I generally agree, living in a democracy means that sometimes you have things happen you don't agree with because a majority either doesn't agree with you or doesn't care enough to bother.
In a few years the EU could be on it's way to undo the linktax again, who knows? Meanwhile there are other EU proposals on the way that are also interesting for tech people, not only the linktax and "delete terror in 1 hour or else"... And non-tech proposals too!
I do believe that it'll be possible to work with the filters and link tax considering some edits during the initial phases did disarm the worst of the first proposal (it's still not a very nice one).
Disclaimer: I operate a platform for user generated content in the EU as well as working for a platform for user generated content, HQ'd in the EU, my views may be biased.
>because a majority either doesn't agree with you or doesn't care enough to bother. //
That's why we've not moved on from representative democracy. The problem is the representatives are supposed to represent the people - and the people think they do (or try) - but in practice the representatives often don't.
In the UK we very rarely get chance to influence decisions, instead we get to choose the people who will decide, and they almost? always lie about how they will make decisions and what will influence them.
PR would make it better, but reduce the power of those who need to decide to give us PR.
I think the easily solution (for the EU) would be the better advertise the fact they have MEPs and that you vote for them.
EU elections have a rather disappointingly low participation, it's no wonder that things get lobbied into existence.
Representative democracy is IMO the most effective form of democracy for large scale hierarchies of authority, at least if you want something democratic. (There is always the option of a benevolent, immortal god-princess but we lack candidates with qualities in the categories benevolent, immortal and god-, not for a lack of belief or trying)
I think I agree per representative democracy, it's the best of the options that we practically have.
But, it relies on honest, forthright representatives and the people who covertly back most of those representatives are getting better at lying and presenting a fake reality.
This breaks democracy.
We need laws like they have for financial adverts on the radio, so when the drugs minister speaks about illegal drugs she has to say "my husband owns the largest cannabis producing company in the UK, and I personally profit from sale of cannabis products due to their health uses; but despite this cannabis growing will remain illegal here, I benefit financially from that".
That's not an isolated example, all the Tories appear to have other interests above their constituents. PM May's husband profits from companies seeking to avoid UK tax, he also presumably has insider information; the chances of May making a decision that negatively impacts her husband's interest in a reportedly £1.4 Trillion are probably infinitesimal -- regardless of whether that benefits the country and/or her constituents.
Before every party political broadcast they need a list of the manifesto promises they made for the last election, and whether they met them. Remind us to look most carefully at who we choose to represent our interests.
In a few years the EU could be on it's way to undo the linktax again, who knows? Meanwhile there are other EU proposals on the way that are also interesting for tech people, not only the linktax and "delete terror in 1 hour or else"... And non-tech proposals too!
I do believe that it'll be possible to work with the filters and link tax considering some edits during the initial phases did disarm the worst of the first proposal (it's still not a very nice one).
Disclaimer: I operate a platform for user generated content in the EU as well as working for a platform for user generated content, HQ'd in the EU, my views may be biased.