In short, if a free and open society is likened to a very popular program, there will be malicious hackers exploiting the weaknesses of the components.
In the case of our free and open society, the hack is propaganda through the available avenues, and the weakness is credulity. And it's not a fair fight, because the enemies of our free and open society have money and influence that is difficult for us to comprehend - they can put millions toward people and technology to do things that we cannot.

The hackers aren't some kid in a basement, these are governments and powerful wealthy people with employees and facilities.

The Daily Show made a segment about free speech that echoes what we've been discussing in this thread most recently.

A humorous, but at the same time serious, take on our current predicament. Especially in the USA, but it obviously also applies to Europe.

Starmer and Labour shitting the bed for the entire week. What was that all about? Incomprehensible anti-immigration speech, arbitrary anti-immigration policies against legal immigrants, cutting benefits, reviving the Rwanda scheme but to Albania instead (and failing at it), oh, and their timid house building plan isn't working.

I swear these centrists only get elected to pave the way for worse.

we need Reform, not in a few years but now.

A good segment, summarises all of my frustrations with Labour. What a disappointment they have been. 

Just because it's been 180 years to the day since the start of the famine in Ireland, a note on the great progress they've made:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/obesity-has-reached-epidemic-proportions-in-ireland-who-says-1.4868485

Yep. All the potatoes vanished on this day 180 years ago. It was 11:52am 🤣 

Nothing new but worth looking at a more specific set of numbers. Without strong regulators and regulations, this is never going to be resolved. And honestly, if you're a young Brit who will not inherit a home, you may be better off leaving this country and starting somewhere where the politicians do not have as much contempt towards their people as the UK political class does. 

This idiot thinks that getting the people who are actively creating the problem are going to solve it for us, they are magically going to work against the bottom line, and lower our rents, and make houses affordable at their own expense LOL. Moreover, he's chastisising regulators like the CMA and asking them to regulate even less so that growth isn't hindered, because clearly watching a company like Microsoft profits shoot to the moon is great for your average British citizen. 

It's been really hard watching end stage capitalism in slow motion with little to no successful resistant forces rising up. And no, reform is not going to go against these corporate entities. We might have had a chance with Corbyn, but unfortunately, he's been successfully toppled and smeared, it didn't help that he is not the most politically savvy person around either. 

there isn't much to be optimistic about going ahead, I'm afraid.