Has the UK become a nanny state on steroids?

[gfkostas]

I mean, seriously, what the fuck is going on with this country lately?

You go to a landbased casino to put at risk your own small amount of money and they want you to answer all sort of intrusive questions. You go to the bank to withdraw couple of thousands in cash (so that you can head to the casino with no cards on you) and you get asked "what do you want to do with it?" (happened to me), I mean WTF???
Are we all at this point potential drug dealers or human traffickers who are looking to launder money so we better welcome with open arms more and more scrutiny and invasion of privacy that comes our way?

From personal experience:
1) Tried to get £1000 from the cashiers desk at the Hippodrome casino in London only to be told that for £500+ I would need to sit down and speak to someone as they want to make sure I know what am doing and am being responsible. Also SOW comes into play quickly once you pass £5000. Five thousand? I mean FIVE THOUSAND? wowowow! I must be selling drugs to be able to have this money available to me right?

2) Over a period of 3 years I made around 130k from cryptocurrency investments which by looking around at what people have made is SMALL change. Recently my bank contacted me to ask me how I made all this money coming from crypto exchanges ( fair enough ) but they also wanted to see my tax returns and business account statement that I use to pay my taxes from. They also wanted me to tell them why I send all this money to someone else (who happens to be a family member with same surname). Few weeks prior to this they had frozen her account without telling her for over a month and then unfreeze it again (without telling her again). The hell with her if she had funds in her account she had to use for basic needs, right?. I cannot take this bullshit anymore. It is because of situations like this that I've become more and more in love with cryptocurrencies.

The concepts of personal responsibility, right to privacy, do not treat people like criminals unless you have reasonably GOOD grounds to believe they are engaged in something dodgy, seem to be eroding at a fast pace. The state and outside authorities are responsible for you. You are not capable of being responsible yourself. You need the state to look after you and tell you what you can and can't do.

In all these areas of contention there are some grey areas of course. For example if you open a basic bank account and suddenly you start depositing in cash hundreds of thousands or millions every month then yes we would all agree that they can't just let you do what you want. There is a point at which it makes sense to have your privacy dissolved and get asked questions however this is getting completely out of hand in this country. The bar is so low at this point that EVERYONE is a potential money launderer. Privacy, dignity, and personal responsibility have become foreign if not unwelcome concepts.

What is the percentage of people who actually money launder any notable amounts of money from drugs or arms dealings? I would be positive that is far less than 1% and yet the 99.85% has to suffer as a result and are we to believe that the bests way to handle this 0.15% is by treating everyone as money launderers? What's up with all the latest SOW craze?

And now I don't want to get into the farcical and extreme political correctness that plagues this country. UK is becoming (in some ways) a failed shit country. Crypto casinos am coming your way! (I am already there)

 

[bamberfishcake]

Hell, yeah! In every possible capacity, from health to wealth, freedom across the world, not just the UK, is being eroded.

Take Canada, for example, once a friendly and free land, now under an oppressive regime where the right to protest (a basic civil liberty) is dead. The USA is in drastic need of radical reform, and way past 'is the system corrupt?' even being a question. The West is in a proxy war with the East, and pharmaceutical companies write their own cheques, forcing us onto medication that we don't need, doesn't cure, is often unproven, and curated to keep us medicated until death.

A nation of pill-popping and depressed individuals is what's being carefully crafted, designed to keep us all in the gutter while funnelling our pennies down routes we have no say, no choice or fair democratic processes for.

Obesity is next on the radar. No longer is obesity the result of a bad diet, it's genetics apparently, which we need a jab for, which also, once administered, you are on for life due to the harmful side effects of withdrawal listed in the small print.

 

[Webzcas]

Also have you noticed the number of places that no longer accept cash, as this was introduced during the pandemic and many retailers have subsequently decided this is better, WTF?

Two recent examples, went to Centreparcs at the end of November and they are now entirely cashless. Up in London for the Meister Meeting a few weeks ago and there are now many bars that only take cards, including Waxy's where the Meister Meeting was held.

Went to get a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut in Leicester Square and would not take cash. I mean seriously?

 

[dunover]

Also have you noticed the number of places that no longer accept cash, as this was introduced during the pandemic and many retailers have subsequently decided this is better, WTF?

Two recent examples, went to Centreparcs at the end of November and they are now entirely cashless. Up in London for the Meister Meeting a few weeks ago and there are now many bars that only take cards, including Waxy's where the Meister Meeting was held.

Went to get a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut in Leicester Square and would not take cash. I mean seriously?

I wouldn't have the nerve to take people's money for that shit either.

 

[Webzcas]

Well as it happens they did not take my money, as out of principle I refused to pay with my card / phone for a slice of bloody pizza lol

 

[slot_zombie]

forcing us onto medication that we don't need, doesn't cure, is often unproven, and curated to keep us medicated until death.

Spot on. I recently started working a role in the "health industry" (I'll leave it deliberately vague....) and the sheer amount of individuals in this country that simply cannot function at a reasonable level is truly breathtaking.

"I need me free meds" "I've got mental health issues" "I've got depression/anxiety" yada yada yada (and of course on sickness benefits).

Of course, there are some people with genuine problems. But 50 years ago most of these folk that are draining the NHS and society's resources would have had to grow a spine or starve. Now they are all informed that they are victims of a disease, and victims have "rights", "needs" and "entitlements" - lots of them - as well as addictions to powerful pills, uppers and downers - often plus copious amounts of alcohol. Often the training wheels are fitted in childhood - no longer are you a cheeky/lazy little c**t as would be the case back in the day, now you have "ADHD" and require "kiddy meds".

Or maybe you have a "gender disorder" at the age of 3!! and require referral to a "gender clinic" - yes this actually happened, the mother was demanding it, I know not if it was actually granted.

So yeah, the country is fucked imo, just one symptom amongst many of a crappy society going rapidly downhill.

 

[satchnz]

So yeah, the country is fucked imo, just one symptom amongst many of a crappy society going rapidly downhill.

Woo hoo! Sounds like awesome times ahead for this country! I just got my UK visa extension to stay here for another 2.5 years approved…

 

[aceking123]

Woo hoo! Sounds like awesome times ahead for this country! I just got my UK visa extension to stay here for another 2.5 years approved…

Don't bother it's going down the shitter, it's becoming a joke, the UK is getting worst)

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Best to get used to the old “doublethink”. 1984 is truly coming to life.

 

[Deeplay]

The land of free speech and thought ... Puffin books are now editing / re writing Roald Dahl classics. To make them more "child friendly" its actually beyond belief and we are letting it happen. What is next rewrite King Lear or the Merchant of Venice to be sure no one is offended ?

Not only is it already a Nanny State it is becoming one were as a society we are freely giving up our freedoms one bit at a time. Today I made a comment on an article in the Telegraph ironicially it was about censorship of Roald Dahl - and within 2 minutes my comment was deleted as innapropitate as I used the word "pussy" in my post .... go figure that one out!

 

[k6kaysix]

I have 2 bank accounts with different banks, then should I dare want to withdraw £1000 of my own money the cards each have a £500 ATM daily limit and they don't ever seem to bat an eyelid even if you withdraw £500 at 23:59 then another £500 at 00:01 from said ATM but go in branch to request such a withdrawal and they've probably already phoned MI5 (FBI for the American audience!)

Then I'll decide order a £5 McDonalds on a Friday night and they'll suddenly decide they need to instantly allocate every single member of their fraud department to investigate me, funny old world...

 

[KasinoKing]

Went to get a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut in Leicester Square and would not take cash. I mean seriously?

That's just reminded me...
I took my kids to Pizza Hut in Eastbourne, must have been 4 or 5 years ago now. Anyway, I went to pay with cash, and they had to go out the back to the office to get a plastic bag with cash in it as they didn't even have a till for payments any more!

Whatever next - wave your mobile phone at a sensor and it takes the money from your bank??? LOL

KK

 

[goatwack]

Ha! Bet all you lot thought the doom-mongers and dystopian naysayers were completely bonkers, well, it turns out 'only partially'!

Because the cashless society espoused for the longest time is indeed coming to light, before our very eyes, and shows no sign of going away!

And for all the swanky convenience it can bring, it really does look like conventional bartering's gonna do one, with cash seemingly becoming a dirty word, despite no one actually clamouring for these changes.....

But speaking of ludicrous and nonsensical payment methods, there's no end in sight to the banality. It's got to the point where humans have gone so far into their own self-worth that I'm sure they're designing half these gimmicks for clout, and because they can, as the narrative is set to be all about lack of coin...

One such payment method I cackled over was the user 'blinking' to have their retina scanned, something being trialled, and soon to be the go-to method when purchasing your spuds at Netto. Another revolutionary method involved implanting a chip in the wrist, so that Zoomers can beam with pride as the cashier looks mortally offended at the wristular motions being directed their way.

Skynet is here! Aaarghh!

 

[deleted20230517]

Also have you noticed the number of places that no longer accept cash, as this was introduced during the pandemic and many retailers have subsequently decided this is better, WTF?

Banks. Relailers are forced because of it. You cant just switch banks if you have a ongoing loan. Banks are forced on their end by the goverment to check as much as possible on their clients.

I have a client who made 230k i think over 2021 and got paid out by Uber eats for that. He got asked what Uber eats was for from one of the bank employee's. Its retarded (if you dont know what uber eats is in the first place).

If i was a enterpreneur i would sue my bank, for the pure reason that cash is simply a legitimate legal option and i should not be harmed in the proces while doing business. I mean your free to persuit such a lawsuit and there's a large chance you can actually get something out of it.

Banks cant have monopoly.

 

[gfkostas]

I can clearly see the convenience of not carrying cash like never have to carry change(coins) and no fear of losing your cash. It is a lot safer to carry cards however this is one side of the argument. The other side is that if we enforce a cashless society then we are 100% reliant on our banks permitting us to use our own money and this also dissolves our privacy when it comes to spending where we please. Already in the name of security we often have to battle to use our own money.

In the UK due to over stretching and in my opinion PATHETIC regulations, gambling and generally using your bank card has become often times a piss poor pathetic experience.

Because of the dodgy less than 1%, all of us have to suffer as a result? (Have you checked what % of customers actually tries to commit money laundering from drugs or arms dealing? It is VERY SMALL). Is this the only way to go about tackling the "dangerous" minority?

When it comes to boarding a plane I understand that the very low risk of losing your life to a hijacker is not worth it to then allow everyone to simply board without any checks so I am prepared to lose my right to privacy, dignity and freedom to carry what I want for the sake of my security and longevity HOWEVER when it comes to using my bank card or access my money am not that forgiving and once sufficient security measures have been cleared by the customer there should be NO blockages of the card being used but regulations have made the banks essentially being responsible if a naive owner loses his money to a fraudster and thus bank increasingly decline transactions in the name of "we have a responsibility to protect you from fraud as per regulations".

In the UK there is a clear tendency to assume that all people are irresponsible, stupid and potential criminals BECAUSE of this very tiny minority that does dodgy or irresponsible things. For example you have to prove to a casino your source of wealth and that you know what you are doing and aren't gambling excessively. It is their job to protect you from yourself, you can't do this alone and this shit has gone too fucking far. Its the fault of regulations not casinos. Granted some people do need protection and intervention but the only way to do it is by treating everyone as potential addicts?.

There is a better way to safeguard vulnerable people, for example by offering them the discreet option to easily ban themselves with their membership card via a self service terminal. Many compulsive gamblers upon losing wished to never go back (they change their mind afterwards of course) so let them ban themselves for life and then they can't blame the casino for doing it for them. Also you could make them sign a form that they acknowledge the risk of what they are doing and the casino cannot be held liable afterwards for their losses. If they still go ahead and lose a fortune then TOUGH. Give weak people every opportunity to stop and quit. Do not harass every single patron because of the problematic minority. This is not like boarding a plane where your life and the lives of many others is at stake.

If the UK wants to protect people from destructive behaviours and losing their money then perhaps luxury watch shops should also have to have SOW policies to make sure the person spending his money isn't a drug dealer trying to wash his money by buying Rolex watches and then reselling? Why don't they ask any questions there and you can spend as much as you want? What about people who want to spend thousands by buying clothes? Should the shops also do a SOW check in the name of "responsible spending" ? Where are we heading with this SOW craze?

We need to keep cash and especially crypto around as they are our only vehicle of monetary freedom and privacy. I don't want to think of the day where we are all forced to use bank cards for everything and end up having to argue our way to use our own money.

 

[deleted20230517]

Granted some people do need protection and intervention but the only way to do it is by treating everyone as potential addicts?.

Well, take a look at the industry, you know who's designing games and who design casino "floors" in general. All is designed in such a wake to make you comfertable quite fast. Games are designed in such a way to constantly chase that big hit or "get your fix". Some are more stronger to such things then others.



Check above out. Years ago, a fair warning sign on how everything was designed in such a way to trigger an addictive behaviour. It's all about who builds the better mouse-trap in regards of your financials.

The bigger providers such as pragmatic and what more are doing a very well job in that regard.

 

[gfkostas]

Well, take a look at the industry, you know who's designing games and who design casino "floors" in general. All is designed in such a wake to make you comfertable quite fast. Games are designed in such a way to constantly chase that big hit or "get your fix". Some are more stronger to such things then others.



Check above out. Years ago, a fair warning sign on how everything was designed in such a way to trigger an addictive behaviour. It's all about who builds the better mouse-trap in regards of your financials.

The bigger providers such as pragmatic and what more are doing a very well job in that regard.

Well, they do need to make the venue and games attractive/entertaining in one way or another don't they? they can't make them unattractive and non entertaining. The question is to what extend shall we punish the majority in the name of protecting the minority and isn't there a middle ground?

 

[deleted20230517]

I'd say stick with what is ethical. You'll always will have gambling but at what extend you want to make that money to be honest?