Our policy on how we run the forum remains the same Simon. We ARE very appreciative of the support we have got from readers of this website over the years but our moderation of the forum has always been wih the aim of preventing it from becoming like many others out there in terms of layout and organisation and also in terms of the content and how it is used by the readers.. There is a perception by many forum users (and I'm talking all foums and not just bikes) that you are free to say whatever you wish to say and that no one should be offended because, and I quote what has now become a cliche, ,'It's only a forum' or, 'It's not real life'.
Well we have always disagreed with that standpoint. This IS real life. What is posted here has the same impact on readers as if it was said to their face. More so in fact as the audience here is much MUCH larger. Our guiding principal and one which we fully intend to stick to, is that you say on here only what you are prepared to say to the recipients face, in the REAL world. There is NO difference as far as we are concerned. We add to that that thsi forum is to be considered as if it was a public place, such as a pub or cafe etc. You would not expect to be allowed to act in a way in a pub that would be detrimental to the pub itself. If you shouted in a pub that this pub was rubbish and there was better and cheaper beer down the road you would expect to be asked to leave. The principal is the same here.
All are welcome. All are welcome to express opinions and chat and be respectful of everyone else who comes here. But as soon as you start to act in a way that contradicts those principals you will be asked to leave.
The rules we have in place are designed to allow the forum to be used by the widest possible range of contributors. That's why you have to be mindful of what you post and how it will be received in exactly the same way you would moderate yourself in any public place. The fact you are seemingly shielded from the direct consequences of your posts on any forum is an attitude that all users of this forum must resist if they want to continue to use it.
These are our principals and they will remain so for the foreseeable future of this forum. We don't think they are too much to ask really and if you summarise them down to a restriction of free speech and find them objectionable in that context then you are free to do so.. but it doesn't change how we expect you to behave and use this forum.
We have never shied away from criticism and we welcome it, contrary to popular belief, but if that criticism has a direct impact on the existance of this website then we will remove it. Censor it. Moderate it. However you want to express it. But it is the way this forum has operated for years and we feel they are the reason that this forum beats the pants off all the other bike forums out there in terms of sheer volume of posts. Just look at the numbers at the top of the forum.
So Simon, I welcome your comments and because they are neither rude, disrespectful or threaten to undermine the ability of this website to pay it's way in order to provide you with its functions, your post stays and this discussion continues.
Hope it doesn't get me banned again to suggest that being banned from here once is a badge of honour a bit like being imprisoned by the Brits was for revolutionary leaders 
