Wow. Thanks for the in depth response! Really appreciate it.

Reading some of those stories is slightly disheartening. The world is such a fucked up place and hard to make sense of when you’re growing up without people discriminating against you for something you have no control over. It makes me incredibly angry that people behave on that sort of way. Really thought we had turned a corner after the whole "all muslims are terrorists’ bollocks of the 2000s as well. I have seen videos of what it was like in the 1980s and 90s and it was horrific. Surely we would never return to that. Surely.

It was interesting reading that there seems to be some different versions of the same discriminatory behaviour even within your community as well as being victims of it. It’s baffling to be honest. I know it’s not as simple as “lets all hug it out” but surely those that seek tolerance should also be practicing it. I’m guessing there’s a lot of cultural history related to it that I’m not currently aware of. Still, it’s interesting.

It sounds like your experiences, whilst you wouldn’t wish them of anyone, have given you a preparedness for when people say and do stup pidly intolerant things. I guess it helps build character in a morbid way. You handled it well.

London is something I’m thankful for in terms of the cultural diversity. I’m in Surrey just outside of it so it’s much quieter but also much less diverse. Everyone is very well behaved and tolerant where I live but perhaps because there’s very little to tolerate. There are big Muslim communities in Surrey though and they seem to thrive but there’s not much reason to visit unless you practice Islam. I do go to London and enjoy a few things though and it’s great to see all different types of people getting along.

Are you aware of the narrative that right wing influencers are trying to peddle at the moment in terms of London being a crime ridden hellscape? It’s laughable. Completely shows they need that sense of fear and division in people to make their messaging effective. I’m guessing where are in there is nothing of the sort! Hopefully aha.

Can I ask, why do you think you experience sexism more than any other form of discrimination these days then? Do you think it’s due to the whole “manosphere” Andrew Tate rubbish or just a failure of some to change their entrenched views of the other sex? Or both?

America is hopefully a unique case on my view. I think we can make it easier on ourselves jere and in the EU by punishing social media companies and persecuting hate speech. That is impossible in the US due to Freedom of Speech laws so people can spread whatever lies they want. Particularly billionaires. They can also pay as much as they want to influence elections. Again, they can’t here. Our system is a bit more robust. It’s not infallible, I just hope it will stand up better than the US to the tidal wave of right wing propaganda.

Well done for persevering with the autism too. Sounds tough. It’s hard to say as I don’t know you personally but you seem like someone who has their shit together so good on you.

Enjoy the essay back.

Am I fine with age verification? Yes, I am. Especially for social media. I don’t want children being brainwashed by right wing propaganda that is prevalent on there and I believe the state has a duty of care to protect citizens.

No channels of privacy? No, I am not fine with that. I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest that private conversations are not possible though, either via chat encryption or any other method. Is there any for the UK?

Chat control? I’m not sure. That sounds vague. I would need to know the specifics and what it’s protective purpose is.

You are welcome to call me blind. You still haven’t presented any evidence that the government is keeping secret social scores on it’s citizens though, nor any evidence of state wide internet restrictions on privacy. If there is such evidence and I believe it is a threat to an open and democratic society then I will act.

The USA is currently descending into authoritarianism, in my view precisely because “freedom of speech” and freedom of ownership are so closely protected. Malicious forces can spread whatever messages they want and influence whoever they want with impunity.

My view is that the current UK government is not a threat to the people. The elites looking to purchase power and influence and eventually become the government are the biggest threat. Social media is their most effective weapon.

I would argue that if you can’t see that then you are blind yourself.

I’m happy to agree to disagree though. Civility and all that.

Ah. Sorry to hear about your Ex. Sounds like he was in the hole, so to speak. Probably for the best that he is now your Ex! At least you were not persuaded by his opinions out of love and stayed true to your beliefs. It’s staggering that he couldn’t see the contradiction between believing Facism to be the best form of government and having a woman of race as a lover. Many such people often live in denial of the facts to suit their beliefs though, as I’m sure you experienced. Anyway, you can do better!

I find it staggering that people are willing to hold those beliefs about Muslims despite the obvious lack of evidence for such ideas. It’s fear propaganda, pure and simple.

As you are a Muslim woman, of which I sadly know none, may I ask you a question?

I would be curious to hear about your personal experiences with the general public in terms of interactions and people’s behaviour. Excluding your ex of course, I don’t want you to relive personally painful memories. I just mean how do you normally find people that aren’t Muslim treat you in society? Has it got better or worse, or the same over the last 5 years? And do you think it sould be diffrrent if you were not a Muslim? Also do you have connection to a large Muslim community? Would be curious to hear what their reaction has been to all this atrocious hate material.

It sounded like you don’t have much faith in the public attitude, and I’m sorry for that. I will always try and persuade anyone though that there are many good people who are proud of how tolerant and open British society is and are angry these luddites are tarnishing our reputation.

Again, sorry, what makes you say that?

I have seen evidence that he met with Russian officials in 2020 including intelligence operatives.

What ties him to Israel or the UAE?

I sense a dangerous level of willful disbelief.

Disbelief of what? That the UK government is keeping secret social scores on it’s citizens? Yeah. Until I see evidence of that.

They are starting to police the internet more though. I personally think that’s due to the huge amounts of misinformation used to manipulate the public via social media. I.e. The Southport Riots which were inflamed by spreading of lies about immigrants.

This is probably an unpopular opinion here but I think there should be more control. Peoples view of reality is being completely distorted by the internet and what they see and read. It will only get worse with AI and deepfakes. I personally think it does need more policing. There is a good documentary called "Hypernormalisation’ by Adam Curtis that explores the reality distortion we experience. It is worth watching.

My political views are that one of governments main duties is to protect citizens from harm. That includes protecting them from business malpractices from social media companies and foreign influencers looking to destabilise the population. I believe our government should take action to prevent harm from those.

I am not being wilfully ignorant of what they are doing. I support it. That may make me unpopular here but so be it. I stand by that belief. I will change it if I am presented with tangible evidence of things like social ratings for citizens or nefarious uses of peoples information. I haven’t seen any this far though. Feel free to send some if you have any.

I

you don’t believe they are locking down the internet

No, I believe they are policing the internet more than previously. The part I definitely don’t believe is your idea that they are using this information to make secret social scores on citizens. That’s a dystopian fantasy in my view.

Aside from introducing age verification checks do you have any evidence that it’s being “locked down”? You’re right in that my understanding is limited as I’m only aware of what our government has passed into law, not what people think is happening.

If you have some article or evidence that helps explain it I would be grateful.

I understand why you wouldn’t.

An important distinction for me is to believe what you see in the real world vs online.

Online you will see posts with thousands and millions of likes spouting racist, hateful material and it appears as if that is the prevailing opinion. It isn’t. Social media is wide open to manipulation. Many of these likes will come from accounts in Russia, America, Nigeria and even India. It’s a mass manipulation tool.

If you watch the BBC Question Time special on Immigration that is far more representative of the UK. An audience selected to best represent how the UK is polling at the moment.

On that show you will see Reform broadcasting their usual hate messaging around immigration. You will also see good people stand up to them and say they are wrong. You will see all the other politicians on that show condemn Reform as well as the majority of the audience.

I really suggest watching it. The BBC, for all it’s faults, has integrity. That immigration special, filmed around Christmas 2025, really gave me hope that we can stop Reform and that they are not an inevitability. Far from it. We can stop them if we all work together and I believe politicians as well as people will!

Locking down the internet is a huge deal too, they are setting up every ip, every account, connected to a name and face and connected with all other information running it through half baked ai threat detection by companies like palantir to make secret social scores to determine everything.

Sorry, what? In the UK? I don’t believe that for a second, unless you have some irrefutable evidence for that. I could write an essay about why that’s not true.

surrender your information to the US as well make no mistake.

If that is happening it is by the design of the technology made by someone like Peter Thiel. The UK government would never knowingly allow such a thing to happen. There’s no benefit and they risk being ejected from government if found out. It sounds ridiculous to be honest, sorry.

Very concerned here obviously as one would guess. We are fucked, I don’t want to see Europe also fall to fascists that have every intention of fixing elections for the worst people in the world to remain in permanent control. We will be helping your fascists, secretly and openly,

Likewise! I am very concerned just how easily the US has fallen to the right wing spell. Steve Bannon has been shown in the Epstein files as linked to helping all sorts of right wing parties in Europe, including Reform. Luckily we at least have more stringent campaign funding rules that America’s “spend what you want”.

That is the price America pays for ultimate freedom of speech. It is lauded as the peak of democracy there, yet that very protection is used to guarantee unlimited financing of political campaigns by PACS and the elite. It’s actually a weapon turned against the people. But yeah. Freeeedom.

The west is going to fall like dominoes barring some real leadership that is not forthcoming because we somehow still trust the controlled opposition of the oligarchs that have captured all of our parties

Not if citizens are wise to the manipulation tactics used i.e. social media. Many here are becoming aware. Rules are becoming more stringent. I have hope. Reform tend to do well in the less educated sectors of society. If we can educate them then they will see them for what they are. They thrive in poorer areas too. If the economy gets back to prospering then again, they will fade.

We need real leaders now

Mark Carney. His Davos speech was excellent. My hope os he starts taking the lead more with middle powers holding firm in the face of economic bullying from superpowers.

America and China cannot survive alone. They need the middle powers still, just less than the middle ones individually need them. As a collective though they have power.

My hope is the ties between EU countries grow stronger, hopefully we rejoin soon and we become a collective force.

That or Trump passes away amd MAGA fade into civil war. That would be nice.

That’s very true. The bigger it gets the more the lines blur between who is racist for personal gain and who is racist because they’d full of hate. Eventually the latter takes over everything if the movement grows.

Luckily I believe there are many more good and decent hard working people who would do much to stop Reform from ever getting near power than there are people who would support them. I just hope it’s true.

That’s a very valid point.

I would reply though that the article is quite vague on specifics.

They could be providing verbal testimony to exactly what happened and how it happened. This piece feels like it’s vague enough for the administration to just outright deny.

If they, as a group, stood together and said “this is exactly what we saw and this is why it is terrifying” it would have far more weight than an article in a newspaper, even if it is the NYT.

I see. A lot of people do see it as concerning. We’ll see if it actually goes ahead. Many people have made their opposition to it clear.

How do you feel about the current state of your own country and the values that seem to be at threat there, if I may ask?

Cancelled the right to a trial by jury for up to 3 years in prison, from 1 passed in 2020, cancelling the magna carta without a fight.

I thought these changes were still in the proposal stage? They are bad though and I disagree with them.

I don’t disagree with anything else you’ve listed. I’m just struggling to see how any of that is worse than what 14 years of a Tory government provided? On top of a ruined economy, failing public services, huge NHS waiting times etc. they also introduced the 9k tuition fees.

Are you a UK citizen? If so are you a particularly young one?

Because I can tell you now that if you were of voting age living through those Tory governments and you were living in the country, as me, you would be far more bitter about the 14 years of turning our country to shit than a year and a half of an incompetent slightly authoritarian Labour government.

The majority of people would say the same. The Tories were voted out by a sweeping majority in 2024 because of this. UK citizens loathed the party and a good deal many still do, hence the rise of Reform.

I understand why you are angry at Starmer’s government and your criticisms are fair, but I do not at all believe that your opinion that his government, over one and a half years, has been worse than the previous 14 years of Tory governance is founded on anything tangible whatsoever.

What makes you say that?

Not disagreeing per say, just wondering.

Farage is a racist but first and foremost he’s a con man. I honestly don’t think he would care if you were or weren’t because it doesn’t give him money, nor take it away. The man wants wealth and power off the back of the British people and if being racist gets it for him, so be it. He’ll be whatever he needs to be to get publicity and get rich. He’s like the political version of a (racist) Britain’s Got Talent contestant.

And indeed starmer already did more damage than the tories did in over a decade.

Sorry but what is that opinion based on?

As a Brit I can assure you that a) he has absolutely most certainly not done more than the previous Tory governments to mess the country up. Lizz Truss, for only a single example, ruined the economy in 40 odd days. b) the prevailing opinion is not that he has been worse than the Tories. The reason many people say they want to vote Reform is precisely because they are a right wing party that are not the Tories.

I’m very curious as to what you think his government has done that is worse than the 14 years of austerity, wrecked public finances, crumbling infrastructure and over population that the Tories provided? Obviously you are entitled to an opinion but I struggle to see what facts it could be based on.

I get that. It does make sense. Do you know how exactly they are trying to affevt change then? Do you believe they’re working behind the scenes? Just wondering if that’s an assumption or you know something.

It’s a gross injustice. The administration is basically subverting the rule of law and these people know that. Every US citizen should be aware of what they are doing. It’s the behaviour of an authoritarian regime, not a democracy.

I mean, it’s great that they left their posts to protect their own integrity. Bravo.

Where is the fight though? Why aren’t these people going out and telling the world that this administration is corrupting the rule of law?

They have the information. They can tell the world exactly what they’re doing over there. They’ve seen it. Yet none of them come forward.

For an administration like this to succeed in what they’re doing it also takes a massive lack of action from those that could stop it or speak out against it.

All I see are cowards interested in themselves. If they really wanted to have any integrity they would be in front of the cameras, together, telling the whole world exactly what happened.

But they’re not.

It’s almost as if the US is an oligarchy and that the ultra wealthy are able to govern the nation with political influence and shield themselves from the law.

This should be a wake up call to all citizens. It doesn’t matter who you elect. Your interests will never be represented until this oligarchy is broken up or destroyed.

Very sorry to hear that.

Although I don’t know you personally I sincerely hope, as I’m sure you do, that you succeed in your battle against it and that you have a great deal many more healthy years ahead of you.

You’re doing fantastic work here and I believe I speak for everyone when I say a massive thank you for it.

All the best 👍🙏

His progressive politics must be portrayed as a catastrophic failure in any way possible. Otherwise the elite class will be shitting their pants.

The elites need to maintain the status quo at all costs.