Elizabethan England was literally a fascist police state. The guy needs to brush-up on his history.
Except for a few short decades, Britain has never been a free nation. It has labored on under despots, monarchs, and a parliamentary system that had the barest representation of participation.
The huge majority of British soldiers in WWI did not have the right to vote. “The German Empire from 1871 until 1918 (and the North German Confederation before it from 1867) had universal male suffrage, one of the more progressive election franchises at the time”. In the UK, “All adult men were enfranchised by the Representation of the People Act 1918. This Act granted women over 30 the right to vote in national elections (if they possessed property)”
From the mid 20s until after WWII, Brits were mostly free. Soon after WWII they fell into socialism. Now they are back under the boot.