[Darby]

In East Germany after WWII, people use to write to the local press and complain about this/that/or the other and about what they thought on local and national issues. Some papers actually printed them. Suddenly, these papers started to appear with blanked out letters to the editor columns. People started to get "knocks on their doors" after dark. And people who wrote letters to the editor, started to go for "long holidays in Siberia". The message was quite clear....Don't print or allow the truth to appear, stop the people thinking about it by omission.

Sinister times!!

Earlier this week, Tealeaf started a thread based on a story in the Evening Telegraph about school children being allowed / encouraged to speak their mother tongue instead of English at their school. I wrote what I considered to be a valid comment on this subject and innocuously made reference to their origins. Whilst I was actually on the thread, my posting was deleted; by whom I don't know! No statement about the deletion was given and no PM was sent.
I was almost immediately personally attacked in a posting by Kippax regarding the innocuous word that I used "Pa*i", and although his attack was vociferous, and quite nasty in nature I replied using correct, non-inflammatory English, and asked him/she to admit that they were wrong about my intentions.
I did not like or agree with the Kippax posing, but I would defend his right to say it, openly and freely - That IS freedom of speech and expression.
This morning I find that not only had my postings been deleted, but the whole thread had also been deleted. Not a trace of it. Nor any reference to it - just as if it had never existed. A truly Orwellian method.

The aim of this "new" thread is to alert all members to this occurrence on what is "OUR" website (as without members no website can exist), and propose a system where members will at least be aware what was originally on site, and why "Threads" had been deleted. This is not reformist, nor reactionary, nor a radical change that would harm this website.

I feel all "Censor" deleted threads / postings should remain as a header, but their contents deleted. This will show that the "Censor" without recourse, has deleted the thread. It would also be more helpful if the "Censor" stated why the thread / posting had been deleted. There would be no further correspondence, but it would show that "something" was amiss. This would enable individuals to correct what the "Censor" thought was an infringement of any rules that are imposed. It is not enough to "Delete" without saying why it had been deleted, otherwise members will not know what they have done wrong! And will therefore be unable to ensure that it doesn't happen again. That seems fair and honest to me. Sending a PM to the person who has, intentionally or unintentionally infringed the rules, will make them directly aware of the problem.

By carrying out the foregoing, the site would show that it had no "dark intentions" and was fair and free to all.