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It's refreshing to hear a public figure challenge authority, rather than simply being a shrinking violet.
I am inclined to believe - just as has happened many, many times before - that governments and those in power and/or authority can and always will be opportunistic in times similar to these.
For example, the push towards a cashless society is one which infringes upon a persons right to make purchases with anonymity.
It gives certain govt agencies and corporations straight data about so much of what we do, where we do it, and why.
Here in Australia, which is thought (or was) to be a ******* democracy, legislation was passed two years ago allowing private corporations to purchase private data from other agencies which contained extremely personal information about private citizens various habits.
They have targeted indigenous Australian's who receive welfare and forced them to adopt a cashless debit card which controls how and what they are allowed to spend their money on.
85% of their payment cannot be withdrawn from ATM's, nor are they able to spend their money on alcohol or ********, in most cases.
Despite the statistics gathered on the trials that proved it was a waste of time and money, that welfare recipients had difficulty making online purchases and other difficulties, it also showed that discrimination increased towards any person in possession of such a card - another infringement and a punitive measure - it is still being rolled out.
So though I don't believe these things are engineered - just like 9/11; the U.S government introduced dubious legislation such as the patriot act.
Here, during the lockdown, police have been given discretionary powers to fine or imprison people whom they believe have not left their homes for 'necessary' reasons.
Has the patriot act been repealed? No, but *****care has. some of you Americans are a strange bunch; you see universal healthcare, or at least access to it as more of a threat than terrorism and your civil liberties, which ARE being slowly eroded.
I am inclined to believe - just as has happened many, many times before - that governments and those in power and/or authority can and always will be opportunistic in times similar to these.
For example, the push towards a cashless society is one which infringes upon a persons right to make purchases with anonymity.
It gives certain govt agencies and corporations straight data about so much of what we do, where we do it, and why.
Here in Australia, which is thought (or was) to be a ******* democracy, legislation was passed two years ago allowing private corporations to purchase private data from other agencies which contained extremely personal information about private citizens various habits.
They have targeted indigenous Australian's who receive welfare and forced them to adopt a cashless debit card which controls how and what they are allowed to spend their money on.
85% of their payment cannot be withdrawn from ATM's, nor are they able to spend their money on alcohol or ********, in most cases.
Despite the statistics gathered on the trials that proved it was a waste of time and money, that welfare recipients had difficulty making online purchases and other difficulties, it also showed that discrimination increased towards any person in possession of such a card - another infringement and a punitive measure - it is still being rolled out.
So though I don't believe these things are engineered - just like 9/11; the U.S government introduced dubious legislation such as the patriot act.
Here, during the lockdown, police have been given discretionary powers to fine or imprison people whom they believe have not left their homes for 'necessary' reasons.
Has the patriot act been repealed? No, but *****care has. some of you Americans are a strange bunch; you see universal healthcare, or at least access to it as more of a threat than terrorism and your civil liberties, which ARE being slowly eroded.
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