What's a forum without people posting, some friendly banter and opposing views. By MAMs decision to remove the above posters we now have less views and these forums have lost their humour and rich content. I say bring back GF and DB immediately.

Please post your support if you agree?

-):

No NO NO No No NO NO NO!! :0)

...Any more for any more then -):

in a way, many have not quite answered the question, that being should GF (and DB by default) have been red carded as opposed to yellow?

you may or may not like one or other of the characters, or indeed some of their comments, but does that therefore mean we should have an anodyne board where everyone is frightfully nice?

There are rules/guidelines in place that all posters should adhere to, any transgressions should be stamped on by MAM at the earliest opportunity with a warning as to future behaviour. The problem here as I see it was that the abuse which resulted in GF and DB4's removal was allowed to continue for far too long.
From a personal view I would like to see both back. We are all responsible adults and should behave as such, for those who are irritating there is the squelch button. That's my feelings aired.
2517

"As Shortie says it seems to be one rule for some and not others, so suggest from now on that all people who post abusive posts against other posters get "a warning" and are then banned for a month if they transgress.

Once back if they transgress again it's a two month ban and so on... that will sort them out.

All in favour say yes."

I'll say yes Stan - but what are the rules/guidelines? And as George asks - when is enough, enough?

I'll say yes to anything after a few Scotches. So that's a yes then! :o) Hic!

Office party.

Hasn't happened yet, just practising! :oD

Seriously though, whatever is happening behind the scenes, I hope it is resolved quickly with no hard feelings and a return to normality (whatever that is!).

"when is enough, enough?"

Well Skinny, It would be up to the discretion of Ian and Mike I.E. a warning first and then a month in the slammer as outlined above.

3 months community service!

Yeah, they must come and do my gardening for starters... we live on a 1 in 2 site -):

I think we should all follow TANKERS example , who states his point of view in a calm and polite way and doesn't offend anyone.

Isn't this all out of our hands? Gf said that his legal representatives were dealing with it. MAM then effectively said all is now 'Sub judice'. I can't see it matters what we think until that is resolved.
Not sure about db4. Presumably wrong place, wrong time?

George - an excellent and sensible post (36)

As you know we are very patient and very very tolerant with posters. In the 12 years we have been going, I can count on one hand those we have banned. We have a team of moderators who kindly keep an eye on the boards, so sometimes you will miss some of the more choice crap that’s posted as we remove it before most of you wake up!

We like free speech but when the enjoyment of others is impaired by individuals and they go beyond what is reasonable, we take action, as we have done in this case.

We did have a yellow card and a red card system in place but to be honest we never needed to use it because the posters themselves normally see off the rebels. In a sense the board self moderates, we occasionally intervene with warnings both public to them on the BB’s and in private by email.

We have a good squelch button which does work but it only works when you squelch someone and don’t turn them back on again 5 minutes later. Some say they squelch a user and then instantly comment on the squelched users post, very odd!

One of the users we banned this week decided to completely trash our BB’s over a weekend which meant our Moderators and myself spent a good part of the weekend watching their antics. Goes with the job I suppose.

Sometimes individual egos get bigger than our boards, so it’s time for them to go and never return.

B .... i would fully concur that the pair of them became totally ridiculous and tiresome in their antics ..... however, one of the perpetrators - oh GF for goodness sake! - was actually a very long term, useful and interesting contributor except when in one of his sillier moods

that said, there have been far worse serial offenders from the point of view of racism and the like, and assuredly it is not unknown for them to be re-admitted to the fold (more than once!)

though no name should be considered bigger than the game (the board), i think that this place will be very much the poorer without GF's presence

i am fully aware that a number of people would not agree with me, but i very much hope that you will reconsider and, perhaps with a further cooling off period, allow them back (it would be unreasonable to allow one without the other) albeit under strict licence .....

as you said, the members are usually most effective policemen

..... but not in this case???????????