Finnegan

I'm just going to chime in here and say a couple of things.

1. I probably know Mark better than about 99% of you and I've still got no idea what his politics are. He's also not the only one that polices General Chat or the General News thread. That said, I can say with complete, unwavering confidence that the mods and admins on this forum carry out their tasks completely apolitically. The best testament you'll find to that are the myriad snide remarks from childish users at both ends of the political spectrum trying to accuse Mark of being far left or far right to suit their persecution complex. 

2.

21 minutes ago, David Hankey said:

You know as well as me there are some on these boards who appear untouchable and say what they like. That could be seen as favouritism.

You're absolutely right, yeah. Because just as in your local pub there are regulars that are known and trusted by the landlord and can probably get away with being a bit rowdier without getting booted out, some people here have been on FT an extremely long time, are known by the mods or admins and have earned that level of trust and are given the benefit of the doubt. 

It's not favouritism, it's trust. 

Everyone actually does get moderated, even I get posts deleted occasionally when I've overstepped or said something a bit too harsh to someone. I just don't tend to get the subsequent ban because Mark and the admins know I can be trusted to then realise I've overstepped and not carry on.

But because I'm not an entitled, emotionally fragile narcissist I don't come to Forum Support to cry and demand an explanation, so you'd never know about it. It's only really a select few that care that much about the internet to come in here moaning, which is why it looks like it's always the same people getting moderated. 

3 minutes ago, bovril said:

I totally disagree but understand why you think that. 

 

Johnson is another one whose damage was a lot to do with him not being very bright politically. Sure he speaks well and has a certain intellect but is totally clueless about the world and the UK's place in it. He had absolutely no idea of the actual details of leaving the European Union for example, this is pretty much established. Britain's decline imo is more to do with this lack of understanding and our hubris than evil capitalists plotting to make the working class vote against their interests. 

 

Farage should be very easy to dismiss with some of his previous comments about e.g. Truss' budget and immigration from commonwealth countries. And he would have been dismissed in other countries but with our naval gazing media class and much of our electorate lacking a basic understanding of cause and effect, that's not been possible. 

But I think you're conflating a few things there that maybe shouldn't be. 

I'm not suggesting Farage is an administrative genius that could run the country and I'm not suggesting Boris was a brilliant statesman.

But both of them understood (albeit with assistance from Rupert and Friends) how to actually play to the public. 

Critical thinking as well as political and economic literacy is really poor in this country and partly by design (though we're not quite as bad as disband the Department of Education Americans) - it makes for a mob that you need to appeal to emotionally to get in to power, not really reason with. 

This brings me full circle back to my complaints about Labour. I'm fed up of watching British and American right wing parties dispose of old school decorum and notions of ministerial conduct to perform to the public whilst their left wing counter parts dodder around stuck in the past trying to be nice. 

I want to see a leading British politician make like Gavin Newsom and throw some of their own shit back at them. Play to the mob, it works.

Do I long for a more intelligent world? Yes. But we're living in the Idiocracy and the good guys need to catch up a bit and start actually playing that game. 

2 minutes ago, bovril said:

Farage is just a confused boomer and like a lot of confused boomers he doesn't really understand the world and the UK's role in it, and is still wedded to a kind of post Thatcher/Reagan 'conservativism' which gives rise to the exact stuff he doesn't like. He is useful for e.g. Russia but unwillingly so. 

I don't really think you give him enough credit tbh. We didn't give Boris enough credit and he "lol it's just funny Boris" his way in to power and caused significant damage to the country. 

Farage is a privately educated lifelong fascist that's made a living for fifty odd years as both a career politician and trader. 

He's a malignant, self serving scumbag but he's not a doddering fool. 

Not that it would matter if he was. Donald Trump has never been academically gifted and exposes he doesn't know his arse from his elbow every time he speaks. But some pretty ****ing smart people puppet him and will actively look to king-make Farage. 

Underestimating in either instance doesn't help anyone. 

56 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Farage has seemed to change from trying to protect the country to now trying to damage the country more very quickly.

He's never wanted to protect the country Wymse. He's a self serving bellend that will say anything to make money. 

19 hours ago, Amin said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do

 

Evidence that Russia is behind a number of online Far-right and Islamist groups that are stoking division in the UK and elsewhere. The article also details how Tommy Robinson is consciously using these Russian groups to further his agenda.  

I wish Labour would engage Farage on this front, to be honest. 

It's useless making passive aggressive digs at him or subtly implying he's racist or just challenging him on policy. His base won't care about any of that. 

Really attack him in language that will get an emotional response out of Reform supporters. Call him what he is, a traitor. 

His supporters like to think of themselves as patriotic Brits, point out how much Russia is the biggest most immediate threat to the UK and then point out how many times he's been on Russian state television, given speeches defending Putin and taken Russian money. He's been on the same TV channels that have threatened to nuke London, talking about how the UK should be friendlier to Moscow. 

Go on the offensive and crucify the judas ****. I don't care if you want to vote anti immigrant, I don't care if you want to vote conservative or right wing. Just don't vote for a ****ing traitor that'd happily work against this country for the benefit of Russia, Putin and anyone else that'll pay him. That's the message.