Yes, here too there be an entrenched Folk Mafia. A patriarch hierarchy of Good Ole Boys (and a few token gals to mop up after them when they behave really badly).
And yep, you are soooo right there Smiley MacColl, the Mudcat duffers have gotten exactly what they've deserved hanging on with all their might to their place in the forum pecking order.
Why, I think they might bury a few of the forum folk with their keyboards and mouse, and put "A COURAGEOUS MEMBER WITH A NAME of mudcat.org" on their tombstones.