Obviously the UK is a despotic hellhole, but it's also the inevitable consequence of government in a technological society. In a technological society, rule necessarily must be carried out by experts, who will necessarily have to make decisions more or less as a cattle rancher would. One of those considerations is propaganda. Obviously, then, free speech is anathema to the project. The UK is just a preview of what's coming anywhere technological society exists, and there are far worse horrors to come. Canada, for example, seems hell-bent on going full Solyent Green. Even that only scratches the surface of how far this will go.