In no way was my opening post aimed at anybody, nor was it particularly about any thread. I quoted Joe because I thought his comment succinctly identified a problem that bedevils a lot of threads. Any time a thread is closed some post is inevitably the last one, but I'd see it as a mistake to think that is the reason for it being closed.

Actually, in comparison with most forums where these kind of topics get discussed, the Cat is a relatively civilised place, thanks largely I am sure to Joe and Co.

My impression is that there are two traps that Internet forums tend to fall into - one is where the differences constantly turn toxic, and the clashes just become needlessly unpleasant, and pointless. The other is where everybody agrees with each other, and they just confirm each other’s views. Neither makes for interesting or productive discussion.

Most of the time the Cat manages to steer clear of either extreme, and different views can get expressed and explored.   But sometimes it goes wrong, and that could happen less often.