Politics Forum Charter, Guidelines & Information Resources - Updated 19/07/2014

Dr Galen wrote:

This Charter lists the general guidelines on conduct in the Politics forum. It is not an exhaustive list and the general rule in the politics forum is "Use common sense when posting".

The charter may be updated at any time. Look for the revision dates in the thread title.

It is the responsibility of the user to be familiar with the charter. We will try to make it as obvious as possible to all users when an update occurs. Ignorance of the charter will not be accepted as an excuse for rule breaking.


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Politics Forum Rules

The following are general rules on conduct in the Politics Forum. Some points may be expanded in subsequent posts.

We have also created a summary of the charter, with some general posting rules. This can be found above.

Some guidelines on posting, rules, content and common topics can be found in the posts that follow this charter.


1. Starting Threads

Topics should be relevant to the politics board.

Topics should not be verbatim quotes from some article without comment from the thread starter. Add a comment before or after the post, offering your opinion on the subject.

Please remember that we are not a blog, a news feed nor an announcement forum - if you are not willing to discuss what you post, then please don't post it. Thread will be locked and posters may face a sanction for repeatedly breaking this rule.


If a quoted article is available online, please supply a link to the article rather than quoting the entire article verbatim.

This isn't AH or Humour. Threads (and posts) that are not based on serious and legitimate Political discussion will be removed without warning. For the lighter side of Politics we have the Politics Cafe.

The Politics Cafe is not a free for all though, and we expect a certain level of discussion there, even though it is less serious.



2. Posting in Threads

Replies should be kept on-topic. We realise that threads may naturally "drift", but there are limits.

If you wish to discuss a separate issue which has arisen in a discussion, then take it to a separate thread, and post a link in the original thread if you feel it appropriate. Feel free to contact a Forum Mod if you need assistance with this, we’ll be glad to help out.

When offering an opinion, please state so. Please do not present an opinion as "fact" - it only leads to flaming and a moderator may demand further evidence.

When offering fact, please offer relevant linkage, or at least source. Simply saying "a quick search on google...." is often, but not always, enough. If you do not do this upon posting, then please be willing to do so on request.

Every poster is entitled to their opinion - whether it is ill-informed or not.

NEVER attack a poster. Attack the content of their post. (You can tell someone that their opinion is based on incomplete or incorrect information, but do not call them an idiot.)

Keep your language civil, particularly when referring to other posters and people in the public eye. Using unsavoury language does not add to your argument. The following words are not permitted specifically by this charter:

• Scumbag (or a variant)
• Beard(s)
• Crusties
• Teabagger(s)
• Unwashed hippies (or a variant)
• Zanu-FF
• sheeple
• zionazis

This is not an exhaustive list, and Moderator discretion remains.


If you are going to level allegations of lying at another poster, please be willing to prove that they are lying - that they deliberately intend to deceive. Simply calling someone a liar is not acceptable.

This forum is for discussion and debate, we will not tolerate soapboxing. If you are here to "shout everyone down" with your opinions, we will see you as a negative contributor to the forum and will take appropriate action.

Posting a link to a video hosted elsewhere does not constitute discussion. Not everyone is able to watch videos, for technical or other reasons, and points raised on a video are almost impossible to refute. It's OK to link to a video, but it should be accompanied by a detailed summary of its contents and arguments, and you must be prepared to discuss it.

Deliberately misleading posts or posters aiming to spread misinformation will be sanctioned. We do not expect posters to be experts in all areas, however, the onus is on all posters to fact check their information. If a poster is corrected, or information corrected in a thread, any poster who continues to relate misinformation as fact will be sanctioned.

Please note that any post deemed to incite hatred or promote violence will be dealt with in the strictest possible manner. Whatever your politics we expect discussion in a manner fit for adults, but first and foremost human beings.
Celebration/promotion/triumphing of murder, violence or aggression will result in an immediate banning from the forum and deletion of your posts.

In a similar vein, if all you can post about a recently deceased public figure is "rot in hell" or similar, don't post. Such posts aren't political discussion and generate endless pointless rounds of flaming - they will be infracted and/or deleted.

This is an anonymous board - it's perfectly possible for someone to pretend they are a PS worker posting on work time, a private sector worker doing the same, or to do either and deny that that's what's happening - you have no way of knowing what the truth is.

Posters therefore don't have any right to ask such an otherwise pointless question as "are you a PS worker posting on taxpayer's time" because it clearly puts the other poster in a cleft stick, where they are discredited whether they answer or not. "I'm just asking" is not a defence.



3. Reporting & Moderation

If you have a problem with a post, USE THE REPORT POST FUNCTION. Do not respond to the post in question. There are to be no allegations of trollery in-thread. It's another form of personal attack and posters will be infracted and/or banned for this.

If they agree with the complaint, moderators may edit/delete any reported post. Moderators will review all complaints and act at their discretion.

Moderators may also edit/delete any post/thread which in their opinion breaks the rules, whether it was reported or not.

When an argument breaks out, we will not care who started it. It takes at least two people to have an argument, and both sides will be dealt with appropriately.

Moderators may warn individuals of unacceptable behaviour, but not on a repetitive basis and if the situation warrants, users may be banned without warning. Repeated infractions will result in bans.

The moderators will not discuss their moderating in the Politics threads. If you wish to discuss moderation, there is one specific thread to do so here. This is the only thread in this forum where moderation may be discussed. If you wish to discuss an issue with a moderator privately or directly, either PM the moderators, or take it to the appropriate forum

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4. Linking Off Site

Linking to Journals, Blogs or any other forum to insult people, or abuse via signatures will be taken as if the insult was posted on this forum.

Some links to material that some people may find disturbing may arise during the course of a discussion. We reserve the right to edit or delete these links if they are determined to be off the topic or otherwise not relevant to the conversation. We may also pull the link if it is particularly graphic or obscene. If you are going to link to potentially offensive material then be sure to include a clear warning as to the nature of the material you have linked.
It is also advisable to give some information as to the nature of the material to which you have linked. For example, if it links to a video clip, include a brief description of what the clip entails.

Any poster that adds a link to an illegal organisation or one that advocates illegal activities will be banned from Politics. This includes any links in users Signatures.



5. Duplicate Accounts

Any user suspected by the moderators of using a duplicate account on politics will have the duplicate account(s) and their original account banned permanently from the forum. The moderators may also petition the admins to ban the duplicate accounts and original account from boards permanently as well.


6. Political Canvassing

Do not advertise your party on here in posts.

This is not allowed. Any posts deemed to be solely for the purpose of advertising a party many earn people a ban. If you want advertising, pay for it.