This lockdown really has brought out the power hungry little men

[Tibola]

Give someone a high vis and an ID badge and suddenly you’ve got a mini village dictator on your hands.

I give you the parish council. Headed by a man who has taken it upon himself to “patrol” the village looking for rule breakers. He likes to talk about his patrol a lot on FB. Two day’s ago they were given ID badges by the POLICE so people would know they were from the village response team when they dropped food parcels.

He mentioned the ID badges 57372772 times (with pics) and then refused them to anyone who wasn’t “frontline village response”. His patrol involves questioning why people are out of their houses. And watching for suspicious people. And generally walking around in a high vis.

Little fucking goblin (sorry I’ve had a hard day)

You know the Coronastapo would have been the first to report suspected Jews to the authorities in Nazi Germany.

People's behaviour during this whole thing has reminded me just how thick most people are (not just the Covidstapo, but also the spitters, those having parties for 20 people, etc.)

A large proportion of the population would happily give police carte blanche to shoot suspected lawbreakers in the street

Some people might find this funny, though personally I fail to see why. But I get it. You made up some new words to amuse yourself. Well done

But comparing a few busy body villagers to the Third Reich and the horrors of WW2? Seriously? Do you have so little respect for the memory of the real victims of historic Nazi atrocities by comparing them to a few elderly curtain twitchers in the Cotswolds?

Oh come off it now please

But comparing a few busy body villagers to the Third Reich and the horrors of WW2? Seriously? Do you have so little respect for the memory of the real victims of historic Nazi atrocities by comparing them to a few elderly curtain twitchers in the Cotswolds?

Don't be daft.

I'm pointing out the reality which is that millions of normal people went along with the Nazi regime very willingly.

And I'm not talking about elderly curtain twitchers but people I've seen calling for more police powers, bring back the good old days etc.

And it's not a few, its vast numbers of people being urging the police to break the law, complaining about breaking of non existent rules, you just need to look at the like ratios of comments on FB, there are millions of people who think like this

Do you have so little respect for the memory of the real victims of historic Nazi atrocities by comparing them to a few elderly curtain twitchers in the Cotswolds?

The Gestapo and Nazi state being perhaps history's best known example of a repressive state using informants and denunciations, are you really surprised at their mention? Your outrage seems somewhat manufactured here, to be honest.

I don't think there's any lack of respect in realising that the thirst for authoritarianism during times of crisis is a key factor in the success of extremist regimes.

That's the whole point though, isn't it? The Nazis, and similar regimes, didn't sweep in and start asking people to report their neighbours, knowing that they'd be shipped off to death camps. It just started with small things. We think your neighbour might not have registered with us, what is his name? Do you know where he's going when he leaves the house every day? Oh thanks very much, it's for everyone's safety, you're a good citizen.

By the time people realise that it's sinister, it's too far down the line to undo the damage.

I'm pointing out the reality which is that millions of normal people went along with the Nazi regime very willingly.

Hardly willingly. People mostly went along with it out of fear of an armed military style police force. Who also used spies

This is not comparable to busy bodies from your ocal village hall. What do you think they will do? Attack with some rhubarb and potted shrimps

And I'm not talking about elderly curtain twitchers but people I've seen calling for more police powers, bring back the good old days etc.

I haven't heard one single person call for the bringing back of the good old days. This reminds me of the Brexit trope that all leavers sat wrapped in union flags calling for a return to the days of empire. It didnt happen then and it's not happening now

Most people want tighter restrictions and they have done from the start of this. Not just because of the thought of being exposed to the virus but because of anti social behaviour

Thugs and drug dealers on street corners openly taunting the police into violence.

Spitting on the police and even on ambulance staff

Gangs calling in debts with baseball bats or other weapons

Etc

And it's not a few, its vast numbers of people being urging the police to break the law, complaining about breaking of non existent rules, you just need to look at the like ratios of comments on FB, there are millions of people who think like this

The police have new discretionary powers. You might not like it but most people welcome it to keep the street safe
See above

The police have new discretionary powers. You might not like it but most people welcome it to keep the street safe

Exactly my point. They have new discretionary powers which they have immediately and instinctively overreached.

Just as when the government brought in controlled drinking zones, it was promised in Parliament that people minding their own business having a can of beer on a bench or whatever in the middle of the day would not be harassed, but that it would only be used against antisocial behaviour, but in reality the police seized upon their new powers to create de facto drinking bans.

And yes as you say most people are delighted that the police are sending drones up onto remote moors or whatever. That's my point and thank you for acknowledging that it's not just a few curtain twitchers but millions of people itching for authoritarianism, even when it serves no purpose whatsoever in terms of the goals of the law (harassing people for driving around aimlessly is not going to reduce the number of people infected per case). People want the police to arrest people and issue fines 'just because', and not because there's a proportionate goal backed by the will of Parliament.

That's what happens in countries without the rule of law, the police will arrest you just because they or the local curtain twitchers don't like what you are doing. They don't care about the legal basis for this. And that's what the people cheering the police on are going for in the UK.

This thread was excellent this morning, a classic observation of petty mindedness and the need for power.
The need to derail it with faux outrage, misinterpretation and ridiculous arguments is so fucking boring.
Bring back the little man with his high vis and clipboard, the woman stopping cars, the police confiscating easter eggs and kindly go away.

Overly cautious = fair enough

Reporting people for walking down empty streets nowhere near anyone and not putting anyone at risk = not ok and stepping over the boundaries.

If everyone who can abide by the rules does and so so properly the few who can't won't have such a major impact. We have people who don't abide by the rules daily. (Hence why we have police and prison etc!) The issue is when most if the population can't and don't.

As long as the people not abiding aren't placing me at risk I actually can't muster up the energy to care! Eg. Right now there are a group of local children playing football opposite - just outside the locked up park. They aren't even 2 m close. They are breaking the rules. They aren't putting anyone at risk apart from themselves. It's none of my business.

This thread was excellent this morning, a classic observation of petty mindedness and the need for power.
The need to derail it with faux outrage, misinterpretation and ridiculous arguments is so fucking boring.
Bring back the little man with his high vis and clipboard, the woman stopping cars, the police confiscating easter eggs and kindly go away.

The police can only act within their lawful powers. They don't have powers to make shit up as they go along.

singlewhiteguineapig I agree!

Exactly my point. They have new discretionary powers which they have immediately and instinctively overreached.

But you are comparing this to Nazi Germany. Comparing a police officers right to politely send someone back home within a 24 hour period...to the most gigantic state war machine the world has ever seen.

Just as when the government brought in controlled drinking zones, it was promised in Parliament that people minding their own business having a can of beer on a bench or whatever in the middle of the day would not be harassed, but that it would only be used against antisocial behaviour, but in reality the police seized upon their new powers to create de facto drinking bans.

No it is not just as the Third Riech

And yes as you say most people are delighted that the police are sending drones up onto remote moors or whatever.

I didnt say they're delighted.

That's my point and thank you for acknowledging that it's not just a few curtain twitchers but millions of people itching for authoritarianism, even when it serves no purpose whatsoever in terms of the goals of the law (harassing people for driving around aimlessly is not going to reduce the number of people infected per case).

People driving around aimlessly are making non essential journeys

People want the police to arrest people and issue fines 'just because', and not because there's a proportionate goal backed by the will of Parliament.

People want other people to follow the guidelines. People are ignoring those guidelines and spreading the virus.

What would you do about that?

That's what happens in countries without the rule of law, the police will arrest you just because they or the local curtain twitchers don't like what you are doing.

The police could always arrest you for anything they want. Not sure why you think they couldn't before. They cannot hold you though without charging you with a crime

They don't care about the legal basis for this. And that's what the people cheering the police on are going for in the UK.

Most people rightly respect the police. Because like the rest of the emergency services, they are putting themselves at risk.

My family lived through both the Holocaust and the Pogroms, and personally it’s instilled in me the belief that human rights and our personal liberties are worth dying for.

I’m obeying all the rules. But the reports of mass human rights violations and police abuse in other countries as a result of quarantine laws terrify me much more than the virus itself. In a year or two we’ll have a vaccine and a cure. But this virus could create a whole cultural shift where there is a “new normal” and that new normal might involve it being acceptable/legal to lock sick people in dog cages (at one end of the scale) or it being accepted practice to spy on and report on your neighbours (at the other end of the scale). Reversing that “new normal” could take many years and have a profound lasting effect on society.

Give a man a whistle and he will blow it.

That is a sad truth of life.

@SwerfandTurf very well said.

The police can only act within their lawful powers. They don't have powers to make shit up as they go along.

That's the whole point, they are making it up and they are going far beyond their legal powers.

All the concerns about slipping into an authoritarian state are valid.

@Songofsixpence They are probably jealous because they have no idea when their next haircut is going to be.

The Gestapo and Nazi state being perhaps history's best known example of a repressive state using informants and denunciations, are you really surprised at their mention?

In the middle of a pandemic and restrictions that are obviously being used to slow down that pandemic. Yes

Your outrage seems somewhat manufactured here, to be honest.

I'm not outraged by this thread at all. I wish the jokes on here were funnier though, I can tell you that much.

This thread was excellent this morning, a classic observation of petty mindedness and the need for power.
The need to derail it with faux outrage, misinterpretation and ridiculous arguments is so fucking boring

@ShootsFruitAndLeaves Your post there reminded me of the shaming of Diane Abbott for having a drink on the Tube.

@Flaxmeadow people here are talking about PRE Nazi Germany What LED UP to it.

Flax you have seen you on more than one thread (that is attempting to look on the funny side of things that are happening), doing this. Coming to tell people how poorly they ar behaving, how unfunny they are.

What is it you get out of it?

Shitsgettingcrazy

I could say exactly the same thing to you.

This thread was excellent this morning, a classic observation of petty mindedness and the need for power.
The need to derail it with faux outrage, misinterpretation and ridiculous arguments is so fucking boring

Amen.