UK News and Discussions

[wjfox]

UK set to introduce digital driving licences

2 hours ago

Digital driving licences are to be introduced in the UK as the government looks to use technology to "transform public services".

They will be accessed on a new government smartphone app and could be accepted as a form of ID when buying alcohol, voting, or boarding domestic flights.

Physical licences will still be issued, but ministers believe the voluntary digital option will "drag government into the 2020s," according to The Times.

A government spokesperson told BBC News: "This government is committed to using technology to make people's lives easier and transform public services.

"Technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjjkjy4p8o

[wjfox]

Labour still refusing to budge on Brexit:

https://bsky.app/profile/edwinhayward.c ... 6rvvyzqk2e

(they won't be getting my vote next time)

[Vakanai]

Labour still refusing to budge on Brexit:



(they won't be getting my vote next time)

I'm an American, so clearly take this as a rather uninformed opinion compared to what a British or European would natively know much, much better - but originally I thought Brexit was a good idea for the UK assuming it was well planned out. I still think it could have been a good thing, but clearly like our Republican party your Labour party doesn't have the remotest interest in planning anything to help the people, only themselves (and if they are very much like our Republicans, then helping the rich as well). And yeah, under those circumstances Brexit was always doomed to be an unmitigated disaster...

[firestar464]

Labour is more like the Dems. It's Reform that's more similar to the GOP

[Vakanai]

Labour is more like the Dems. It's Reform that's more similar to the GOP

Ah. Does show what I know about the parties in the UK, but also makes it a bit disturbing. So, one party is sticking with Brexit and the other is conservative, or am I missing something?

[firestar464]

Tories did Brexit after referendum

People later regretted Brexit, but Labour doesn't wanna take steps to reverse it

Parties/groups in in the UK Parliament:

Independent Alliance: Left-wing, anti-Israel, anti-austerity
Green Party: Left-wing
Sinn Fein: Left-wing, Irish nationalism (they don't participate in Parliament)
Plaid Cymru: Centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalism
SDLP: Centre-left, Irish nationalism
Labour: Centre-left
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland: Centre-left
LDP: Centre to centre-left
UUP: Centre-right, Ulster unionism
Tories: Centre-right to right-wing
DUP: Right-wing, Ulster unionism
Reform: Right-wing
-TUV: Right-wing, Ulster unionism

[wjfox]

Jesus...

[wjfox]

Reform: Right-wing

I'd say "right-wing to far-right" is more accurate.

[raklian]

What's going on? It's like everyone is losing the capacity for common sense. I'm seriously thinking we're better off with a benevolent dictatorship. Most of humanity can't be trusted to take care of itself, let alone the planet it lives on.

[firestar464]

IDK the desire for dictatorship is what's screwing things up

[wjfox]

What's going on?

Late-stage capitalism, combined with fears over immigration and loss of national identity. The current economic paradigm is no longer fit for purpose and has led to stagnation, while the elites continue to amass vast fortunes. But of course, minorities are largely blamed. So that's fertile ground for right-wing populism, now fuelled by rampant online disinformation. It's only going to get worse, for at least the next decade or two.

[Vakanai]

What's going on? It's like everyone is losing the capacity for common sense. I'm seriously thinking we're better off with a benevolent dictatorship. Most of humanity can't be trusted to take care of itself, let alone the planet it lives on.

Benevolent dictatorships are incredibly rare, and never remain benevolent beyond a generation or two. And most of what is pushing the madness in the world right now is the push towards dictatorships.

And yes, I know you're probably thinking of some benevolent AI overlord, but AI isn't what will rule us, but other human beings corrupted by absolute power. People like Putin, Jinping, Trump, and the far right in many countries are what we'll be looking at. Do you want to live under such a dictatorship? Because that's the only dictatorship that's being offered.

[raklian]

What's going on? It's like everyone is losing the capacity for common sense. I'm seriously thinking we're better off with a benevolent dictatorship. Most of humanity can't be trusted to take care of itself, let alone the planet it lives on.

Benevolent dictatorships are incredibly rare, and never remain benevolent beyond a generation or two. And most of what is pushing the madness in the world right now is the push towards dictatorships.

And yes, I know you're probably thinking of some benevolent AI overlord, but AI isn't what will rule us, but other human beings corrupted by absolute power. People like Putin, Jinping, Trump, and the far right in many countries are what we'll be looking at. Do you want to live under such a dictatorship? Because that's the only dictatorship that's being offered.

Well, if we can have a benevolent AI overlord that is making better decisions than the best leaders we've had in almost every objective metric, what do we have to lose? Do we resign to repeat history for all time until we cease to be a civilization or as a species?

If we don't want an outright dictatorship, I don't think the executive branch being administered by such entity while the legislative branch, still consisting of human representatives, acting as a check is such a bad idea.

Whether we should automate the judicial system is a debate for another day.

[firestar464]

Yes, in theory, a perfect AI would make all the good decisions. However, the problem with a lot of ideologies, such as enlightened monarchism/ancap/certain types of communism is that for them to work as intended, the people in power need to do the right thing. Of course, it's a no-brainer that if everyone did the right thing, everything would turn out well. Thing is though, people in power don't necessarily do the right thing. The ideal political system is one that recognizes that and thus institutes safeguards to check anyone not doing the right thing.

On that note, we cannot be sure that AGI/ASI would do the right thing (the alignment problem basically). I'm all for automating SCOTUS though.

[Vakanai]

Well, if we can have a benevolent AI overlord that is making better decisions than the best leaders we've had in almost every objective metric, what do we have to lose?

I said we can't have a benevolent AI overlord. Because the authoritarians both in charge and trying to get in charge want to be the ones "in charge" - and they're not going to allow themselves to be replaced by an AI. Not peacefully, and they're the ones with the militaries, and the supercomputers and the AIs...

Do we resign to repeat history for all time until we cease to be a civilization or as a species?

No. We will never again repeat democracy. Once it's lost, it'll be the end of it.
FWIW I don't think the end of civilization or the species is that long away compared to our history. Just a few hundred years or so if we're lucky, considerably less otherwise...

If we don't want an outright dictatorship, I don't think the executive branch being administered by such entity while the legislative branch, still consisting of human representatives, acting as a check is such a bad idea.

"We" might not want an outright dictatorship, but clearly as elections keep showing those who do are far more active and determined to bring it about than we are to stop it. Trump wouldn't be the US president and populist fascism wouldn't be on the rise in Europe and so on otherwise.
It's not too late to change course, I'm not all doomer. But frankly it's either we save democracy, or we end in dystopian oligarchy and dictatorship. Benevolent dictatorship via AI ain't coming.

[firestar464]

A good future I see is basically the maintenance of current systems of democracy, but AGI/ASI is considered so wise and so smart that everyone agrees with it in practice

[wjfox]

Starmer says defence spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP from 2027 - or 2.6% if intelligence agencies included

Tue 25 Feb 2025 13.27 GMT

Starmer says his fourth point is “we must change our national security posture”.

[...]

The government will get defence spending up to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. That is earlier than expected.

And it will mean spending an extra £13.4bn on defence every year from 2027.

Taking into account spending on intelligence and the security services, defence spending will be at 2.6% of GDP from 2027.

And he says he has a “clear ambition” to get it to 3% in the next parliament.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/li ... e18909bb50

[wjfox]

Given the many, converging threats faced by the UK, I completely agree that we should increase our defence spending. However, it's very unfortunate that foreign aid will be cut, and I hope it can be restored at some point.

[wjfox]

[Cyber_Rebel]

I said we can't have a benevolent AI overlord. Because the authoritarians both in charge and trying to get in charge want to be the ones "in charge" - and they're not going to allow themselves to be replaced by an AI. Not peacefully, and they're the ones with the militaries, and the supercomputers and the AIs...

Would unironically settle for a powerful A.I. controlling said despot behind the scenes, as that outcome is at least better than the poor pathetic excuse of so called "opposition parties." Also, the thought of losing Democracy "forever" is a bit hyperbolic, no? Especially when Germany, Spain, etc... exists?

That besides, I'm wondering how King Charles will handle the Canadian issue once tariffs roll through tomorrow. From what I'm seeing of Canadian opinion online, they seem more receptive to the monarchy with the American president's 51st state threats, as it's taken highly seriously.

I know that's more an issue related to the Canada discussion thread, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more bilateral negotiations taking place, as both countries share a monarch. If it came down to stemming hostile U.S. influence, perhaps a new "special relationship" should be considered.