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.
I respect that. Really I do.
But who is not souless robots & trolls? Mostly they are. And how much is just giving them talking space?
I’v suggested Craig even shutting down comments as an option. There are TONS of places more free to speak on the net than here. In fact because of what it is it’s one of the least free feeling. Ie If it’s just about publishing make it that.
??
@John Spencer-Davis, even for those who managed to take it serious;
Ishmael’s very next post made it very clear;
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/06/some-rules-for-comment-moderation/comment-page-2/#comment-535220
No harm done, whipped up storm in a tea cup ?
Ishmael, 12:52 am
You really think you’re doing Craig a favour by coming here? You’ve been coming back for years despite thinking the place “a bit crap”? I find this hard to believe. I doubt your honesty.
Ahhh, they are nuts macky…..
Anyway… If he’s got an important story there is not going to be a problem getting it out. He has friends in high places. Connections contacts. To all kinds of grass roots groups also.
It’s to much like furthering a political career to me, at partly my expanse who is relativity poor. And When I don’t agree with those systems. Think they are a big part of the problem. etc…?
Myself, 9:44 pm:
Macky, 10:59 pm:
So Macky, you’re blaming me for my former woman-friend’s suicide.
You really are an utterly heartless abusive bully. I’m considering contacting the police.
“You’ve been coming back for years”
Didn’t say that Tosser. I said “a few years on and off”… Can’t you fucking read or something. Or must you keep twisting shit I wrote.
And you expect me to be nice to you, this is getting past a joke. Ignorance is no excuse for this shit. Twisted asshole.
Ishmael, do you approve of Macky’s behaviour towards me, highlighted in my previous comment?
And what is “partly at your expense”? How so?
Ishmael, yes, coming back on and off; same difference, or that’s what it means to me, anyway.
Thanks for the abuse.
Macky, you use words as weapons, as I’ve written before.
“There are TONS of places more free to speak on the net than here.”
True Ishmael, but I tell you why it matters, at least to me; this place, being a “Human Rights Activist Whistleblower’s” blog, naturally attracts good & decent people, like the months to a flame bit; now I reckon I’m pretty sharp & perceptive, more than most anyway, but even so it still took me quite a long time to really understand what this Blog is really about, and how it is managed; a very crushing realisation, as I had been naively investing time & effort, goodwill, but most of all, hope, here; well, I”m not going to let my hope get crushed so easily, something of value can be redeemed here, especially with all the good people drawn here, but anything of value has a cost, which for here means standing by your principles, and that means standing your ground;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h9HPZhqHE
Clark I think your deeply twisted, from what I can observe over the net. But the way you twist things to fit your own brand of trying to get at people, it’s extreme slurring, I may elude to mythical notions of evil as likeness to behavior etc.
But I don’t try and accuse them of personal things ‘they have against me’ Clarey twisted and manufactured for my own head.
That my friend is something else. And you should expect people to get real pissed off when you do it.
@macky
Our principals can stay with us wherever we are. But i’m loosing them hear..Not enough effect…And so much, nothing much.
It’s a small blog. A few milder nicer charters. Do you think you will alter how it’s managed? And how will that help? If you think about just the blog part..Is it a big justice issue? As said Craig can get his stuff out.
There are some interesting up to date links, But loads of good indi news atm. It’s a talking shop isn’t it? Naval gazing…I thought about dumping my petitions on here regular but even that would be off topic or something now. Naa, not for me.
Ishmael, I sometimes think of Clark as being Craig’s special weapon, chained up until let loose to scare people off the blog, are you a Spartan or not ?! 😀
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=637VzLSh8CA
For me it seems a place where people have machinations about stuff, back and forth among, arr what’s the word again? who where disgusted at the people who wanted nether parliament of king back in the day?
I’ll find it.
Ahh i’m under pre-mod, slander is no issue though is it.
No we must be ‘civil’.
The Gentry, “men of best quality” they are all that Mackey. 🙁
… Nothing much happing hear. But all the beast. I’m back on pre-mod so going now. If you have another forum you post on let us know maybe, just for friendly chat.
Btw, I also can do stuff that helps physically impaired people, so should really focus on some of that again.
Clark, don’t know about you, but reading the two posters, above, I’m hearing two voices in a dark dank cave, sniggering and cooing and gibbering to each other, occasionally breaking off to shout imprecations at the outside world. Don’t fash yourself about them, please.
Technicolour, I watched the YouTube clips Macky linked to. The first is set in a prison, literally like a dank, dark cave; only one voice is heard, and I didn’t understand the point it was trying to make. The second shows humanoid warriors hacking each other to bits; lots of blood-spray. That’s entertainment!
Clark – I’ve said it before, but why the bloody hell do you bother with these idiots?
Ishmael wrote (on Squonk’s blog): “I got some good screens of phil’s comments (old reactionary habit) ”
WTF? So what if you did? Whoop-freaking-hee!
Do you think they’re worth anything? If you spent years searching all over the world, do you think you’d find anyone at all who’d be interested?
You should be ashamed of yourself, Ishmael, filling up Squonk’s blog with your blathering crap, whining away and pissing and moaning about how hard you’ve got it, when he’s specifically asked you not to.
Macky should be ashamed on the same count – of course. But he/she/whatever/ doesn’t give a damn about decency, being far more concerned with identifying enemies and doing her little best to work levers on them. Such a miserable creature as Macky is incapable of shame.
What a bunch of bastards you three (Ishmael, Macky & Phil) are. Miserable, disgusting cowards, liars, sneaks, and abusers of the hospitality of others – people who’s boots you are not fit to lick.
A definition of oblivious irony;
Glenn_uk; “Clark – I’ve said it before, but why the bloody hell do you bother with these idiots?”
Maybe Glenn & Technicolour can combine their intellectual firepower to help out Clark in understanding why I linked to those YT clips ?! Then again, maybe not ! 😀
Hey, put a smiley on the end of every comment Macky! That must mean you’ve won, right?
And I imagine the awesome intellectual firepower of your new best friend Ishmael is like having a Nobel laureate at your shoulder. So you have “cunting” Phil, and Ishmael in the bag. Awesome… your army is growing mightily. /cough/
LOL ! Didn’t Ishmael already give you some friendly advise about your anger issues ?! 😀 😀 😀
Drunks slouched in shop doorways also give “advice”, Macky. Don’t be such a simplistic ass.
But while we’re on the subject, miserable, manipulative creatures like you do make me angry, and I feel no reason at all to apologise for that. Hate-crimes make me angry. Injustice makes me angry. So freaking what – you thought you had a clever point there?
Jesus. Stupidity makes me angry too, particularly when a stupid person crows with self-satisfaction after being particularly stupid – as with your example immediately above.
Glenn_uk; “Stupidity makes me angry too”
Ah ! A moment of self-realisation !!
Or maybe it’s being so angry that makes you stupid ! ?
Best ask Ishmael’s advice ! 😀
As ever, Macky – coward that you are – you grope for a distraction, instead of having the courage to tackle the actual point. Always.
Er Glenn, how to break this to you gently, you are too stupid to realise that you have no point !
I leave you to think about that, but don’t strain yourself too much ! 😀
What clearly shines through with you, Macky, is your desperation for approval – even if you’re only able to give it to yourself. You _have_ to be able to say to yourself that you came out on top.
What was it, lack of approval for your efforts from your father? Did you try so hard, for so long, without praise? This is why flattery is so effective with you. It’s so transparent.
If I were more sagely, I’d just give you insincere praise and get away from you as quickly as possible. Very smart and wise fellow, that Suhayl, for instance.
It’s rather funny actually – Suhayl banged you like a cheap gong last week, and you didn’t even notice.
Whoa, That Glenn fella don’t let up does he.
“Do you think they’re worth anything?”…No, why I remarked how it was just a habit, Ie yes, stupid in this case. But it thought this was all yesterday issue.
“You should be ashamed”…Barks Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, orders that spill like breathing from his lips.
It’s ok, sometimes I feel I just need to get laid…….Macky 🙂 ….How could he not get the video? Even if directed at me i’d have to get it. Still making me smile. “They won’t let you go either, I mean, they tell you they’ll let you go, But in fact you stay “..:)
Maybe some should stay, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shlBZZ-IQYY brings back old trauma for me…
Threatening with the police (Real violence) from an imagined scenario tell’s me all I need to know about some.