Shambles when I joined in 1999, I could see it had BS and music. I could also slso see there was discontent over this issue, a situation which contiued by my rekoning until late 2002/ early 2003.

You talk as if this discontent was now over? I see no evidence of this. We have just had one of our 'moderators' start a thread asking for a separate forum for political BS. Although that thread has now been closed. And this thread is partly in response to that one.

Well I think you may agree that you can't please all of the people all of the time? You have to clearly say this is it - warts and all - take it or leave it. And that includes BS or non music related threads and posts.

For people (especially when they can do this from a distance or anonymously) need no encouragement to pass judgement on, complain and gossip about what others may choose to do. Once you do encourage the minding of everyone else's business - there is no going back.

There are posters who are encouraged to haunt the Mudcat Help & Trouble Forum just in order to mind everyone else's business. It has always been my view that request for editing action should be limited only to one's own posts.

And then you have the current Chief of the Mudcat Editing Team who does not give the message that - this is it - warts and all. He makes it perfectly clear that BS is secondary. That it is a wart that he would rather hide (or now limit to members only).

I am not saying he is not welcome to his view - but it is one that is at odds with the site's owner and one that causes conflict.