New asylum rules

I didn’t report her btw. I didn’t report either of them. In fact I’ve only ever reported a handful of posts and they were months ago.

Confrontational is another persons challenge

If I wanted a challenge I’d put myself forward for the London Marathon.
I don’t want a challenge - I just want to chat ( occasionally ) about political issues calmly.
Growstuff was a poster who stopped me from coming on here. Her posting style was just too aggressive. I’m sure she’s lovely in real life but she did come across as very angry.

We’ve also lost Claremont who is one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

^ It is to be expected if not desirably so on threads like N&P.
^

Desirably? Nope.

To be clear, I have neither read nor reported the two banned posters. Ever.
Have not a clue what has been going on.

They are banned. I know this because when I was banned for a couple of days, they were kind enough to seek out my private email through another friend on GN and so they have contacted me since.

Growstuff had no idea that she had been banned. GN simply did not have the manners to tell her until she enquired. I do think that they need a re-think.

fancythat

Especially by posters who have been here the longest.

People know each other in the real world from meet ups etc. although there don’t seem to be as many meet ups as there used to be.

Kandinsky

I don’t know much about stripeygran but I always found growstuff extremely confrontational.

Confrontational is another persons challenge.

So we can all be challenging at times. It is to be expected if not desirably so on threads like N&P.

I would advise posters who prefer not to be challenged to avoid challenging threads.

However, I would also like to see posters much less willing to push the reported button and deal with the challenging thread in a more mature way.

And how about people being adult enough to say that they think that the post is reportable, and give the poster a chance either to detract the post or explain in more depth what they mean.

Surely we can deal with this without running to GN!!

We just need to persuade them to reinstate the latest lot of bans - it really is getting a bit ridiculous - and perhaps we can all agree a way forward without continually reporting?

I never saw anything that J thought broke the rules by Stripeygran or Growstuff could anybody say how they know if they have been banned or suspended?

Kandinsky

I don’t know much about stripeygran but I always found growstuff extremely confrontational.

We all have different opinions about posters and make different judgements,

IMO I don't think either have seriously breached the guidelines.

I don’t know much about stripeygran but I always found growstuff extremely confrontational.

Catching up and sharing the general feeling that Growstuff and stripey contribute interesting points of view.

I appreciate the mods follow guidelines but recently it’s seemed looking at one post in isolation can result in bans or suspensions. I also find it hard not to conclude targeting and provoking an issue

Does anyone know if it’s a brief suspension or a ban. I can’t imagine either of them deserving a ban and I’m concerned even if suspended

Especially by posters who have been here the longest.

Aveline

How do you know if someone has been banned? I've seen posts deleted but not seen anything to say a poster has been actually banned? Not being awkward, I just want to understand whats going on.

There seems to be a surprising amount of talk behind the scenes.

TheatreLover

MaizieD

I was sorry to see that both StripeyGran and Growstuff have been banished, and hope they can be reinstated.

How do you know that?

It always amazes me how people get to know things

I do hope they are reinstated, growstuff in particular. She's a long standing and knowledgeable poster, if a bit tetchy at times.

I'm sorry if I got that wrong. Another poster said that StripeyGran can't post right now, just as Growstuff can't anymore, so I apologise to the two posters concerned. Should I ask for my incorrect post to be deleted.

Oh, I'm not saying you got it wrong, no ned to apologise. I'm just always surprised how people get to know these things. I was the mum at the school gate who always got to hear things last😆

How do you know if someone has been banned? I've seen posts deleted but not seen anything to say a poster has been actually banned? Not being awkward, I just want to understand whats going on.

Whitewavemark2

The trouble not having time babs is that decisions will of necessity be poor and ill thought out.

I agree 😞

The trouble not having time babs is that decisions will of necessity be poor and ill thought out.

I agree with WWM news &politics in particular will be all the poorer for not having their contributions. And would warn against posters piling onto one poster, is mob mentality and quite often the poster will snap and say something ill thought out. Sadly GN haven’t to time to sift through pile ons.

Aveline

Have they been banned or maybe just stopped contributing to this thread?

They have been banned.

ronib

The next big performance is a discussion about Farage as a day boy at Dulwich College. Some reports in The Guardian (of course) are obviously intended to smear but it sounds a bit desperate? Predictable too?

I assume you’ve heard of the things he said and did in his youth ( Nazi sympathiser etc). What’s wrong with the electorate knowing these things?

MaizieD

^I was sorry to see that both StripeyGran and Growstuff have been banished, and hope they can be reinstated.^

How do you know that?

It always amazes me how people get to know things

I do hope they are reinstated, growstuff in particular. She's a long standing and knowledgeable poster, if a bit tetchy at times.

I'm sorry if I got that wrong. Another poster said that StripeyGran can't post right now, just as Growstuff can't anymore, so I apologise to the two posters concerned. Should I ask for my incorrect post to be deleted.

Yes - regarding to disliking people. Of course no one likes everyone - that’s life!

But to report someone because you dislike them is a bit puerile imo.

The issue with banning people is that they often contribute a lot to the site as a whole, both knowledgeably and with grace, as a result gain respect from fellow posters.

A few years ago people were banned initially for a short period, the reason was explained both to the person banned and posters at large, and this makes much more sense than the system they seem to have now, which is veiled and sudden. Moderators were also much more approachable and we knew them by name, indeed they occasionally joined into threads. Now if you contact GN they are much more defensive and seem to lack confidence.

Back a while, they certainly had the confidence to both engage with posters and explain the reasoning behind decisions rather than “ does not adhere to rules” which in itself is, as we are all aware not always true.

Of course it is not an easy job, and I suspect that the defensiveness has arisen as a result of the change in the way people interact now, which is much more divisive than it ever was previously.

I am sorry to see that once again posters have been banned without the chance for redemption or due consideration. The site is the poorer as a result of these sort of decisions.

Have they been banned or maybe just stopped contributing to this thread?

I hope those banned are reinstated, seems to have happened a few times over the past few weeks to different posters none of whom were abusive or disruptive. And in my book getting tetchy because of a pile on doesn’t count. I have responded like this in these circumstances and am pretty sure others have too.
But as WWM said is a bit of a lottery. GN/MNHQ have so many posts to deal with and so many reports from individual posters above other posters they dislike, that quite often decisions are not made thoroughly and mistakes can happen.
But I think we can help reduce the chance of posters being banned by not reporting them unless they have been completely dreadful and need to go. Simply not liking someone and so wanting to silence them is not how this site should work. And I do think that in this case there are those who have conspired to cause a banning.
However, that is my opinion, and is no reflection upon GN who cannot keep on top of everything but do their best in the majority of cases.