock for free, such as Elon himself, start to sell and it goes down from its ridiculous high, all the retirement funds and municipal funds and so on will eat the loss. So yes, I'd say he's taxing me.

But we could instead talk about how Google and Amazon are effectively toll booths for every company in existence making every product more expensive, if you like.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyBut we could instead talk about how Google and Amazon are effectively toll booths for every company in existence making every product more expensive, if you like.

Just cause I feel like finding common ground, and because it's more relevant, I'll give you my opinion on those 2 companies. I don't like them. I avoid them whenever I can.

As for the stock market stuff, if you were really interested in challenging your ideas on that, I'll admit, there are much better people than I for that conversation. Plus, I just don't feel like it. It's a lot. I'll tell you one thing though, having a Tesla is pretty awesome. I'm a happy customer, it was worth the money.