This is essentially a free speech forum. I enjoy much of the banter which goes on between commenters, particularly the dedicated band of people who post on a daily basis. There is an important distinction between my writing, and the comments section. The proportion of readers who leave comments is well under 1%. I cannot know what percentage of the readers read comments, but I suspect it is not terribly high.
In social media I find establishment hacks – particularly journalists and Labour Party functionaries – dismiss my thoughts by referring to the comments section. “Craig Murray – have you seen the tinfoil hats comments on his blog!” being a genuine and very typical example. Well, if people wish to damn me by association with the views of other people, that is sadly an example of the low intellectual standards of the British nomenklatura of our time. The only views on here which are mine are those which I write.
I cherish the diversity of the comment threads and am fond of our little community, most of whom I have never met. I do not value people by the standard of how close their views are to my own. I am sometimes saddened by the personal animosities which arise between people.
We state some rules from time to time. This is the current set, which I just made up:
No racism. Any comment which is racist will simple be deleted immediately. The biggest problem we face is anti-Jewish comment, which I will not tolerate. We are not in the business of stigmatising anti-Zionism as anti-Jewish, but there are quite frequently distinctly anti-Jewish comments. I deleted one just an hour ago.
Similarly, no holocaust denial. I do not believe it should be illegal (I am against thought crime) but I do not wish to have it on my blog as those associated with it often have very unpleasant sympathies. That is not to say the subject of the holocaust can never be mentioned – it will never be possible to ascertain the precise number who were killed, and it is important we remember not only the Jews but the Poles, gypsies, gays, freemasons and numerous others who suffered. But the basic facts are not in doubt. It is surprising how often people attempt to insinuate holocaust denial.
Sockpuppetry. It is in practice impossible to outlaw sockpuppetry without a formal registration system, which I do not want. But the adoption of multiple identities within the same thread is not to be allowed, nor the creation of identities of which the purpose is to ridicule, attack or insult another contributor.
Fair Play. Play the ball, not the man. Address arguments, not people. Do not impugn the motives of others, including me. No taunting.
Relevance
Attempts to keep people on topic are hopeless, but do try.
9/11
We don’t discuss 9/11. There are plenty of places on the web where you can do that. It tends to take over threads.
Contribute
Contributions which are primarily just a link to somewhere else will be deleted. You can post links, but give us the benefit of your thoughts upon them.
No explanation.
Enforcing these rules is necessarily arbitrary and needs judgement calls. Moderators are precluded from explaining decisions online. If you want to complain use the contact button.
Moderators
We have, and have had, excellent moderators over many years. But almost all have found it not only time consuming but also surprisingly emotionally draining. If you are interested in volunteering and are willing for me to know both your real and online identity, please get in tough using the contact button.
Ishmael; “Dunno what else to say….”
More to the point, are allowed to say.
Yea and that. lol
Macky, what lie are you accusing me of? I corrected my mistake about the date of your quote.
And why do you fish for the personal identities of Craig’s moderators?
It’s hilarious. Here we are cordoned off, shoved outside and allowed to speak. Like what we think matters.
It’s really not a good place to be, for me analogous to the scene where she says “Thank you, but I’d rather die behind the chemical sheds”…
Get back in there Macky, conform or you loose your voice. Where out here alone in the dark man.
@Clark; “why do you fish for the personal identities”
Why did you fish for my personal details ?
Ishmael; “Get back in there Macky, conform or you loose your voice”
LOL! It’s not just me then that feels like Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest ! 😀
I’m am laughing mate.
And I Notice they have even been moding you here, where we are ‘allowed to speak’.
Ishmael; “And I Notice they have even been moding you here, where we are ‘allowed to speak’.”
Why do you think Clark is trying so hard to work the Mods up against me !
Ishmael, if something of Macky’s was removed from this thread it was quite possibly a mistake; in the moderation interface, comments for all threads appear in a single comment stream.
“Why do you think Clark is trying so hard to work the Mods up against me !”
Dunno, maybe he feels hegemony is critically important, to focus, for his critically important personal tax issues.
But I can feel a hand of mod comming, better not go there, why do you think?
Macky, I did not fish for your personal details until I had suffered months of pseudo-psychological abuse from you. Eventually, I reacted angrily to your abuse of me.
Why are you trying to expose the identities of the moderators?
Ishmael; “why do you think?”
For a lot more “moding” of course ! 😀
Let’s try it again to see if it was really a “moderation interface mistake” 😀
There an old saying along the lines “Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference”, except in this case you would have to be both blind & stupid not to realise !
Ishmael, I am not “trying so hard to work the Mods up against” Macky. At present I’m trying to get one straight answer from her.
Apparently some can go off topic, after a page or two.
O come on, just look at it, if this is working better …*sigh* ….Really whats’ the point, why am I hear god. It was better being banned.
Duck You Suker 1971 Revolution Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd3JrFXLrA0
Clark; “I had suffered months of pseudo-psychological abuse from you.”
And you have the front to speak about “straight answers” !
If anybody really cares about your fantasy accusations, all they need do is read through the General Discussion Thread over at Squonk, where our exchanges took place, and they will realise that you are projecting everything that you do/have done onto me.
Macky, mistakes can happen more than once. Just as commenters accuse moderators of bias just because some other unpleasant comment wasn’t removed – I was often accused of this, as I tried to explain in my e-mail to you. It happens just because the comment gets posted when there’s no one watching the comment stream.
But if you’re looking for bias…
Look Macky, if this blog is so shit, why don’t you just leave? Do you have some particular objective here?
You too Ishmael; if it’s so unbearable, just go somewhere you feel welcome.
“For a lot more “moding” of course ! 😀 ”
Ahh, mist that reply, yes indeed. Of course.
Are we just making things worse do you think?
“Who initiated ? I like to see you turn the other cheek to lies & misrepresentations.”
Give me a break! I ignore you most of the time, don’t I? 😉
Well, Macky certainly expects me to constantly turn the other cheek to her lies, misrepresentation and abuse.
Macky, what was your objection to Jon? Was it that he banned Habbabkuk?
*Missed*
See I knew that was wrong, just looked at it for a while before still posting it wrong, mind blank, invisible hand of the mod…
I do know better.
An open thread where everyone can bitch and moan to their hearts content. And what do people do? Why, moan about that, of course!
*
Anyway, Macky – can I just get something straight, please. Clark inadvertently let it slip that you happened to suffer the condition of being female. No biggie – more than half the world’s population is similarly afflicted.
Nobody would have noticed had you not been making this enormous song and dance, banging on about it ever since. In order to get as much attention as possible to the fact, despite nobody being interested.
Strikes me this is just a “gotcha” that you delight in, same with any number of set-ups you put about the place. (And no, I ain’t playing “prove it” – that’s my perception and you’ll have to just accept it – or not, as you will.)
So what’s the deal – Clark is the worst person in the world, is that what you’re trying to prove here?
@Ishmael, thanks for the Duck You Suker 1971 Revolution Scene !
Reminds of Alexis Zorba’s “what use are all your damn books” scene in Zorba the Greek, but couldn’t find it on YT.
I wonder if this could become a new General Discussion Thread !
Ishmael: Don’t worry about typos – this is a free speech area, remember! 🙂
Glenn_uk; “that’s my perception”
The root of all your problems to be honest.
“Despite nobody being interested.”
Dunno, maybe I am. 😉
Macky has attacked Craig, former mod Jon, and myself, ie. everyone she knows to have contributed editorially to the blog. Now she fishes for the identities of the current moderators, so I’m asking her why she wants that information.
“I wonder if this could become a new General Discussion Thread !”
Indeed – wouldn’t it be better if some topic item on the front page could direct people here, for the General Discussion thread? This one is a bit obscure and not that obvious to anyone who hasn’t personally been ushered over here.\
I suppose people will find it in due course. They found their way to Squonk’s without much trouble, after all.
“this is a free speech area, remember! :)”
No I can’t remember, I’m still having twitches.
I can’t rememberer the sound of trees or the taste of bread.
“The root of all your problems to be honest.”
Hey, thanks for the concern, but I’m bearing up pretty well, all the same! 😉