A word of thanks to our moderators here.

DeVore

As the Lisbon treaty comes to a close I'd like to thank the moderators for hard and often nerve-shredding work. Well done lads, its much appreciated.

The real thanks can be seen in a forum of robust debate. I learned more genuine information (on both sides!) from this forum then any other source online or offline.

You should be rightly proud of what has been accomplished here.


DeV.

ei.sdraob

Yes they certainly

didnt shy away from spreading love all around and keeping both sides in check despite continuous accusations from certain people from a certain other site

goes and counts his infractions ....

Sam Vimes

ei.sdraob wrote: »

goes and counts his infractions ....

I only got one \o/

Apparently you're not allowed ask someone if they're trolling which is fair enough I suppose

meglome

A lot of us have picked up some infractions. But I think they did a great job and were very balanced in their moderation.

prinz

Yup good job to all the Moderators, and Darragh for the interviews. Made it all the way to late last night without getting an infraction

5uspect

+1, I've lurked here a good bit recently and found the moderation exceptional is such a fast moving forum.

MrMatisse

3 infractions. I win!

turgon

And dont forget Darragh either! Putting himself out there and getting interviews with some high profile political people was great and should act as an encouragement for us to to the same. Cheers bud!

ei.sdraob

turgon wrote: »

And dont forget Darragh either! Putting himself out there and getting interviews with some high profile political people was great and should act as an encouragement for us to to the same. Cheers bud!

yep i didnt know boards.ie had blogs by certain members until he put up the videos

marco_polo

Sam Vimes wrote: »

I only got one \o/

Apparently you're not allowed ask someone if they're trolling which is fair enough I suppose

None for me . Although I possibly had a toe on the line once or twice.

Anyway seconded great job done, in what could be charitably be described as a 'fairly' heated environment, by Scofflaw, OscarBravo, nesf, bonkey and sceptre!

Rb

Great job guys, thank you very much.

And I say that despite the amount of infractions and/or bans I've received

PopeBuckfastXVI

For the mods...
http://www.redribbongifts.co.uk/images/large_pink_bouquet.jpg

Max Power1

DeVore wrote: »

As the Lisbon treaty comes to a close I'd like to thank the moderators for hard and often nerve-shredding work. Well done lads, its much appreciated.

The real thanks can be seen in a forum of robust debate. I learned more genuine information (on both sides!) from this forum then any other source online or offline.

You should be rightly proud of what has been accomplished here.


DeV.

Indeed, I can only second what Dev has said here.
I have been a lurker in this area for a while, but the issue of the referendum has turned me to a poster here.

Hellrazer

DeVore wrote: »

I learned more genuine information (on both sides!) from this forum then any other source online or offline.

Same here.Got absolutely sick and tired reading the papers and watching broadcast media with the tit for tat arguments.

Got more of my concerns answered and allievated through the politics forum that any other source.

Long Onion

Thanks very much fellas - no infractions though - I must be one of those damn centerist-populist fellas

sceptre

Really-Stressed wrote: »

3 infractions. I win!

You'd think that but no... you didn't even receive the most of the people who've already posted on the thread...:)



Anyhoo, thanks for the kind words you've sent our way guys, definitely appreciated.

And obviously we're hoping, if you've only started reading or contributing here since the Lisbon debate started, that you'll stick around:) More topics on all things Politics = more expansion and that'd be fantastic

wylo

Id like to also add my thanks, every single thing that bothered me about the treaty I questioned here and was given a fair and referenced response.
It gave me confidence in my vote.

FrankGrimes

As a lurker who frequently reads this forum (but don't have time for the debates I'd inevitably get involved in!) I just want to add my thanks both to the moderators for their tireless work and also to the frequent posters that provide the bulk of the very helpful information on here. Extremely informative and well moderated.

I've often listened to debates on radio and TV and thought 'there's no way you should let him/her away with that, they wouldn't get away with that on the Boards.ie Politics forum' and I guess that says a lot for the way things are moderated here and the onus is on the person making allegations to provide substance instead of allowing totally unfounded wild allegations which just reduce the quality of debate.

Gingervitis

FrankGrimes wrote: »

As a lurker who frequently reads this forum (but don't have time for the debates I'd inevitably get involved in!) I just want to add my thanks both to the moderators for their tireless work and also to the frequent posters that provide the bulk of the very helpful information on here. Extremely informative and well moderated.

I've often listened to debates on radio and TV and thought 'there's no way you should let him/her away with that, they wouldn't get away with that on the Boards.ie Politics forum' and I guess that says a lot for the way things are moderated here and the onus is on the person making allegations to provide substance instead of allowing totally unfounded wild allegations which just reduce the quality of debate.

This. Thanks as well

Boskowski

DeVore wrote: »

As the Lisbon treaty comes to a close I'd like to thank the moderators for hard and often nerve-shredding work. Well done lads, its much appreciated.

The real thanks can be seen in a forum of robust debate. I learned more genuine information (on both sides!) from this forum then any other source online or offline.

You should be rightly proud of what has been accomplished here.


DeV.

Well, yes and no.

For starters I think the robust debate as you call it may have been that at times, but lately I think the standard has gone down a lot.

It really turned into a shouting/bullying match where at times I can really visualize red-faced, rage-fueled people screaming nothing but one word - "lies" - on the other side of that keyboard. It hasn't been pretty at times and I'd accuse mostly some of the militant 'Yes' supporters of that.

I've seen threads where 'No' arguments were mocked down by the sheer number of 'Yes' supporters and when the thread had run its course they actually seem to have felt like 'winners' all the while not realizing that their own arguments were just as hollow and they're only following someone elses propaganda while accusing the others of the same.

Which is of course not the moderators fault and most heated internet debates go like that. On the webs usually half the people on each side hardly know what they're talking about anyway and usually the louder the voice the smaller the brains. That's the way it goes when people are protected by anonymity.

I think overall the mods did probably a good job although at times I felt a hint of bias. But maybe it just felt like that to me because the screaming 'Yes' mob annoyed me so much at times.

gandalf

Well done lads in keeping the discussion flowing and stamping down on the rubbish.

free-man

gandalf wrote: »

Well done lads in keeping the discussion flowing and stamping down on the rubbish.

Shouldn't this be in the helpdesk forum?

Fair play to the mods, I had heard stories of unfair bannings and bias but never came across it in my time here.

Good work.

The_Minister

I thought that the mods were fantastic, and didn't take no guff from anyone.

Sam Vimes

realcam wrote: »

I've seen threads where 'No' arguments were mocked down by the sheer number of 'Yes' supporters and when the thread had run its course they actually seem to have felt like 'winners' all the while not realizing that their own arguments were just as hollow and they're only following someone elses propaganda while accusing the others of the same.

No you see that's what certain people on the no side don't seem to realise. I'm following no one's propaganda mate, I've looked up the facts, the figures and the evidence. When I say something's a lie, that's because I looked it up, not because someone else told me it is. If there was an interpretation of an article I read it myself and made up my own mind.

The people on the no side, on the other hand, were invariably giving propaganda interpretations that came from the no campaign. I know this because it was always the same old misconceptions that no one reading the treaty fully in an unbiased way could come to.

Take for example the "self-amending" article:

6. The Government of any Member State, the European Parliament or the Commission may submit to the European Council proposals for revising all or part of the provisions of Part Three of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union relating to the internal policies and action of the Union.

The European Council may adopt a decision amending all or part of the provisions of Part Three of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The European Council shall act by unanimity after consulting the European Parliament and the Commission, and the European Central Bank in the case of institutional changes in the monetary area. That decision shall not enter into force until it is approved by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

Anyone who read it themselves would see the part in bold and see that it doesn't effect our right to referendums but because people from the no campaign kept shouting "self-amending" over and over again they believed it, not because there was any evidence to back it up but most likely because they had made the assumption that the government were the ones lying and anyone who said something contrary to them was telling the truth. Well much as I'd like to say the government were lying because it would damage their credibility even more, they weren't and I know that because I looked up the facts for myself.

edit: and how the hell anyone can interpret "(iii) the Decision is legally binding and will take effect on the date of entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon;" to mean anything but exactly that without prompting from the no campaign is beyond me

Boskowski

Sam Vimes wrote: »

No you see that's what certain people on the no side don't seem to realise. .....

It's over m8. Relax. I wasn't necessarily talking about you anyway

prinz

realcam wrote: »

It's over m8. Relax. I wasn't necessarily talking about you anyway

So who do you include in "the screaming Yes mob"?

meditraitor

Im usually a hardcore AH poster/lurker and shy away from clever people but I have to agree, thanks to all the mods and ALL those who contributed to a most entertaining and informative couple of weeks.

Cheers lads

Boskowski

prinz wrote: »

So who do you include in "the scream Yes mob"?

Who the cap fits....

prinz

realcam wrote: »

Who the cap fits....

Nice edit. Don't worry I got the original thanks. If you want to link any post I made that was based on scaremongering or representative of a screaming mob please feel free to do so.

DeVore

Can we get back to the topic at hand. Its not like we are short a million threads where people can argue the actual treaty vote....


:rolleyes: :P

DeV.

thebigcheese22

+ 1 to all of the above, this forum has been very enlightening for me and the arguments made by the Yes side made up my mind 100% for a Yes. It really shows how much better a debate can be with sensible moderation *coughs* politics.ie is crap *coughs*

turgon

As regards the infractions, I was a little put out when I got one (incidentally on a post that Sam Vines had thanked but swiftly rowed back on ) but I soon came around to the necessity of such harsh moderation in the last few weeks. You should have seen the amount of spam crap I got away with "contributing" on P.ie. Kept things tidy.

My name is URL

Well I wasn't banned, so I'm thankful for that

K-9

Cheers to the lads as well, despite some of the usual "biased" accusations I think they often let people away with too much. I count myself lucky to just the 1 infraction.

realcam wrote: »

Well, yes and no.

For starters I think the robust debate as you call it may have been that at times, but lately I think the standard has gone down a lot.

It really turned into a shouting/bullying match where at times I can really visualize red-faced, rage-fueled people screaming nothing but one word - "lies" - on the other side of that keyboard. It hasn't been pretty at times and I'd accuse mostly some of the militant 'Yes' supporters of that.

I've seen threads where 'No' arguments were mocked down by the sheer number of 'Yes' supporters and when the thread had run its course they actually seem to have felt like 'winners' all the while not realizing that their own arguments were just as hollow and they're only following someone elses propaganda while accusing the others of the same.

Which is of course not the moderators fault and most heated internet debates go like that. On the webs usually half the people on each side hardly know what they're talking about anyway and usually the louder the voice the smaller the brains. That's the way it goes when people are protected by anonymity.

I think overall the mods did probably a good job although at times I felt a hint of bias. But maybe it just felt like that to me because the screaming 'Yes' mob annoyed me so much at times.

It gets tetchy in here in the last few days, same happened last time.

hatrickpatrick

The forum has certainly been far more informative than any other source of information or debate I've encountered, and I think Scofflaw in particular seems to have genuinely collected as much information about the actual treaty contents as he could find, which is more than I can say for any of our politicians or other public figures!

Teferi

As a lurker

realcam wrote: »

I think overall the mods did probably a good job although at times I felt a hint of bias.

this sums my view up.

imeddyhobbs

And there i was thinking that they were just doing their job,I work in construction..bridges mainly and i never get any thanks

prinz

imeddyhobbs wrote: »

And there i was thinking that they were just doing their job,I work in construction..bridges mainly and i never get any thanks

You get paid for yours

Rb

imeddyhobbs wrote: »

And there i was thinking that they were just doing their job,I work in construction..bridges mainly and i never get any thanks

You musn't do a very good job of it so. They also do this for free and for the most part without thanks.

This is a thread to thank the mods for doing so, if you've nothing nice to say then shut your mouth and go elsewhere.

K-9

imeddyhobbs wrote: »

And there i was thinking that they were just doing their job,I work in construction..bridges mainly and i never get any thanks

Maybe you should build a bridge.......................

greeno

K-9 wrote: »

Maybe you should build a bridge.......................

hahaha original!

evercloserunion

One infraction and one warning, both for "Insulting other member(s)" A bit of a certain other site rubbing off on me

Daftendirekt

I'll add my kudos to the mods here.

Although everyone seemed to to be getting pretty annoyed with everyone else towards the end, the standard of debate on this forum is far higher than anything I've come across on TV or radio.

Also, the amount of apathy towards any sort of political debate in my real non-internet nerd life is kind of depressing, so it's great to have a forum like this where we can all hammer out our own points and arguments, and listen to other people's points of view as well.

So thanks to the mods for running a good, tight ship, and to the other posters for an entertaining debate over the last few months.

Edit: And no infractions

imeddyhobbs

K-9 wrote: »

Maybe you should build a bridge.......................

Maybe i will.......

imeddyhobbs

prinz wrote: »

You get paid for yours

I would like to work on this site for free trust me

MikeC101

They might be lizard people at heart, but they do a hell of a job.

Back when I started lurking on boards I was inclined to a "fight de powah" attitude towards mods.

Seeing the difference between the debates here, and the lunacy so many threads degraded into on a certain other politics forum cured me of that.

I'm consistently impressed with the level of restraint and impartiality the mods have shown, particularly with the recent shill-fest.

You know what, you lizard people are ok by me.

Scofflaw

MikeC101 wrote: »

They might be lizard people at heart, but they do a hell of a job.

Back when I started lurking on boards I was inclined to a "fight de powah" attitude towards mods.

Seeing the difference between the debates here, and the lunacy so many threads degraded into on a certain other politics forum cured me of that.

I'm consistently impressed with the level of restraint and impartiality the mods have shown, particularly with the recent shill-fest.

You know what, you lizard people are ok by me.

Thanks! Now can we have your young?

anthropophagically,
Scofflaw

marco_polo

Scofflaw wrote: »

Thanks! Now can we have your young?

anthropophagically,
Scofflaw

[dictionary reference needed] :eek:

PaulieD

Just out of interest, many No voters post on this thread?;)

prinz

PaulieD wrote: »

Just out of interest, many No voters post on this thread?;)

Funnily enough, the usual choir of no voters are noticeably absent from the thread with the interview with Joe Higgins too, despite cries of bias etc the previous day

K-9

PaulieD wrote: »

Just out of interest, many No voters post on this thread?;)

Probably just yourself!

A couple at least I think, would have been a few but we converted them.