[easytiger]

However, I think the UK government is just trying to protect people (children in particular) from what it considers harmful content.

I can't come close to agreeing. The same minister pushing this, who is by his own admission semi literate and can't understand very basic concepts, has basically no understanding of technology (or indeed expertise in any area), has made no secret of the fact this is about censoring online speech he personally does not like[1]. He is a paid up yes man deep in the pockets of companies selling low effort AI solutions to governments for the purposes of enforcing speech[2] who wants, all said and done, to shut down twitter/X because people express opinions there he doesn't like. This has almost literally nothing to do with the old fashioned pearl clutching "think of the children". So much so he's going around holding anyone with reasonable opposition to this bill for child sexual assault, future, past and present[3]. This is obvious overcompensatory zeal. And it is week one.

What he has not done is engage earnestly with legitimate concerns about privacy and the bill. And he never will.

[1] https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/labour-peter-ky... | https://archive.is/Snw7y

[2] https://news.starknakedbrief.co.uk/p/we-need-to-talk-about-s...

[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgery3eeqzxo

[hermitcrab]

Peter Kyle has not been on my radar. I agree that giving a senior government post to someone with a reading age of 8 (assuming that is true) is alarming. It is also noticeable that Rayner, the deputy Prime Minister, left school at 16 with no qualifications. Hardly confidence inspiring.

I despise Farage. But I think equating him with Savile because he didn't agree with a bill, was totally unacceptable and Farage deserves an apology (probably the only time I am ever going to say that).

[oneeyedpigeon]

I am in exactly the same Farage-wise. I think he is a vile human being, but equating him with Savile is the worst kind of gutter politics, the kind I never thought we would see in the UK. I now resent this Labour government even more, for making me feel sympathetic towards Farage.

[jalapenos]

Why do you despise Farage?

Everyone else is so great and the UK's been doing well under their "we're great and Farage is the enemy of this paradise continuing"?