Comments policy on this Blog

Since I switched off comment moderation on this blog more than a year ago, I have been given very little reason to regret that decision.

Unfortunately in the last week I have had to remove three offensive posts.

In the interest of free debate I often allow people to post here criticism of people I like and of decisions I agree with, but there are certain limits to what I will tolerate and one of them is that people's kids are off limits. Full stop.

I know some people involved in politics make a big thing of their family but I have always tried to protect my children's privacy, which is why you will never find their photographs on my election literature. Nor have I ever gone after a political opponent on the basis of anything concerning their children. I know it happens, but I do not regard that particular tactic as part of legitimate political debate, whoever it comes from, and I will not have it on this blog, whoever does it, and regardless of whose children are being mentioned.

I also consider guilt by association to be a discreditable tactic and have removed a post which appeared to be trying to infer something extremely nasty by means of an association for which there is no reliable evidence.

I also have a set of obit rules - if I publish a "Rest in Peace" post about someone who as just died it I will not accept posts critical of the deceased. That is because there is a non-trivial possibility that their friends and family might search the internet looking for tributes to the loved one they have lost and find such a post instead.

If you want to have a constructive political debate I welcome your views even if I disagree with them and there are literally thousands of posts I have allowed to stand on this blog which it should be obvious do not reflect my own opinions to prove it. But if you want to post personal attacks and innuendo, please set up your own blog or website and leave mine alone.

Comments

Sean Duffy said…
I really don't know what goes through the heads of people some of the time.. and with certain people, all of the time.
Chris Whiteside said…
Indeed. Thanks, Sean.
Jim said…
Very odd, Usually its me who instigates an opinion you don't agree with, but I have to say fair play, never once has a comment been refused.

Its odd that some people just cant draw the line between an interesting subject for debate, even expressing a different opinion, and breaking the clear blog rules.

Its quite saddling really

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