Is GN guilty of bias or just ill-informed?

I'm of the view that if you can't have a sensible debate without attaching labels and name calling from either left or right or using inflammatory language, then it devalues your argument. Much better not to do it in first place and then you might be taken more seriously

Have you actually asked GNHQ btw?

trisher thankfully we do have free speech and you can continue to enjoy your belief.?

trisher Or indeed - right on!

(showing my age here)

trisher Too right!

trisher?

Whatever the meaning of the words there is no doubt that the word fascist is deleted and I been informed that the langiuage wasn't acceptable, but I have been called communist and the post has remained. So it would seem that either GNHQ trawl the posts identify "fascist" and delete the post, but don't bother with communist, or us left wingers are much more tolerant than right wingers and don't report posts. Personally I'd stick with that and say left wingers believe in free speech and their actions support their beliefs.

Good post Alexa.

If any poster describes another poster's claim as a fascist claim I'd say that is okay.

But if any poster describes another poster as 'a fascist' or 'a communist' , or 'a Christian ', or 'a dentist' that is okay only if the poster self identifies as such and such. It's wrong to brand or characterise a person against their will.

Having said that I'd make allowances for exchanges of insults when all the participants are clearly enjoying the badinage.

I mean whatever a person professes to believe is not that person because anyone might learn differently.

The current government might be described as solid right, not quite hard right, certainly not far right. They certainly have the majority in Westminster to do what they want for the next 4 yrs.
It’s hard to see an alternative to austerity, we will continue investing in infrastructure, HS2, nuclear and renewable power, housing, all of which are a short term drain on resources rather than increasing income from the start. Don’t expect any giveaways,

There would probably be some disagreement as to whether our current government could be described as right, centre right, or far right.

Whichever description you believe applies, I think the ruling elite (including big business and much of the mainstream media), via this government, "controlled and manipulated the population at large" into swallowing the "there is no alternative to austerity" mantra, a policy which has proved to be neither true nor to have served this country and its people well.

“Perhaps you would like to inform us how the far left in the UK in anyway resembles the Communist Party? “

In the right political situation the far left and the far right behave in exactly the same way, the ruling elite control and manipulate the population at large. We have seen this many times during our own lifetimes and in several countries it is happening now.

My last post in reply to Tweedle24 Tue 09-Jun-20 17:03:39.

The more you think about it Tweedle, if that is what they are doing they are using a useful lie - but a lie is the worst sort of argument surely?

In my mind the words ‘communism’ and ‘fascism’ feel like right and left wing extremism.

The issue is that if people use them in that way they are misusing language in order to gain power in the conversation. It ends up distorting the whole discussion.

To confuse things even more (unless someone has said this already) :
The political party that Hitler headed was called the National Socialist Party, Abbreviated to NAZI party. Related to the German Worker's party.
So does socialism come into the extreme right as well as the left?

No I haven’t read all the previous posts describing communism - don’t need to. I was talking about fascism and the description thereof.

In my mind the words ‘communism’ and ‘fascism’ feel like right and left wing extremism. I know they are not the official definitions but, those words do carry those connotations. I doubt many people would like to consider themselves extremists either way, hence the sensitivity,

tickingbird I assume by your last sentence (15.48) that you are referring to the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn. I assume that you have read all the previous posts where Communism has been described. Perhaps you would like to inform us how the far left in the UK in anyway resembles the Communist Party?

I'm left of centre and an LP supporter. There are some on here who are further to the left than I am. I don't suppose any of them would support the Communist Party today.

Fascism apparently refers to far right, authoritarian, ultra nationalistic government with the suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society. I think there are elements of this among right wing people (particularly the nationalistic/regimental aspects) but I believe the vast majority would not subscribe to all these aims

Sounds like China or Russia. Any communist regime come to that. The far left in this country brook no opposition but, thankfully, the Great British public told them where to get off !

My point was that posts can and do get reported. Secondly there are such selective memories on here. Often criticising another poster for something you have done yourself. There was no need to copy and paste that long jumbled mass of figures.

As for GN not removing posts you’ve reported it’s obviously because they see no need. They maintain ‘no personal attacks’ so remove them. I don’t know why being branded a communist should be considered a personal attack so maybe GN feel the same. Ask them.

Yes good post Eloethan.
Like you I've always been leftwing, having grown up in a coalmining town. I have a friend from years back who is a member of the Communist party, and another from my working years. Neither could be called a loony left etc. Both women.
I looked into it myself thinking of joining but there were a few principles I didn't agree with 100%.

Good post, Eloethan

I wouldn't be surprised if he has a little minion doing just that Gagajo - although I'm sure there must be several posts about him on GN which he wouldn't like at all.

They remove posts sometimes if they think it might be libellous. I wrote something about Trump ages ago and got a 'your post has been deleted because it possibly contains libellous material'. I'm pretty sure Trump isn't scouring GN to remove rude stuff about himself.