Well, Sham, I am sorry to say I find your arguments unfounded and a bit whingy. Joe never said being from the uK was undesireable, and you know it. He just wondered why the current lot of spitting and hissing was coming from there. So you're altering what he said, for rhetorical purposes.

Amos I am sure you realise that Joe and I have had a number of exchanges over the years and my view of Joe is not formed only on his comments in this thread. You may not have been party to all of these exchanges but I am sure you have the ability to read between the lines and perhaps you could address some of my points? For this is not personal - it is a serious point about the forum and about power. Joe's seemingly limitless power to do and say exactly as he wishes on our forum - and our lack of power.

Joe knows full well that my beef is not the deletions of my postings. He is now sure that the only posts of mine that he has deleted were the ones he refers to - the last time he contacted me he was not so sure. However, the point is that I am bloody sure that I have not deleted any of Joe's or anyone else's postings and I do not have to try and justify the grounds on which these were made. The point is that we are not communicating as equals.

On the forum, my views and yours Amos - are just that. Joe's views have slowly over the years become - the word of Mudcat law. Not just on abusive guests but on all his personal prejudices about what he will allow the forum to be. That is not the spirit of forum that I was attracted to many years ago and I do not believe it is the spirit that Max intended. I just question if it really has to be this way?

Many years ago Joe had his same wishes for the forum but confined these to suggestions, encouragement and by setting an example for others to follow. My wish is simply that he offers to hand back his edit button and returns to this model. For the example that he is now setting and others are sadly following is one of passing judgement and of minding everyone else's business and one of deleting rather than contributing.

Amos you still have not come up with any ideas or alternatives on how the forum can deal with its abusive guests without resorting to the clumsy measures which started this thread. For is it not possible that Joe's authoritarian posturing actually causes many normally peaceable posters to intentionally find ways of tripping him up?