Summary

Elon Musk labeled Britain a “tyrannical police state” on X, criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership, and questioned the imprisonment of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Musk’s comments coincide with his role as a key adviser to Trump, raising concerns in the U.K. about its relationship with the incoming administration.

Musk also criticized Starmer’s policies, including increased farm inheritance taxes, and boosted far-right content on X.

This follows similar clashes with other U.S. allies, including Germany and Australia, over their domestic policies.

      • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        I think he’d be more likely to fund more NASA projects since they contract it out to SpaceX anyway.

        • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          It’s likely going to be a bit of both.

          It would be extremely convenient for Muskrat if NASA no longer had the engineering budget to design their own rockets while simultaneously having a higher budget for private contractors.

          It would be extremely easy to sell the idea to people who don’t look past the raw numbers, too. Frame it as though NASA is spending $400 million on projects that have already been done by the private sector and propose half of it gets reallocated to contracting and the other half gets cut to lower expenses. Musk sycophants will praise him for being a genius, MAGA morons will congratulate him on being “efficient” and fixing the economy, and he’ll have his nice little oligarchy just like he wanted.

    • Eugenia@lemmy.ml
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      8 days ago

      He’s not a Russian asset, he simply feels that if the whole world is run by tyrants like him and Putin, then he would somehow he could do whatever he wanted, because it would just be as simple as cutting a deal/buying the privilege (same with the Trump mentality). Musk is the embodiment of why becoming a billionaire needs to be outlawed.

  • thetreesaysbark@sh.itjust.works
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    9 days ago

    Jesus Christ Russia have absolutely nailed this part of their geopolitical play.

    They’ve basically got 2 members of, if not an entire, US government under their thumb, they’ve corrupted the EU to make one of their major contributors to leave (thinking the US is on their side, idiotically), and they’ve got good relations with the other superpower (china).

    Annoyingly, it looks like the EU which is the most, even if not enough, “for the people” political establishment in our world today is going to get screwed over the next decade or so.

      • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Are you kidding? America is easily the least honest place in the entire world. In a country of lying, scheming conmen grifters the most confident grifter is king.

      • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        No and this is a stupid idea that just exists to justify fascism. We have many books about abuse and arguing in good faith and philosophy for this reason.

        • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Are you dumb or do you just see fascists everywhere? It’s pretty obvious that not having having handicaps like morality or legality gives you an advantage against those who are abide by them, just look at the world.

          It’s not a justification it’s an observation

          • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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            7 days ago

            Well, this is back from Plato’s Republic days, sorry I thought we all were up to date on thousands of years old references. The argument is that democracy always fails to bad faith actors, and democracy always fails. Arguments against democracy are fascist at their core. Democracy itself can be defended from bad faith actors of course, so it’s a simplistic, stupid statement made by someone who is advocating for one thing only: anti-democracy, or fascism.

            • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world
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              7 days ago

              Democracy itself can be defended from bad faith actors of course

              How? Please elaborate don’t just say of course

              • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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                5 days ago

                Oh, you need me to look up what arguing in good faith is, all the way back to Socrates? You want me to explain the history of our modern court system and how it is entirely based on Western philosophical reasoning which are based on Arabic, Indian, and Chinese philosophical reasonings via the Silk Road? That this idea that democracy will always have a dictator has been confronted by people for thousands of years so they can live in a government with both freedom and safety, and thus modern philosophical ideas about democracy spring from that.

                Things like what ‘sophistry’ is. Or do you just want me to post a fallacy chart? Or maybe you just need to read book recommendations like “Stop Caretaking the Borderline or Narcissist.”

                We give each other information in a way that is democratic- individually consensual. Each person must then be taught skills to learn bad faith advances. However, here in the US, we let people be taken advantage of by marketing and capitalism and we neglected this in schools. This is why we aren’t doing well and why Russian propaganda worked so well - it relies on heuristics that most people recognize once they get a philosophical education in fallacies.

                If democracies always failed, then there would literally never be a stable democracy. That there are, indicates that the simplistic idea they will always fail to bad faith actors is incorrect.

                • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world
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                  5 days ago

                  I bet the Romans thought their empire and system was very stable, everything is stable if you choose the right timeframe. Our democracies may seem stable, for now…

                  Also history is not a good indicator because mass media and the internet changed the playing field in ways that are not comparable to any other period in history.

  • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    It’s really annoying how this guy never complains about what actual autocracies are doing; never a peep complaining about the times they ask for things to be removed from Twitter. Just hand wringing about needing to follow the law to operate in those places. Hypocrite

      • YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        It’s very hard to OD on, it’s hard to find definitive numbers but some list the LD50 at 60mg/kg which means it would be over 4 grams for most people.

        Edit: taking this moment to take issue with the phrasing most newspapers used for Matthew Perry’s ketamine “overdose” in which they blamed his death on the acute effects of the drug only to go on to say that he died from drowning after losing consciousness. If the drowning killed him it was not, by definition, the acute effects of the drug, but thanks for saying so and ruining the reputation of one the most effective treatments for depression we’ve ever seen and just an all around very impressive substance.

  • steeznson@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    He’s got such a hate boner for Kier Starmer that I’m kind of intrigued. Starmer is the most boring, beaurocratic politician you can find. I can’t understand what’s triggered this latest Musk mania.

    • Ross_audio@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      He’s a prosecutor who apparently can’t be bought.

      https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/feb/13/tax-authorities-should-prosecute-evaders-keir-starmer

      That’s far more dangerous to a billionaire than a firebrand.

      If Starner only delivers a non-corrupt legal system it’ll be an incredible win for the Country. But I do think he needs 10 years in office so he should focus on actually winning the next election.

      • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Saying he can’t be bought when he had to explain a metric fuck-ton of gifts he received from donors, from Arsenal season tickets to an insane amount on glasses, and multiple tickets to Taylor Swift, indicates a man that can very easily be bought.

        In theory, a Sir that is known for being a chief prosecutor should be the hardest person to buy…but that’s the joy of politics I guess.

        IMO Kier is a bit of a bellend, but a vast improvement on the shower of cunts in the Tory party. What I would love to see him implement is a true UK constitution to ensure that any wrongdoing in office results in criminal proceedings. Those in politics should be held to the highest standard, and if you’re caught taking bribes, selling access to friends, or abusing lower workers while in office you should be banned from holding office AND see jail time.

        • Ross_audio@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          It remains to be seen what he’s actually done to benefit anyone who gave him anything.

          And he stopped accepting them once he entered the office. We found out because he told us about it all and the mistake of accepting some gifts a bit too late.

          With the only arguable benefits being publicity for the brand it’s not nothing but it really is daft the perspective tricks that have been played with that particular molehill. It’s the press that actually gave the gifters the benefits, not any actions by Starner himself.

          Being given something isn’t proof of being bought. Acting for the person who gave you something is.

          I predict that as the COVID era corruption comes to light his previous job will result in him prosecuting and recovering quite a lot of public money. Sadly I don’t think he will get a result of jail time for anyone. The laws just aren’t in place for that and he can’t get them made retrospectively.

          A UK constitution would be very interesting. But I’d just settle for some actual laws specifically against corruption rather than relying on MPs following conventions and being honourable.

          The shocking thing is that hundreds of millions of pounds worth of corruption through the “fast lane” wasn’t illegal to do. We’ll only be able to recoup from the companies who actually didn’t deliver their contracts.

  • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Elon musks death would create a great trickle down effect as his assets were carved up by various corporations and inheritors. It would be a new golden age.

    Right now its all being hoarded in texas in a garage where Musk sleeps and pisses on a pile of deeds and gold like a little pink pig dragon.

    So if Kier Starmer had the balls to do the right thing he’d take care of this issue old school.

    • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Could just asset forfeiture him without the death. Asset forfeiture anyone who helps him, too, including giving him water. Let him wander around like a homeless person. Let him drink out of puddles and kill rats for food. Let him enjoy the world like he wants, with no one in it to help him. He wants us all to be dead, let us be dead to him.

  • fluxion@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Lol, put that police state to use and get that X bullshit out of your countries so you don’t have to deal with his lame blackmail attempts anymore. This is far more blatant and insidious than TikTok ever was. Let him boost away in his own little bubble of delusional Americans and Russian bots.

      • Random_Character_A@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Just give him some amphetamine and put an idea go his head that genius would be able dive to the Titanic with a plastic barrel full of stones to collect all that gold and shit.

        Fiberglass submarine is too much work and resources for that little shit.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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        8 days ago

        We could just send him to Mars. No one says that his Mars rocket has to be able to make a return trip.

    • Carighan Maconar@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Wait, someone guilty of a crime can get jailed for the crime?

      That certainly explains why people like Musk or Trump don’t get it, since that does not apply to them.

  • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    call Britain tyrannical police state, defend far right.

    we are going to see this guy’s self entitled, completely off the mark political comments for the next four years. enjoy people.

    For the record, I dont think he is using some heinous misinformation tactics. His grasp of certain concepts is just on par with a first graders’.

  • andallthat@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    can we start collectively ignoring whatever Musk says? I am individually starting to, making one last exception with this comment, but only collectively we can really make a difference in making the world (or at least Lemmy) a quieter, Elon-less place. If he does something newsworthy for good (puts a person on Mars) or for bad (I don’t know where to start here…) then by all means let’s celebrate or sulk but when he talks or Xits let his voice disperse as quickly as a fart in the wind.

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Unfortunately we basically voted him into office.

      It’s the “Trump problem” now. Now he has the power to act on these insane opinions and threats, so ultimately they are newsworthy even if I largely agree with you.

      • andallthat@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        I see what you mean and I agree with you too. He’s no longer a private citizen “just voicing his opinion” or “just asking questions”. When you are in power, words have consequences.

        The issue is that both Musk and Trump were already professional trolls and liars. Now they actually weaponized trolling to create anger and fear, which directly feed votes and power into the side they have chosen to represent. How do you fight that? Do you still try NOT to feed the troll, when the troll is leading the most powerful nation on Earth?

        • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          I do absolutely agree.

          It’s like “don’t feed the trolls,” the most important internet wisdom ever, has been long forgotten and is tearing down society.

          I don’t know how to fix it. We should have regulated social media algorithms years ago, but now it’s way too late, and people’s information hygiene is not getting better. Any kind of news outlet is basically compelled to cover it for financial reasons less they fade into obscurity, and algorithms love it and aren’t going to change.