OK, and all I can do is tell you that "Geordie UK" is another iteration of "Richie Black," a troll who has been plaguing us for years. I can't do anything about him. If I delete his messages, it goads him to post more. If I delete his membership, he'll post under another membership. No matter what I do, he can come up with a counter-move. The only thing that can frustrate him, is if we do not respond to him at all...and so I ask you to respond to him with silence instead of giving him the attention he craves. And no matter how distasteful he is, he does serve to express a hateful point of view that is present and increasingly popular in Europe - and in the United States.

I'm disgusted with all of you who get so bent out of shape about our putative failure to control trolls here. We moderators really try hard to keep trolls under control, and I think we do a better job than a lot of commercial Websites - U.S. newspaper Websites, for example. We do find it's best to do it slowly and quietly and subtly - and with the cooperation of our regular posters. You people dumped all over me last week because you couldn't ignore a two-line troll message in the thread on the 1993 Stephen Lawrence murder - and I'm sick of it. Hell, I've even had people threaten to take legal action against me because I failed to do thus-and-such. [I wonder how far you'd get in a lawsuit against a volunteer moderator.] I just can't understand why you people can't accept the fact that troll messages are part of being on the Internet. This is an imperfect world, and you can't expect every person in it to post according to your specifications. If Richie Black posts (under whatever name), I'm likely to leave his posts right where they are. If Mudcatters can't resist responding, I'm likely to simply close the thread.

Now, if that's not good enough, contact Max directly and ask him to develop systems to keep "Richie" under control. I've contacted Max many times and suggested members-only posting in the non-music section, MAC tracking in addition to IP tracking, and verification of membership by issuing passwords by e-mail. I warn you, however, that no amount of control is going to work perfectly; and every added control will limit the freedom we've all enjoyed here. But if you don't have what it takes to ignore our trolls, then contact Max and get after him to set up controls.

But before Richie Black, it was Martin Gibson who ran rampant here and feasted on the deliciously self-righteous indignation of Mudcatters. And before him, it was that woman from Minnesota. And no matter what controls Max institutes, there will be other trolls. Therefore, the best solution is to accept it that trolls are a fact of life on the Internet, and learn to ignore them.

As Keith said in the original post:

I think we all know what BNP stand for, so let's leave them out of it.
Let's ignore trolling guests who will try to cause friction.

If you discuss immigration here, somebody is bound to post things that you consider distasteful. Live with it.

-Joe Offer-