Mastodawn

“‘For Orbán in Hungary, it took about four years, for Vučić in Serbia, it took eight years, and for Erdoğan in Turkey and Modi in India, it took about 10 years to accomplish the suppression of democratic institutions that Trump has achieved in only one year’

…

US democracy is now back at the worst recorded level since 1965, when US civil rights laws first introduced de facto universal suffrage. All progress made since then has been erased, according to the report.

Worldwide, democracy has receded to its lowest levels since the mid-70s. ‘The world has never before seen as many countries autocratising at the same time’

…

A record 41% (3.4 billion) of the world’s population currently resides in countries where democracy is deteriorating, the report claims, adding that Washington is leading this global turn away from democracy.”

The very fucking *least* you can do right now is not comply in advance.

Yes, I’m looking at you, tech folks.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2026/mar/17/trump-is-aiming-for-dictatorship-thats-the-verdict-of-the-worlds-most-credible-democracy-watchdog

#fascism

‘Trump is aiming for dictatorship’. That’s the verdict of the world’s most credible democracy watchdog

Sweden’s V-Dem Institute warns that the US is no longer a liberal democracy. And autocracy is creeping across Europe too, says writer Martin Gelin

The Guardian

Dave Underwood Mar 19

Sara Alsherif سارة الشريف Mar 16

We @openrightsgroup . are publishing today the legal opinion about the Home Office's use of ChatGPT4 in the asylum system decision-making process. The legal opinion concludes that these tools are likely unlawful, which could open the way for a legal challenge.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ai-artificial-intelligence-asylum-claims-backlog-b2937111.html

Home Office use of AI in asylum cases could be unlawful, legal experts warn

Exclusive: Caseworkers use AI to summarise asylum interviews and to search for information about country of origin

The Independent

Dave Underwood Mar 15

#Exvangelical #Atheist #Atheism #Christianity #Christian #ExChristian #Faith #Fundamentalism #Religion #Belief #Agnosticism #Evangelical #Evangelicalism

Dave Underwood Mar 14

Primo Natura Mar 14

"Wales first part of UK to mandate solar panels on new buildings"

#UK #UnitedKingdom #Wales #SolarPower #Energy #Renewables

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/03/10/wales-first-part-of-uk-to-mandate-solar-panels-on-new-buildings/

Wales first part of UK to mandate solar panels on new buildings

Updated building regulations will effectively mandate solar for domestic and commercial buildings in Wales from early 2027. The new rules come ahead of England's Future Homes Standard, which is also expected to effectively mandate rooftop solar for new builds.

pv magazine International

Dave Underwood Mar 14

"But I'm not racist *splutter, splutter* I'm a patriot!!1!1" etc

#UK #UnitedKingdom #GB #GreatBritain #Britain #England #UKpol #UKpolitics #Reformuk #Farage #NigelFarage

Dave Underwood Mar 14

Show thread

Open Rights Group Mar 13

UK MPs have passed an amendment giving the government powers to restrict access to VPNs.

Imposing digital ID checks will turn people away from using a tool that keeps them safe and secure online.

Instead it'll fuel the surveillance-based economy that causes harms.

Sign our petition to protect VPN use in the UK ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-government-protect-vpn-use-uk

#vpn #privacy #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

Tell the Government: Protect VPN use in the UK

Take action! Protect VPN use in the UK VPNs help people to stay private and safe online. Young people use them to avoid harassment, or protect location data. Companies use them to make sure remote log-in to their networks are secure. Journalists, campaigners and whistle blowers use them to protect their work and themselves. But the Government wants to force people to verify their age when they buy a VPN. This will deter people from using VPNs to stay safe and secure online. Why are the government proposing restrictions to accessing VPNs?

Open Rights Group

Dave Underwood Mar 13

Scottish Greens Mar 12

The US military has been using Scottish Government-owned airports in their airstrikes against Iran, according to the BBC.

The planes have flown missions that a defence analyst labelled "crucial" to the war.

The Scottish Government must finally evict Trump’s forces.

https://greens.scot/TrumpsTroopsOut

Dave Underwood Mar 11

#Politics #ukpol #ukpolitics #uspol #usPolitics #apathy #Pericles #selfinterest #selfinvolved #selfish #selfcentred #selfcentered #selfintererested #quote #quotes

Dave Underwood Mar 8

Elon Musk's Jet Mar 8

Elon Musk’s Brand New Private Jet: Gulfstream G800
N8628

https://grndcntrl.net/articles/elon-musk-s-brand-new-private-jet-gulfstream-g800

Elon Musk’s Brand New Private Jet: Gulfstream G800

Billionaire Elon Musk has taken delivery of a brand-new Gulfstream G800 private jet. Public records and flight tracking data confirm the acquisition, the details behind the N8628 tail number.

Ground Control

Dave Underwood Mar 4

Is it weird to still be blogging in my 40s? I ponder this … in a blog post: https://oblivionwithbells.com/2026/03/04/wrestling-with-words/

#Blogging #Writing #Words #Text #Internet #Online #Privacy #WordPress

Wrestling with words

The Torments of Creative Work by Leonid Pasternak (1862–1945) Back when I grew up online, there was a word that I worried would be used against me. It was ‘source?’ Source? meant &#8220…

Oblivion With Bells

Location	Loughborough, United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Website	https://oblivionwithbells.com/
The future	https://myclimatefuture.info/