PB's Tory moderators lose the plot yet again

So it seems we must return (as is always inevitable sooner or later) to the subject of the delightful Ms Plato, the passive-aggressive, "libertarian floating voter with a fiscal conservative twist" queen of the right-wing forum Political Betting. Her comedy value just never stops increasing - over recent weeks and months she's taken to huffing and puffing on Twitter about how awful and unfair PB has become (apparently not spotting the irony that she used to endlessly tell me how "sad" I was for talking about the site on this blog, which she "never reads"). She also now repeatedly claims to "hardly ever visit PB anymore" - which would be a tad easier to take seriously if she hadn't posted on the site 1468 times (and counting) since the introduction of the new Vanilla comments system a few short weeks ago. That's more than virtually anyone else.

Anyway, a couple of weeks back, she let us in on her reasons for (supposedly) not gracing PB with her presence any longer - apparently the vast majority of comments on the site are now "pointless". I suggested to her that was a rather startling observation coming from someone who spends a great deal of her leisure time posting cat videos and such like on a forum about political betting. I may also have vaguely mentioned something about her being the "Queen of Pointlessness". Well, what fury I caused - it was almost like the good old days. Ever since then, she has tried to "bait" me every time she spots me on the site by announcing that "it's time for a cat video". I then typically say something like : "Quite right, Plato. This is a political betting forum after all." Which is invariably the cue for a lengthy rant along the following lines -

"Mr Kelly, you have just demonstrated that you have no sense of humour or irony. What you didn't realise is that I was baiting you there. Yes, that cat video was entirely for you. It was a trap, Mr Kelly, and you walked right into it. You did this in spite of me warning you the last time that I only post cat videos to bait you, that this is a trap and that you had just walked right into it. The fact that you read my warning last time and responded to it (and have also done so on at least eight other occasions), and yet still walked right into my trap again today, shows that you have even less of a sense of humour or irony than I thought you did. But please keep continuing to do this. I win every time you respond to me. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

There's a kind of meta-irony going on there which I'll just leave hanging in the air, but suffice to say this is one for the connoisseurs of self-awareness (the lack thereof) everywhere.

One of these exchanges occurred yesterday, and I was intrigued to notice that my posts started disappearing, while Plato's initial cat video "bait" remained (naturally) intact. My suspicions were confirmed when a chap calling himself "PB Moderator" (ie. an incognito Tory-supporting poster with Little Hitler powers enabled) instructed me to "DESIST IMMEDIATELY". This was somewhat puzzling, so I asked him what precisely I was supposed to desist from doing. I was informed that I was now banned from responding to Plato, or even referring to her directly or indirectly. (He hurriedly added that an equivalent ban would apply to Plato, prompting chortles from all those with any experience of the selective way in which PB "rules" are enforced.)

I made clear that I had no intention of abiding by such a ludicrous rule, especially given the abuse I and others are routinely subjected to by right-wingers at PB without the slightest protection from the moderators (I was called a member of the Ku Klux Klan recently). I also indicated that if any more of my posts were censored, I would simply put them up here instead. That scenario has now arisen.

Plato : OT for anyone watching US TV new show releases - here's the countdown list for broadcast dates.

For anyone tempted to watch the old Simon Baker [The Mentalist] series The Guardian - save those minutes and spend them doing something more pleasurable, like standing on a plug.

Its just dreadful - and annoying. I can't recall the last time I saw such an unlikeable cast since Mad Men.

Me : "Dr. Who is a children's programme isn't it ? :)"

In my opinion it isn't. It's a family programme intended for both children and adults.

This has the distinction of being the only subject on which I've ever agreed with Tom Harris on Twitter.

PS. Welcome back, Plato! We've missed you!

Plato : @PB Moderator

I saw your posting yesterday, am delighted and will comply with your request.

I hope for everyone else's sake its enforced.

Me : So no more cat videos? You may be delighted, Plato, but I can assure you the rest of us are in mourning.

Sam : Why are you bothering with this relentlessly boring baiting of Plato?

Surely you realise you will get banned soon? Or is that what you want so you can moan about how unfair it all is?

Me : I think we established yesterday that you and I have very different senses of humour, so there's probably not much point in you trying to understand.

As for whether I get banned for such a cretinous reason, that's a matter for others, but rest assured I would complain about it, yes. Loudly and at length. I comply with all reasonable requests, such as refraining from talking about subjects that would cause legal problems. That's as far as it goes, and as far as it should be expected to go.

Me : As stated yesterday, all posts that are cynically censored will henceforth be appearing elsewhere. I see this process will now have to begin.

Charles : Do us a favour and post the link to your website can you?

That way when we don't read it it's a deliberate choice rather than just laziness.

Cheers!

Me : You're not the target audience, Charles. Lefties need to know what really goes on at PB - people such as yourself understandably don't care, because it doesn't affect you and presumably never will.

Incidentally, many PBers do read Scot Goes Pop. My most faithful fan comes from Lombardia.

Charles : As far as I can see it only effects (sic) people who put OGH at legal risk (IMHO he's got a conservative stance on this, but I can understand that he's risk adverse) and those individuals who are needlessly rude to others.

We all know you think you're superior to Plato for some reason. None of us really care - for most of us you are just two people who post on the same website. It's just boring to read your jibes.

Be the bigger man.

ScottP : LOL

The mods will rue the day they took on JK

Me : "As far as I can see it only effects people who put OGH at legal risk (IMHO he's got a conservative stance on this, but I can understand that he's risk adverse) and those individuals who are needlessly rude to others."

The former doesn't apply to me, and as for the latter - DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH. I could give you chapter and verse on the abuse I have been subjected to here, without the slightest protection from the moderators, and I'm supposed to accept that the real problem is me being beastly to that poor, delicate wee flower Plato?

Try harder, Charles. Or just stop trying.