Live data from Hacker News

Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

bbc.com

81–90 of 164 posts

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#81
post #23

This was never a protest, it was a blockade. If they were actually protesting public opinion wouldn’t have turned on them.

Just because the corporate-owned media reports their cause in a negative light, doesn't mean public opinion has turned on them. In fact people were lining the streets as they made their way to Ottawa.

Most people I know think they are assholes and should go away. Also check out r/Ottawa on Reddit where the sentiment is solidly against them.

I think you're right about one thing though. Opinion hasn't "turned" on them because it was never with them in the first place.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To further complicate the matter, protests are completely ineffectual if they do not impact others in some way. Its easy to say that protesters should be considerate and not get in the way. But if they do that then their message is easy to ignore. Protest by nature must be civil disobedience to have any real effect. What troubles me in this regard is that the Canadian government in general, and Trudeau in particular,…

I disagree, the riots in America perpetrated by antifa had a significant policy shift and public opinion impact. The burning of Kenosha and other cities, was probably the only time a protest in modern history has had an effect on public policy.

I'm sorry I don't see what you are disagreeing with.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#83
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is just one side of the slippery slope though. Assuming we took this recommendation as a rule, it seems that a convoy of truckers could organize, shut down an economy, and force an election any time they disagreed with something. This does not seem like a recipe for effective government.

No? It seems a recipe for a perfect government. Whenever X% of the population wants that much to throw down the government, that's probably a good time for a remodel. Might not be as effective as a dictatorship or a oligarchy, sure, must a much better government to live under.

How much of the population do you think is actively involved in the protests right now? We should bow down and throw away our government for 1% of angry people? 0.01%? This just sounds like a recipe for chaos. A middle school could topple the government by standing on Ambassador bridge just because they don't like today's lunch menu.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#84
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is just one side of the slippery slope though. Assuming we took this recommendation as a rule, it seems that a convoy of truckers could organize, shut down an economy, and force an election any time they disagreed with something. This does not seem like a recipe for effective government.

No? It seems a recipe for a perfect government. Whenever X% of the population wants that much to throw down the government, that's probably a good time for a remodel. Might not be as effective as a dictatorship or a oligarchy, sure, must a much better government to live under.

[deleted]

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently it also includes people who donated to their cause. A peaceful, non-violent cause. Wow. North Korea, look out!

The majority of the money was foreign. edit: and is not being funneled to the actual protestors. The people recently arrested tried to get some to use for legal fees. No bueno. yeah, yeah, no citation. Pretty hard to cite facebook posts that were removed because of subject matter.

https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/canada/2022/2/14/1_5780989....

Says here that 51% came from Canadians. I think 51% constitutes a majority.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#86

Anyone on the left should be aware they are going to use any new powers of control or punishment against the left in the the future (and more often and more significantly and increasingly so over time).

Too late[1]. Let me know when armored RCMP officers are dragging truckers from their rigs and throwing them in jail[2].

[1] https://rabble.ca/indigenous/land-defenders-in-court/

[2] https://thenarwhal.ca/rcmp-arrests-wetsuweten-media-photos/

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel that's either an external or minority opinion. Not everybody outside of Canada may realize we just HAD an election. I personally don't think it was necessary or useful; in fact I think it was a colossal waste of money; but we did. And Canada tends to have relatively stable governments, our period between elections tends to be reasonably lengthy. Some people may not LIKE the result of elections, but there's not…

They're protesting the quarentine when re-entering the country. That's why so many Americans are involved as well. My girlfriend lives there but I can't visit her because of this.

Of course you can. Just get vaccinated. It is literally safer than taking Tylenol.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, or! The protesters all return home, and promise to make this a hot-button item in the next fairly held democratic election.

That is quite some time away.

We have a minority government right now. It could be 2 months away.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently it also includes people who donated to their cause. A peaceful, non-violent cause. Wow. North Korea, look out!

The majority of the money was foreign. edit: and is not being funneled to the actual protestors. The people recently arrested tried to get some to use for legal fees. No bueno. yeah, yeah, no citation. Pretty hard to cite facebook posts that were removed because of subject matter.

Is the money being foreign necessarily an inditement of the crowd funding campaign? The money came from 93,000 donations according to the article. Really that just says that it had global traction.

Re: Trudeau announces intention to freeze bank accounts of protestors

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Name a single “liberal democracy” where any group would be permitted to occupy a capital city for three weeks uncontested. People really aren’t grasping how weak it makes Canada look that it allowed its own capital to be held in a chokehold so easily. There are people on the streets (and in this thread) demanding that elected officials resign while a strong majority of Canadians disagree with the “protest”.

Should governments be concerned about looking "weak"?

States should. A lot of their power rests on their legitimacy. They can collapse fast once that erodes.

If they cannot even keep the centre of the capital moving, seemingly ever again, the value of the currency can plummet quite quickly as people decide to move wealth into less liquid assets (or simply cash from other countries).

This seems far-fetched, but it did in the Weimar Republic too, until it became apparent it was already happening.

Edit: just to be clear I'm not saying Weiner hyperinflation resulted from a collapse in the legitimacy of the state, but moreso that collapse itself is never obvious until it's well underway.

Post reply on HN