OT. The futures Bright, the Futures Brexit!!!

[Geoff Parkstone]

On the other hand, it gets my vote Andy. This is a football platform, not a political one. Sure members can ignore (oops, that word again) them if not interested but where do you draw a line? Shall we suddenly have masses of discussion on mining technology, the tax treatment of research & development costs or Paralympic swimming championships?

It's a football forum (the clue is in the name) and this should be the focal point of the platform. If you want to widely debate politics go to somewhere that specialises in it.

[swaledale]

On the other hand, it gets my vote Andy. This is a football platform, not a political one. Sure members can ignore (oops, that word again) them if not interested but where do you draw a line? Shall we suddenly have masses of discussion on mining technology, the tax treatment of research & development costs or Paralympic swimming championships?

It's a football forum (the clue is in the name) and this should be the focal point of the platform. If you want to widely debate politics go to somewhere that specialises in it.

Last time I looked, the focus was very much on football and AF did the right thing IMO by applying a sticky to those football topics, such that you actually have to scroll down a long way to find a non football topic! I'm beginning to worry about the fact you make the effort to do that and fin this thread and have a moan, much simpler and takes less time to stick to commenting on a football thread?

[Andy_Faber]

On the other hand, it gets my vote Andy. This is a football platform, not a political one. Sure members can ignore (oops, that word again) them if not interested but where do you draw a line? Shall we suddenly have masses of discussion on mining technology, the tax treatment of research & development costs or Paralympic swimming championships?

It's a football forum (the clue is in the name) and this should be the focal point of the platform. If you want to widely debate politics go to somewhere that specialises in it.

Thanks. By way purely of storytelling, I moderate or help to moderate a number of Facebook groups on the subjects of football or music. One has nearly 300,000 members. Harmonious places because all party political posts, threads and posters get deleted promptly. Any threads that do temporarily slip through the net instantly turn relatively friendly (even towards Leeds and Coldplay) people into arseholes

[ramAnag]

On the other hand, it gets my vote Andy. This is a football platform, not a political one. Sure members can ignore (oops, that word again) them if not interested but where do you draw a line? Shall we suddenly have masses of discussion on mining technology, the tax treatment of research & development costs or Paralympic swimming championships?

It's a football forum (the clue is in the name) and this should be the focal point of the platform. If you want to widely debate politics go to somewhere that specialises in it.

Coming from someone with as much to say on all the political threads as you have, and as the originator of the fourth biggest non football thread on the forum, I find your response puzzling.

Yes it’s first and foremost a football forum...or, to be more accurate, a Derby County forum as there seems little interest in other football matters.
Not at all sure however why other topics should be precluded. All most of us have in common is a desire to see DCFC succeed, but why should that mean we can’t discuss other topical matters or those pertaining to, for example, golf, motor sports, cricket and music?

Threads will thrive if there is interest and ‘die’ if there isn’t...at the moment the fact is that non football threads appear to generate more interest than football threads. I mean how much more is there to say about last night and do you honestly anticipate more than a dozen or so responses prior to the Charlton match?

[swaledale]

Why? Does that make any sense? Is that your role? Sorry but you’re a moderator not some sort of content censor, other than where personal comments and rule breaking are concerned.

Like it or not the two (three if you count the one you’ve already closed without good cause) have generated more debate on here than any others.
There is an overlap between the Brexit thread and the ‘Careless Tories’ thread...of course there is...but it is no more than that and it would, imo, be wrong and confusing to merge them.

What if someone wants to start a thread about such disparate political issues as the Ukraine situation, Chinese surveillance, strikes, the NHS, the role of the Lords, countryside ‘sports’, the current Covid enquiry etc etc...they are all quite separate. If people want to discuss them the posts will flow...if they don’t the thread will die. It’s natural selection and doesn’t require you to be deciding what should be allowed or artificially merged...it’s not up to you and would be totally unprecedented imo.

Especially since a sticky is applied to football threads which means they are always at the top and one would have to scroll down a long way to find this or any other off topic thread! I mean its hardly difficult to ignore these non football threads is it?

Happy for non relevant posts to be removed, and will abide by the guidelines, but as has been shown here there are other things that posters like to discuss and as long as the O/T heading is used then cannot see an issue.

[SithHappens]

Football should be the focus, its a football forum afterall, but politics or other off topic subjects can be discussed provided its done in an adult way (which it hasn't always in this thread). I appreciate im quite new to this forum but i do sometimes wonder why some of you bother being here when there is such animosity between you. Politics can be very divisive but there is no need for name calling and personal insults, for me once they start being used the argument is lost.

I agree keep politics to the threads its suppose to be in and dont let it infiltrate football or any other off topic threads, then those who want to actively participate can, those that dont want to can ignore it or those that like to pop in and out can do that too.

If i was Andy, i dont know how it works with warnings to be fair, but any personal insults regardless of who they are aimed at should get a warning, and then a ban if it persists, but the rule should apply to everyone regardless of if he shares their views or not (not saying this would happen but you do see it on other forums where people with differing views to moderators are treated more harshly).

[Geoff Parkstone]

Now the dust has settled and everyone has now excepted Brexit, Who would you like to be our next Prime Minister, I know most folk would want Nigel Farage but at the moment that's not possible.

Swale: this is the OP from 2016. It asks who people want to succeed Cameron as PM, it does NOT invite debate on whether Brexit is desirable and so such debate takes the thread off topic. Not rocket science to understand is it?

Just because the word Brexit is in the thread title as a "date reference" it doesn't mean that it's the subject of the thread.

Eg a thread titled "Now the First Would War is over, who should take over from David Lloyd George as PM" would not invite mass debate on the myriad causes of that war.

[Trickytreesreds]

This is what happens when you merge two seperate forums back into one.
Off topic/ Donnington ram lounge was either your thing or wasn't,
Only way to keep football seperate.

[Geoff Parkstone]

This is what happens when you merge two seperate forums back into one.
Off topic/ Donnington ram lounge was either your thing or wasn't,
Only way to keep football seperate.

Yes, quite correct. Two words that I don't usually use for your posts TTR, but in this case....

[SithHappens]

I doubt most people ever wanted Nigel Farage as PM.

[ramAnag]

This is what happens when you merge two seperate forums back into one.
Off topic/ Donnington ram lounge was either your thing or wasn't,
Only way to keep football seperate.

Clearly not the case. If things non football related are marked O/T then there is suitable differentiation, but that’s not the issue.
The issue is one of behaviour. Let’s face it...if this was nothing more than a football forum you wouldn’t be here.
For ‘football’ read ‘DCFC’...you’d have nothing to say and nothing to offer and anyway you love the ‘rough and tumble’ of the more controversial threads.

As Sith intimated earlier...if the forum was moderated in such a way that those who repeatedly indulged in personal insults were ‘carded’ accordingly then it would, imo, be problem solved. It would also help enormously if we returned to the tradition of having two moderators and, as MA has already offered, I’d personally be more than happy to see him assume the role of joint mod.

[MadAmster]

I doubt most people ever wanted Nigel Farage as PM.

... except for Nigel Farridge himself.

Yes, phonetical spelling

[SithHappens]

Clearly not the case. If things non football related are marked O/T then there is suitable differentiation, but that’s not the issue.
The issue is one of behaviour. Let’s face it...if this was nothing more than a football forum you wouldn’t be here.
For ‘football’ read ‘DCFC’...you’d have nothing to say and nothing to offer and anyway you love the ‘rough and tumble’ of the more controversial threads.

As Sith intimated earlier...if the forum was moderated in such a way that those who repeatedly indulged in personal insults were ‘carded’ accordingly then it would, imo, be problem solved. It would also help enormously if we returned to the tradition of having two moderators and, as MA has already offered, I’d personally be more than happy to see him assume the role of joint mod.

I agree with having more than one moderator, it creates balance and also takes pressure off the single moderator. Surely it would be good for someone to have another person to bounce stuff off, or maybe even have someone on an even footing to tell them they may have got something wrong.

In addition if warnings etc were introduced then having a second moderator to receive appeals is also a good thing to do to ensure that those on the end of warnings/bans dont feel they have been targeted. Once again not saying this happens but when there are differences of opinions and personalities its easy to think that that is the case.

[Trickytreesreds]

Clearly not the case. If things non football related are marked O/T then there is suitable differentiation, but that’s not the issue.
The issue is one of behaviour. Let’s face it...if this was nothing more than a football forum you wouldn’t be here.
For ‘football’ read ‘DCFC’...you’d have nothing to say and nothing to offer and anyway you love the ‘rough and tumble’ of the more controversial threads.

As Sith intimated earlier...if the forum was moderated in such a way that those who repeatedly indulged in personal insults were ‘carded’ accordingly then it would, imo, be problem solved. It would also help enormously if we returned to the tradition of having two moderators and, as MA has already offered, I’d personally be more than happy to see him assume the role of joint mod.

Not true, football is more than DCFC. Quite a statement that.
From grass roots to International.

[MadAmster]

Not true, football is more than DCFC. Quite a statement that.
From grass roots to International.

Actually called Derby County Mad