Osmosis

To be honest, it's not just the language that's used that's worrying. Is it actually ok for someone to demand of another where they were born? To post up their 'credentials'? I don't think he's asking about my academic qualifications. It's bullying.

My point Colin, is that there appear to be double standards in force here, both amongst the posters and also in the moderation of the forum. Some of my comments have been rude, and I've been called out for them, and possibly rightly criticised, and marked down. But why is 'knuckle-dragging wingnut' not ok, and yet 'loony left tree-hugger', and plenty of other stuff, goes unremarked?

Thank you Ubique. Interesting to learn what you say. It lends some perspective to the other views he has expressed about migrants, Muslims and refugees, views which would not be tolerated at least officially in the police service. One thinks immediately of Stephen Lawrence.

Rudeness, it seems, is not only tolerated but applauded on this forum when posted by those on the right, but not by those on the left. But I'll wear your loathing with pride, to quote a man who is the antithesis of you Roger.

Fair enough. But cut and pasting a whole article without acknowledging where it came from may lead people to assume you wrote it yourself, even though the quality of the writing is totally different to anything you've ever posted before.

I've no problem with people pasting quotes and references from the papers and elsewhere, I've done it myself. That's different to pasting whole, unattributed articles. In my view, it doesn't further the debate to simply republish stuff people can read for themselves if you provide a link.

I get on fine with 'the locals', Roger with-no-surname; most of them are Tories but they're not the rabid xenophobes I've encountered on here, and I certainly don't judge them. This forum hosts a handful of regular posters, some of whom hold extreme right-wing views, which I don't think reflect those of the county generally, otherwise we'd have Nigel Ely as our MP, or worse. What 'credentials' do I need exactly in order to post on here? And who do you think you are to demand them? Have you got the right credentials Roger? Let me guess: white, male, Hereford born-and-bred, and certainly not with a surname like Khan.

I'm an immigrant Roger!

Well done Rebecca! You can cut and paste from the Spectator! Try reading a bit more widely.

I don't come on here because I think everyone agrees with me, quite the opposite. What I object to is being told I'm talking tripe, by people who never back up their own arguments with any facts, and don't know the difference between debt and deficit. But ignorance is no barrier to an opinion, as this forum repeatedly demonstrates. I'm sure you must be aware that there is a group on here who swarm over any left-of-centre comment with seriously vicious diatribes. I haven't been contributing on here for very long, but long enough to find out what the general consensus is. Please do let me know, if this is a forum for right wingers only, or if we are all free to express our views? This forum is held in contempt by many people in Hereford, for the narrow and ignorant views that are routinely expressed on here.

How much debt was left by the Labour government Rebecca, and what do you think they spent the money on?

We have common ground politically, just as you do with others on here. Are you all joined at the hip? You certainly act like a pack.

You are right Dippy. The faux outrage on here about women being molested was a transparent attempt to claim that refugee=rapist. Not one person on here expressed any outrage over the reported rape in Belmont last year.

Talk sense to a fool, and he will call you foolish.

The reason for lack of funding to local authorities, doctors and nurses, care for the elderly, etc. is not because we can't afford it. The cuts to services are ideologically driven, because fundamentally the Tories don't want the state to be providing people with services, they want you to go out and pay for it yourself. They can find the money to fund wars and bombing FFS; if they can do that then they need to fund the resultant refugee crisis..