Big Al:

I think you will find that it is Jim and his pals who are getting worked up.

I agree that Mudcat is supposed to be about 'knowledge'. That is why it seems worth while to try to sort the myth, propaganda and 'PR' from what few facts we have. But even attempts to do just this, as in the book by Roud, or in Steve Gardham's studies relating to broadsheets, or in the excellent biographies of A L Lloyd of Ewan MacColl, or in anything remotely viewable as 'academic' get subjected to the sort of abusive and personalised unpleasantness that Steve Shaw and The Sandman have nicely demonstrated in their recent posts.

It would help if people made an effort to distinguish between an attack on a person and disagreement with what they say. This seems to be a step too far for some.