Do we expect too much as a right in Great Britain?

For goodness sake - get a grip! There are real problems out there and these accusations of bullying are nonsense. Somewhere, possibly in S. Africa, there may be grandparents mourning the loss of 3 grandchildren whose mother seems to have snapped under the strain of caring for them. Keep a sense of proportion!

ninny you, along with others of us, are quite an assertive poster and happy to state your opinions without mincing your words. It seems out of character to your posting style that you feel bullied by replies made in a similar style to your own.

As I understood it, the post to which ninny took exception was the one in which durhamjen told us (and not only ninny) about the Belgian interim government in Britain and the Belgian town set up in the North East at the time. Now, this was news to me and I certainly wouldn't have put this interesting information down to mere pedantry. I'm grateful to durhamjen for extending my knowledge of this period in our history.

As I am the one accused of bullying, I would just like to reassure Ninny and everyone else that I am not left-wing, and I would not like the left-wing Grans to be unfairly accused on my behalf.
On the political compass I am very slightly left of centre and slightly libertarian.
And I read the Daily Telegraph.

Jane A

DailyTelegraph

Only a bit posher than the Daily Mail!

As a Telegraph reader should I take exception to that?

janeainsworth i don't think you were bullying me and i am not accusing you personally. perhaps bullying might have been the wrong word to use, i should have said ganging up on me by a small group of grans, the grans concerned might not agree with this but if you are on the receiving end that is what it feels like.

'Ganging up' would imply that a few people are in cahoots with a common purpose -a conspiracy theory , All that's happened is that some opinions are similar to each other but not similar to ninny's. End of bullying accusations? Real bullying is such an emotive issue that perhaps the word shouldn't be bandied about so readily.

It's when likeminded GNrs pile in defending each other that it gets silly.

ninny can't do right for doing wrong!

"bullying" - wrong!

"ganging up - wrong!

Give it up ninny

And then a different set muscles, attacking the ones who had posted to defend the first lot and it becomes a free-for-all.

Like the Irishman's question "Is this a private fight or can anyone join in?"

Well there we are! That's another good thing about this country - freedom of speech.

17.55.34 Is this the sort of post you mean? Surely it's clear now that it was an unfortunate choice of words that caused the kerfuffle and not any element of bullying or conspiracy. As I said earlier let's get a grip, eh?

As for a different set 'muscling in' - I don't see that happening on this thread. I would say it's time to let it rest, but of course that's bound to make it carry on...

I don't see anyone "ganging up" together or muscling in on any side, here. I see a difference of opinion, freely expressed on both sides.

Time to call a halt and get on with DISCUSSING.

Not all G/Ns are left wing ninny, please don"t be put off from posting.

You are entitled to post just as much as any one else.

Good Karma to you.

x

Yes Ana! And another GN thread that started as an interesting discussion bites the dust in a flurry of personal squabbling. End of!

So what else do we expect as a right in Great Britain? The right to have an opinion and not have a knock at the door at 2 am because we express it out loud?

(I am talking here of the uniformed or plain-clothes police force, not an audience of our peers)

That WOULD be scary, a posse of Gransnetters knocking on the door at 2am. I would have to open my last two bottles of

Freedom of the press without state interference.

ROSE
CSM

Nonu. I have the corkscrew ready.
(although I don't know what CSM means, sorry, DGS is not here to ask. Apart from Company Sergeant Major or Conspicuous Service Medal!)

It must stand for Can't Stop something - but what?
Moaning?