4w ago

Elon Musk brands Britain a 'tyrannical police state' and boosts far-right activist

www.nbcnews.com Elon Musk brands Britain a 'tyrannical police state' and boosts far-right activist

The world’s richest man, also a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has clashed for months with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a time when the U.K. is concerned about its standing with the incoming U.S. administration.

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.

163 comments

He's a Russian asset that holds U.S. military contracts. yay
- Just wait until he uses DOGE to gut NASA and gets more contracts for SpaceX.
  
  I think he’d be more likely to fund more NASA projects since they contract it out to SpaceX anyway.
  
  That department doesn’t even exist tho. Yet at least
- 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.
  
  Russia has been using Starlink satellites since 2022
  
  "then he would somehow he could do whatever he wanted"
  https://youtu.be/G7RgN9ijwE4
  How did you manage to write that and not realise how much you fucked it up?
- This is news to me, what's he linked to with Russia?
  
  https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/musk-putin-secret-conversations-37e1c187
  https://apnews.com/article/musk-putin-x-trump-tesla-election-russia-9cecb7cb0f23ccce49336771280ae179
  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0l3wl76gzo
  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/25/elon-musk-has-been-in-regular-contact-with-putin-for-two-years-say-reports
  
  Starlink?

White, rich guy from apartheid South Africa accuses country of tyranny after it locks up a person white supremacists look up to.
Hmm. Hmmmm.

Elon is a threat to humanity.
- He’s trying to build starships. He’s a threat to the galaxy.
  
  He has already started littering space with scrapped vehicles.
  
  Elon has spent $5 billion in taxpayers money and he hasn't even gotten an empty Starship into orbit yet. NASA can land a working rover on Mars for $1billion, and SpaceX can barely manage to recapture a smoking husk of a booster on "the chopsticks".
  Believe me the galaxy is safe. Elon just wants those taxpayers dollars to keep his grift going.
  
  I read that the, to be allowed, 25 starts of the starship rocket will blast the equivalent GHGs of 975000 airliner flights or about the yearly output of 280000 homes, into earths atmosphere. So at first SpaceX is a threat to us.
  I downvoted myself. The claim was that one start and reentry of the Starship would emit 97000 tons of GHGs into earths atmosphere.
  Another redditor fact-checked it and it seems to be only about 3300 tons per flight so it's 30 times less.
  100 starts of the Spaceship would amount to 0.3% of the total emissions of all airplanes in a year.
  I usually fact check posts with numbers in it and I feel bad for letting my guards down this time and spreading misinformation. Won't happen again.

accusation, confession
We should ban this guy's propaganda site.
- All the people taking this lightly, wildly underestimate the effect the richest man in the world has on public discourse. This guy is taking heads of state to task, threatening democracy.
  I hope he trips up and gets X banned.. but we need to be way more radical in protecting our democracy.
  
  He and Peter Thiel who hates democracy as per his wikipedia.

He is doing Russian dirty work

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
- Welcome to politics, there's all sorts going on that we know nothing about that will influence who says what about whom, when and why. Hypocrisy is irrelevant to these people. He's just influencing.

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.
- A dishonest man will always rule a kingdom of men bound by honesty
  
  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.
  
  That is so depressing
  
  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.

I'm so tired of this guy.
- I wish he'd just OD on ketamine already.

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.
- 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.
  
  Yes, truth is terrifying to a liar. Justice is terrifying to a fraud.
  
  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.

A ketamine overdose couldn't happen sooner to this mother fucker.
- Is that even possible? It would probably take an entire gram to kill him.
  
  You misunderstand, we're just writing that in on the autopsy report.
  
  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.
- I seriously doubt he would die from an overdose. Musk probably has aides around him at all times who will help him if he even remotely seemed like he ODed on anything.
  
  Idk maybe he'll OD like MJ

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.
- 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.
- People like you are disgusting.
  
  People like you need to wake up and realize that this is why guillotines were created and stop sniveling at the feet of sociopathic billionaires who have never, and will never, give two shits about you or anything or anyone you ever care about.
  
  "People like you" being what? Say it, coward.
  
  People like you will never be more than an insect to people like Elon Musk.

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.

If I didn’t already think that Musk is a fucking shithead, him stanning for Tommy fucking Robinson would have sealed it.
Tommy Fucking Robinson (or Stephen Yaxley-Fucking-Lennon to give him his actual name) is the worst. A racist thug through and through, who, by being banged up, is in the right place.
- I have no idea who that is, but this is who I pictured.
  
  Picture someone who'd hide behind his bigger mates if he was threatened and you'd be closer to the mark.

I hate that this piece of shit is so young...
I'm going to have to wait a lonnnnnng time to piss on his grave :(
- I would say hopefully his diet will kill him but then we have the likes of trump
  
  The dude basically lives on cocaine and a plethora of other drugs from what I’ve heard.

Could somebody just grind this man into a fine paste already?
- Got any extra fiberglass submarines? ;)
  
  We could just send him to Mars. No one says that his Mars rocket has to be able to make a return trip.
  
  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.
- torgo's executive powder?
- Now that’s the news is wanna see in the morning

I think this maniac wishes for immortality, and since the closest he can do is make his name stand out in the history books, he used his “dumbest kid on planet Vulcan” logical prowess to deduce that the best way to accomplish that is to become a mustache twirling villain.
- Maybe the genie misheard him saying he wished to be immortal and heard that he wished to be immoral.
- Please do not insult Vulcans like that.

Hate to say it but my experiences with British police is that they are all tyrants who will grasp as straws to screw you over. That said Elon is someone I would very much enjoy to punch in the face.
- Yes, that's police everywhere.
  
  ACAB after all.
  
  Nah. Police in Germany and all neighboring countries is completely different.
- But what they’ve been doing lately is different and it’s something people like you have approved of for the States, which thankfully didn’t happen.
  The left has called for mass censorship at their discretion. Hillary said it, Biden said it. You sound very leftist with your aggressive stance on violence and censorship towards anyone who disagrees with you.
  
  "towards anyone who disagrees with you. "
  And there's the lie.
  You shithead conservatives act like you aren't the scum of the earth worth hating.
  This isnt about "anyone disagreeing"
  This about you being very specific pieces of shit.
  
  What?
  The right is actively banning books everywhere they can get away with it.
  
  Nope it's just my honest reaction to both the UK police and Elon musk. I've been raided by the UK police based on someone's else's "joke" when I wasnt there.
  I think they forced me to go to about 6 different stations for 8 or so interviews and a mental health evaluation for something I knew absolutely nothing about (someone else joked I might shoot up my workplace when I was on 3 weeks into a damn holiday and some newstart panicked and called the Belfast mayor or something) ) and they repeatedly wouldn't even tell me what it was even about.
  They (the police) just fished for absolutely anything they could dream up I assume to suck up to the mayor.
  I Mean they were demanding thing like non existent Facebook accounts, asking me why I need a broken laser pointer which was a cheap £1 Keyring gimmick even when new, had a tiny pocket knife in my bedroom, why did I vape did that mean I was a drug addict etc
  Cost me about 6 months wages to eventually go hire a barrister when it became obvious they would do just about anything to get me on anything and I guess therefore justify their nonsense raid, only then did I even get even an idea of what was going on.
  As for Elon I've thought he was an asshole since he sued top gear and lost in court, he's done nothing of note to me since but make me want to punch him harder. .
  I'm also N Irish not American and couldn't give the slightest damn about politics there.
  Congrats you talked my worst experience ever out of me and I'm not sure why even.

Kim Jong-Musk beating the drum, undermining democracy wherever he can
- Elon Twitler.
  
  Helen Mosque

Well, he's 50% right about that, for the wrong reasons
- Even an evil idiot can be accidentally right.
- Very apt that these two things were so close to each other.
  https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/25/uk_police_lfr_tender/

And the US isn't?
Ok.

Someone just removedslap that cunt, please.

Musk here is using the Tucker Carlson technique of "just asking questions". An answer is easily found. "Robinson" (not his real name) is in jail for 18 months because he committed crimes, admitted to them in court, and was found guilty of them in a court of law. Hardly tyranny. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/28/tommy-robinson-admits-contempt-of-court-over-false-claims-about-refugee
- 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.
- He's also been to prison twice for violent crime including assaulting a police officer.

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'.

Pot kettle black. Also a monstrous gobshite. He was bad enough just as an annoying business owner, now we have to put up with so much more.

Musk is a whiny little removed. Also a con man.

Clown wants to stay relevant, so tries to turn everything around him into a circus. Dipshit.

Seeing the kind of tyrannical laws that were enacted in that country in the last couple of years, I'm very much in agreement.
Musk can still go piss off.
- Laws that were enacted by the previous Tory government who were in power for 12 years.
  Starmer/Labour have only been in government for a few months so for them to have done what Musk is suggesting in such a short time, is quite the achievement.

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.
- 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.
  
  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?

I would be glad if this pushes the Brits to realize they really are part of Europe, if they like it or not

Nothing to see here folks, just another projection of a facsist tyrant (wannabe).

He had me on the first half

I thought this said far right activist TONY Robinson and almost had a heart attack, lmao. But he’s still a socialist 👍

Did he think that was a compliment?

Somebody needs to tell this full doofus that most British police officers don't even carry guns lol

He must be mad! How could this place be a tyrannical police state?
- What about this says police state?
  There's literally a drunk person lying in the street and no-one gives a shit.
  
  He is going straight back to the bottle too.
  
  It doesn't, that's my point.
- As a brit, I can say this is pretty accurate.
  
  We do like a tipple at the weekend
- I don't even know where to begin with this picture, so many questions lol.
  
  And it was a Tuesday too! It's like if Arizona State was a country.

He's right though.
- I've never lived in a police state, but I've read enough about them to know the difference between a state with a corrupt and heavy-handed police force (i.e. almost every country) and East Germany under the Stasi.
  Incidentally, if you think Britain now is a tyrannical police state, what exactly do you think it would be like if the Tommy Robinsons of the world got their way?

I mean he isn't wrong.
- Elon Musk is an authoritarian masquerading as someone who values free thought, inquiry, and action. What he means when he says "freedom" is for the ultra-wealthy to have "freedom" from accountability to an "authoritarian" government or the "whims of the unwashed masses" and do as they please with impunity.
  The British Government is an authoritarian police state which punishes thought-crimes against their contemporary monarchist/corporatist zeitgeist with impunity.
  Both things can be true, and I argue they are.
  
  Succinct. I like it.
  
  I dont understand. So Musk is criticizing what he wants, right?
- He's very wrong on many many things lmao
  
  Yes. And in this instance, he's right.
  Edit: do the down voters really not realize that the UK is a tyrannical police State?

163 comments