My suggestion about posting with a link indicates a way in which people who have their posts blocked, rightly or wrongly, can still have their say. They could even use it to find out if anyone else agreed with them that some post should not have been blocked or removed. I think that would be good enough for me, should that ever happen to a post I felt strongly about.

Well let's examine the logic of your suggestion of the use of other sites and turn it around a little.

Over time - many folk are attracted this particular open discussion forum. In my case it was refreshing to find a place where pedants did not hold sway, and where there were few if any rules imposed. The credit for this was mainly Max's but long-term contributors like Joe certainly helped to encourage this atmosphere - which in turn attracted more people and so on.

Over time - and for whatever reason. Disatisfaction is expressed by some which has now reached a point where we now find ourselves with hard-and fast rules and a ruling elite to impose their judgement upon everyone else (in order to protect us from us). There would also appear to be many who support this (not that they are given much choice) and seem to think that all this has something to do with the spirit that has made this forum the fine place - that despite all these fairly recent imposed measures - it still just about manages to be.

But it is time to accept that there IS only one direction that the forum is headed - towards more of this overt control, more rules, more needless division and more pedantic imposed judgement and not away from it. With the idea expressed of - well if you don't like (what 'we' have now turned it into) - you can go somewhere else or start your own site.

Perhaps those who find fault with most aspects of an open forum and who have now taken over control - those who make and impose the rules and judgement and who do not seem to like this open discussion forum to be a place where open discussion is tolerated and permitted to take place - and those that support all this - should really be the ones encouraged to start their own site?

One where the rules could be placed up-front and if they like - they can moan and introduce a new rule every day.

Let us get this straight - I (like many others) like this open discussion forum. I accept the downside of this openess and I do NOT moan about this. Perhaps those that do consantly moan and find fault with the freedom of Max's original concept (always so crucial to The Mudcat Forum) can please put all of their pedantry, control, judgement and moans - on another website and leave the rest of us alone?

If not - perhaps and for start - they can stop telling others to go away and work towards a return to the inclusive spirit that still struggles to survive on Max's and our - fine open discussion forum?