The absolute state of the Current Affairs Forum

Shebean

It looks like the government trolls have taken over, where every government critic is a Sinn Feiner and Sinn Fein are working for Putin and such discussion and claims seem to be encouraged.

Even the FF/FG/Green thread is 'hop on Francie'.

It's very boring and one dimensional lads.

*enter the shills*

EmmetSpiceland

There was always going to be a shift in the balance when the “Big 10” were uncovered and summarily dismissed. And that was just 1 person.

Granted, I haven’t been spending too much time in that, particular, forum since the migration but, what I did notice, was how quickly long dormant accounts, and newer ones with alliteration in their username, suddenly “popped up” to fill the void as best as they could.

Then there was the coordinated, and concerted, effort by SF supporting accounts to have a certain, well respected, admin removed or drive them to quit. They had 4, or 5, threads going at one point. Embarrassing “carry on”.

As for the claims of SF links to Russia, I’m not sure if the party, themselves, have these links but it is quite telling how quiet the shinnerbot “machine” on Twitter has gotten since the invasion of Ukraine.

Anyway, regarding the “Current Affairs” forum, my only real issue with it is that all the incel, and other distasteful, threads in After Hours aren’t moved into it.

markodaly

It's amazing how much noise was created by one person who had multiple accounts.

Also, it's been noted and commented on in various threads that there seems to be a sudden lack of pro-SF type of posts after the start of the Ukrainian conflict. Coincidence given SF's closeness to Russia and Putin?

Lastly, many of the pro-SF/anti-government posters have been banned it seemed for various offences. There were/are a few of those high volume/low-quality types of posters that would spam the crap out of some threads. Take them away, a void is there.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118823012#Comment_118823012

Yes, there's a lot of threads I don't touch. Most have strong racist and misogynistic undertones.

I was in the sock puppet thread there was a while back, I didn't see any claim all accounts were one person. But I follow the Sinn Fein thread every so often and even if these were pro SF accounts, that was some time ago. We've regulars in there today discussing how it's gone quiet since Russia invaded Ukraine, which is not true. It's been dying due to the bait and trap efforts of a number of the regular trolls, the Admin/Mod people are seemingly okay with allowing continue. Now all they do is post about how quiet it is and lament the lack of shinners to cross swords with. It's an echo chamber of their own creation. It shows they've little interest in discussing SF outside of trolling any commentator has an opinion they don't like. Some have migrated their brand of 'discussion' over to the FF/FG/Green thread.

I know various FF politicians and the Quinn family have had business in Russia, as do a lot of property investors in Ireland. As I've said elsewhere Putin is not ideologically Communist or left by any stretch of the imagination. He doesn't pass his money through China, or North Korea, but Ireland.

bucketybuck

First three posts rather prove the point it seems.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118823159#Comment_118823159

It's been suggested that every single commentator who is critical of the government and may post in the Sinn Fein thread is a paid SF bot that supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I find that unbelievable and highly unlikely. It's a narrative perpetrated by government shills peddling conspiracy theory to hide their parties possible business links to Russia. It's very transparent. There's a group of Commentators singing from the same hymn sheet on that and they are welcome to their flights of fancy.

How it works is;

Someone is critical of the government.

Someone counters with an unrelated or not comparable Sinn Fein story.

That's criticised or called out for being so.

That person is then a Shinner/bot/love Putin. It's not likely. It only works if every government critic works for SF. I know that would help some dismiss criticism, but it's not reality.

Basically, this trolling is allowed go on and the forum is dying because of it.

Beasty

Just to be very clear. One person was behind the sock puppeting that was discussed in an earlier thread.

I would imagine anti-SF posters would have preferred it to be more than one person as that would have suggested some "organisation" behind it. I am satisfied though that it was one person, although there has been at least one additional "sleeper" account (that i already had my eyes on) banned since that original discussion.

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118829820#Comment_118829820

You do realise there is more to the World than SF? Currently we have a thread on the Ukrainian conflict that runs to 2 and a half times the number of posts in the SF thread over half the time that thread was running. There are threads covering all the main political parties in Ireland, but there are many more threads covering very diverse topics. It's not all about SF.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118829820#Comment_118829820

It's a narrative perpetrated by government shills peddling conspiracy theory to hide their parties possible business links to Russia. It's very transparent

Ah right, so people who are critical of SF and rightly call them out on their pro-Putin record are 'shills'?

You are free to participate in the discussion, if you want Shebean.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118830391#Comment_118830391

I'm not talking about the TV licence thread either.

You can't post in any political thread and criticise government policy without eventually having to discuss Sinn Fein. As I said above. You try discuss something, if you're critical a troll will be along to make a SF comparison which generally isn't related and when you call it out you are then 'defending SF'. It's tiresome.

Go have a look in the FF/FG/Green thread. When not trying to make it SF there's a troll spouting about 'a certain party'. Which seems to fly under the radar due to its genius.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832079#Comment_118832079

You missed the point. Criticise SF all you want. When the discussion is government policy don't go hiding behind SF. Pretty simple.

I currently wouldn't take a **** in the SF thread. It's a trolls playground. You can freely say things about SF you can't say about government in the government thread. Rigged house.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118835997#Comment_118835997

I currently wouldn't take a **** in the SF thread. It's a trolls playground. You can freely say things about SF you can't say about government in the government thread. Rigged house.

You mean you are saying the mods are biased against SF. That is the nub of your argument. Maybe you can start a new thread in the conspiracy forum about it?

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118842612#Comment_118842612

I'm sure the Mods/Admin are busy. There's obviously a lot of tag team baiting and flagging going on. Every political themed thread is a shinner thread basically.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847916#Comment_118847916

certainly a lot less tag team baiting since the SF shill and his 9 sock puppets were banned.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847916#Comment_118847916

Just had a quick look at the forum again.

Top 10 threads are:

FF/Green government: Filled with criticism of the government

Russia

Green policies

Biden and Ukraine

Gangland Shootings

Multicultualism

Trump

Biden again

Boris Johnson

Unionism

Like there are the facts and there are the complaints from SF-supporting posters.

One of the problems with Sinn Fein is that it encourages and fosters blind devotion from its supporters. Echo chambers where no criticism of it is allowed are favoured, but the real world isn't like that.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850830#Comment_118850830

Like there are the facts and there are the complaints from SF-supporting posters.

One of the problems with Sinn Fein is that it encourages and fosters blind devotion from its supporters. Echo chambers where no criticism of it is allowed are favoured, but the real world isn't like that.

You seem to think everyone critical of government is in Sinn Fein.

You are giving a great example of the problem.

So the problem with trolls making every political discussion about SF to avoid discussing government is SF. Cheers.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852328#Comment_118852328

You are misinterpreting what I posted, which isn’t a surprise.

I have never ever said that everyone critical of the government is Sinn Fein, however, I will say that the vast majority critical of the government are as unable as Sinn Fein to offer any credible alternative policy.

I also haven’t seen a single anti-SF troll. I have seen posters repeatedly challenge the SF narrative and SF supporters unable to post coherent responses. That would look like trolling to those unable to handle questioning.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118854198#Comment_118854198

You are misinterpreting what I posted, which isn’t a surprise.

I said you 'seem' to think. So you are misrepresenting what I posted. And 'which isn't a surprise' is you making it about the man and not the ball.

I am talking specifically about people who try to turn every comment critical of government into a SF debate.

I don't believe you believe that. People calling out sub par attempts at using SF to deflect for bad government policy are not following any SF narrative.

This is your second post here and second time to try make it about SF. Thanks for supporting my point.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856668#Comment_118856668

"is you making it about the man and not the ball.

I am talking specifically about people "

Absolutely astonishing that you post those two phrases immediately after each other and didn't see the irony.

Let's be clear, and a good hard look at the FF/FG/Green government thread is a good place to start. Opposition posters spend their time complaining that they want to discuss the issues and then get upset that not everybody agrees that the country is a complete wreck (especially when hard real evidence to counter their anecdotes is produced time and again to show that this country is one of the best places in the world to live and that any problems are similar to or less than any other nation). Once their arguments on the issues are exposed as weak, they turn on other posters. Happens time and again.

In the national threads we have seen "partitionist" and "belligerent unionist" used time and again as a means of "othering" dissension from the old and tired 800 years of oppression narrative. When in response, reference is made to an ideology of "exclusionary nationalism", a well-defended, logical label of an ideology, keyboards all across the boards are splattered with tea.

You have posters who can't even say whether or not they are for or against the Americas Cup coming to Ireland and fall over themselves to make it about political personalities. Other posters, of which the departed 10-man sock puppeter was a classic example, spend their life in pedantic analysis of phrases and sentences typed at speed as if they were commandments chiselled in stone.

If we could see an end to that trivialised level of debate, and if people were to behave honestly in the forum, and actually admit to their political views and voting record rather than the Gethsemantic denial of it, then we might have a better chance of it being a success.

Shebean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118858555#Comment_118858555

You misrepresented my comment, made a personal claim and are now picking words out of context to get personal some more so you can avoid responsibility. Even if your claim were correct, which it is not, you still played the man.

You took a comment I had made about the SD's not wanting to go in with FF/FG and responded with something about Sinn Fein. That's all you.

You use the America's cup to change the narrative. The person asked was Coveney damaged politically because we didn't back it. It's just another example of people like yourself not wanting to discuss FF/FG/Green in the FF/FG/Green thread.

And you end with the bare faced cheek to comment on the level of debate.

I appreciate you proving my point. Thanks very much.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859278#Comment_118859278

You are 100% correct and the posters in here have proven you 100% correct. I've been called a "shinnerbot" etc when I'm on record on Boards as saying I wouldn't vote for Sinn Fein and their magic money tree fairytale fiscal policies if they gave me tax free status for it. It's an easy way to shut down debate, same as when moon howlers scream "racism" at any and all arguments about looking after Irish people ahead of others.

CrookedJack

Ugh This again. What's the point of this thread apart from the business-as-usual, my team versus yours, proxy fight that you lot are trying to have in every thread. It's seriously like a cancer here now.

OP will say Government shills are shutting down all criticism by calling people sinnerbots. The other team will say shinnerbots are shutting down any criticism of SF by calling them gov-shills.

None of which will actually accomplish anything apart from muddying the waters for more trolling and further entrenching each side. Mods are the only ones who can actually effect anything, so apart from reporting suspicions to them there's nothing else to do.

There is no reason for a legitimate poster to open a thread like this or participate in it apart from fighting the same old fight.

shinnerbots were found to have been operating multiple accounts for significant periods to pull their swarm cant spoil tactics.

theres one notorious 'legitimate' account who doesn't sleep for fear the SF party line fresh off the press mightnt be posted within minutes of anything SF wouldnt like. the same poster then wrecks any such discussion by any means possible with zero ongoing mod recognition that it is a sustained and considered tactic and needs to be addressed as such.

shinnerbots have the boards wrecked with years.

genuine posters were infracted and banned for years- and were right all along.

mods have not, to my knowledge, acknowledged this last part.

id suggest anyone sick and tired of the poisoned well calls out the actual situation, and don't just cut the blame baby in half.

this isnt "both sides"- its an orchestrated social media campaign run to disrupt political discussion.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987002#Comment_118987002

Literally in this thread a Mod has stated that

"Just to be very clear. One person was behind the sock puppeting that was discussed in an earlier thread."

Singular. No matter what conspiratorial thoughts you may be having.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987002#Comment_118987002

...and other political parties are not active on boards, including at the moderation level, directing and controlling the narrative!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987117#Comment_118987117

raised dozens of times in that very thread, without answer: one party at it blatantly and caught at it blatantly and multiple accounts banned.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987527#Comment_118987527

in the interest of fairness, i suspect most political parties and entities are well represented on boards, and are doing their utmost to dictate the narrative, you can clearly see it in action in highly sensitive forums such as property etc

CrookedJack

Literally in this thread a Mod has stated that

"Just to be very clear. One person was behind the sock puppeting that was discussed in an earlier thread."

Singular. No matter what conspiratorial thoughts you may be having.

Well to be clear, there was another pro-sf poster sanctioned for sock-puppeting discovered on the thread discussing the first person. The mod didn't mention the second person, possibly because they believe there was not sinister intention behind, but it clearly is not just one person.

Also, it's disengeuous to speak about just one person, when that is the total amount of acknowledged sock-puppeteers discovered. 100% of acknowledged sock-puppeteers are pro-SF users, you can't have an honest conversation without acknowledging that point.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987539#Comment_118987539

wanderer anyone frequenting any thread about property, economy, society or politics is also going to observe that you have a pretty specific and oft-propounded set of beliefs that get rolled out at every opportunity.

ppl have firm beliefs thats not bannable, we're talking something different

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987614#Comment_118987614

you ll actually find most human problems are directly related to these sectors, we maybe talking differently, but similarly

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987577#Comment_118987577

100% of 1 is 1. Slow clap.

megaten

Isn't the point of the Current Affairs forum is that it is bad on purpose in the hopes that the type of person who would post there leaves the rest of the site alone. Not that I think it works.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987094#Comment_118987094

They haven’t gone away, you know. Old dormant accounts and brand new ones suddenly just popped up to fill the “void”.

All singing from the same pro SF “hymn sheet”, day and night.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987685#Comment_118987685

It worked really well at the start, M. Kept all of the racists, bigots, misogynists, transphobes, cranks, homophobes and malcontents, basic CA “types”, distracted so the, more, normal posters could enjoy the rest of the site in peace.

It’s a real shame that fun, lighthearted and irreverent, forums like “After Hours” has been overrun by these CA posters. There are a number of staging post thread they get attracted in by because they aren’t moved over to CA quick enough and, from there, they spread out and infect other threads.

I think it could work again with a stronger “policing”, and clean up, of AH and, maybe, an even lighter touch moderation of CA to allow them to wallow in their own posting style away from the rest of us.

CrookedJack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987656#Comment_118987656

Exactly, you agree that all known sock-puppeteers are pro-SF posters.

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987002#Comment_118987002

You do understand there is a report function for a reason? If you try and call out what you consider to be a re-reg or sock-puppet in thread that's backseat modding

Equally I'm not recalling many posts sanctioned for calling out the McMurphy account in thread. That sock-puppeting happened between, from recollection, March and December 2021 (plus a few extra accounts since then that were not sock-puppeting, but had the same individual behind them)

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859278#Comment_118859278

Well, that's just my point.

Too much of the political debate is personal (was Coveney damaged?) rather than on issues (is bringing the Americas Cup to Ireland a good thing?) because too many of the posters are motivated to defend a particular party and attack all others. They can't bring themselves to say whether an idea is a good one or not as they might not know the party line or the party line might change, so they don't make it about issues, they make it about politicians or other posters.

I had another pointless discussion where a poster went after me to try and find differences between me and what the Green party say for some unknown reason, particularly after I had said that I vote Green even though I don't agree with everything on their agenda.

It really is frustrating. I am happy to discuss policies, I am happy to look at Ireland and compare to the rest of the world to see how we are doing. In the relentless "Get Leo" approach of some posters, that gets completely ignored.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987656#Comment_118987656

There were two.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118988393#Comment_118988393

Did you not open a thread specifically to criticise/'get' a female politician? What policy were you attacking there blanch

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989667#Comment_118989667

What thread?

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989785#Comment_118989785

The one where you took umbrage with the personal life and views of a female politician. The operative word being 'personal' or 'making it about politicians'.

Something you hypocritically criticise others for doing.

The Curious Case of Violet-Anne Wynne — boards.ie - Now Ye're Talkin'

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989897#Comment_118989897

Ah now, F, starting a thread about an antivax TD, who seemed to be going rogue from the “party line”, is hardly a “get”.

As long as the thread stays on the topic of this TD’s beliefs and doesn’t, continually, attack her personally like what happened in the Maria Bailey “swing-gate” thread.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989927#Comment_118989927

Did he make it 'personal'...how could he not by singling a person out?

Did he, 'make it about a politician'? Certainly did.

Did he criticise others for doing just that in a sanctimonious vain puff post. Certainly did.

sam t smith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987094#Comment_118987094

I was looking at that sock puppeting thread a few weeks ago. I was under the impression another ‘first time SF voter’ type poster was also done for sock puppeting but only got a month or so site ban?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118987539#Comment_118987539

I don't know, there's a lot of "you disagree with me therefore you must be a _____ supporter". I'd be surprised if any political party wasted any resources on an anonymous forum

Personally I've been called a GP, FG, SD and FF stooge on many occasions. It's honestly difficult to keep track of the many party affiliations I'm supposed to have

sam t smith

Is Violet Anne Wynne the scrounger who withheld years of rent from a housing charity and contributed to it failing? Nice lady.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989948#Comment_118989948

An account that is approved and known about by mods is not a 'sock puppet' account by any metric. Unless you are saying mods were in on it. They weren't.

I used a legitimate account given to me by the mods for a specific purpose, against the rules, which is why I served a 5 week ban 11 years after it happened for approx 5 posts. I was not banned for having a sock puppet account.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989933#Comment_118989933

Come on now, F, she was a politician making dubious claims about vaccines. Criticising that is hardly “personal”.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989980#Comment_118989980

He made a thread about a 'politician'. He aired her personal affairs.

Something he bemoans others doing.

It's at best hypocrisy of the highest order regardless what you think of her.

sam t smith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989957#Comment_118989957

According to the Administrator who goes by the name Beasty:

”To be clear FB's sock puppeting was very limited.”

You were banned for engaging in sock puppetry.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118990003#Comment_118990003

I never got an explanation as to how an account that mods knew about and could instantly be identified as mine could come under the ambit of a sock puppet account.

It fails the first and primary test - secrecy.

sam t smith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118990048#Comment_118990048

It is there in black and white Francie. You were done for sock puppetry. Move on.