Has the government got paid posters here to quash any dissenting voices?

[ssd]

There's always been robust discussions on politics on mn, but I've noticed lately when ever someone questions the government's track record on covid, certain posters pop up with very similar agendas, defending them to the hilt and trying to throw the discussion round to something else.

I'd like to see when posters actually joined mn, some newer posters must spend all their time on here defending the indefensible.

[Harakeke]

Only one way to find out - make an FOI request asking how much the govt pays people to be mumsnet moles.

Please do it.. you’ll make some civil servants day!

[Jilljams]

Quite possibly. I think there is currently a concerted effort to put a positive spin on the government in face of the criticism. I’ve noticed on Facebook very similar type posts from people who previously have been pro Brexit and pro Boris. First they were posts about how international comparisons were useless and now they’re about how the government has been perfectly clear and people must be thick if they don’t understand it.

[nibdedibble]

Ssd, I am assuming this has been the case for a number of years.
That positivity thread about sending little kids back to school is one of the more obvious ones, it is really pissing me off actually.

We see right through you bastards you know.

[feelingverylazytoday]

Why would they need to? Not everyone agrees with everything that's written on here.
You'd really think people would have learnt from the GE, but no, you just keep on, and on, and on...

[CrocodileFrock]

I've noticed sometimes that there are several posters with a very similar posting style. Sometimes I've done a double-take when I've realised that they have two different posting names.

[woodpidgeons]

Ssd, I am assuming this has been the case for a number of years.
That positivity thread about sending little kids back to school is one of the more obvious ones, it is really pissing me off actually

Agreed.

[BlingLoving]

haha. There are plenty of people who are very pro the government without them necessarily needing to pay people to be fake posters. And there are plenty of people who have entirely different opinions to others eg re school or whatever. Not sure what thread you're referring to but if you're asking abut being happy to send children back, I'm in the Yes camp and I can assure you I'm a real person, not supportive of government overall etc etc.

[Confusedbutheyho]

Yes!

Pro Boris, pro getting back to work regardless of childcare and pro bashing teachers no matter what the risks. The positivity one I thought was very one sided and seemed designed to tap in to parents wishes for a return to normality envisioning lovely positive teachers lovely scenarios etc.

[pigsDOfly]

Don't think that requires 'paid' posters.

Some people will defend Boris Johnson and everything he does in the same way some people in USA defend Trump regardless of the total rubbish he spouts.

I'm totally anti Brexit and can't stand Johnson but I think they are being pretty clear with the new advice.

Only trouble is it's putting people at risk and basically throwing them into a situation where they can't avoid breaking distancing rules. And sending children back to school so soon is completely irresponsible, as far as I can see.

Dangerous, irresponsible but not unclear.

[BacklashStarts]

Which threads are you reading? I see wall to wall criticism of everything the gov has done on c19. Not saying that’s wrong but I really don’t see people being silenced.

[ADreamOfGood]

I called a poster a stooge yesterday, and they did not dispute it or deny it!

It has been going on for a long time though, it's not recent. I'd say definitely for ten years, perhaps longer.

[feelingverylazytoday]

That positive thread about sending little kids back to school is one, it's really pissing me off actually
So don't read it then. There:'s already a million negative threads on mumsnet that might suit you better.

[Redolent]

There are definitely some government shills on here

[SoVeryLost]

@Jilljams sadly I don’t think they are paid as I’ve had the same conversation with a friend over Facebook who is a real person. I was shocked when they said you can’t compare us to anywhere else because we are obviously so special.

[cotswoldsapple]

I'd hope that wherever there are paid 'bots eg Chinese ccp, Russian or even uk that a successful, established website like mumsnet has the tech and surveillance to delete / block (like facebook does…)

[slartibarti]

I called a poster a stooge yesterday, and they did not dispute it or deny it!

People don't owe you a reply.
They probably realised you can't argue with stupid and didn't want to waste their time.

[SoVeryLost]

@slartibarti are you really calling someone who challenges people to think logically stupid? I don’t use the word stupid but people who think we can’t compare outcomes from similar countries is the one who is stupid.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Absolutely. The ones who have argued black is white on the Coronavirus threads, the ones who have continually followed the govt narrative throughout the last 2 months.
The same usernames:
We don't need a lockdown! (Boris says so)
It's flu (Boris says so)
It won't come here (Boris says so)
We won't be like Italy (Boris..you get it by now)
I'm going to see my Mum (Boris did)
Who cares if the elderly are culled ? (Boris was hoping to get rid of 20,000)
Go to the races! Go to the Stereophonics! Get on the train! (Boris's stooge Harries said social distancing didn't work)
40,000 dead. (Isn't Boris great "wrestling this virus" to the ground)
We don't need a lockdown

Full circle Borisbotting or, alternatively, rely really thick people.

[TobyDeLaris]

I definitely think there are op.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Cotswold- MN "tech" used to be a bloke called Darren who I always imagined unplugged things when things for hairy.
Since Jeffrey and the Swat team they may have improved.

[effingterrified]

Yes, it's been very obvious of late.

Old timers from the Politics board will have fond memories of a particular government (or possibly Russian?) stooge, who posted pretty much as a full-time job on Brexit (strongly pro-Brexit) until the day of the referendum, and then disappeared, job done, never to be seen again.

But they were a one-off, whereas now the boards are crawling with really craply obvious shills trotting out whatever the Government's latest line is, in the hope of persuading us all to go back to work/hug family/give up on the idea of a vaccine/break lockdown etc, because everyone else ie the paid shills claims to be doing so.

Or in other words, trying to persuade us to spread the disease as fast as possible so that the mythical herd immunity can be reached asap, thereby killing off all the old, sick and poor.

Making all the eugenicists like Cummings very, very happy.

[Chloemol]

So basically you are saying no one can disagree with you and if they do they are government moles! Grow up

[ADreamOfGood]

How does challenging suspicious posting make me stupid slartibarti?

I could list a handful of clear behaviours/indicators of these shill posters, but I won't because it will make them adapt. Yes, I know, it's all a bit 'matrixy' isn't it. Tin foil hat time?
Maybe I'm just sick of people who think they should influence how others think and behave for their own purposes or merely because that's the 'natural order', and they know better.

The front page of the Times yesterday was a prime example- absolute bullshit heading the two main articles, completely misinterpreting the govt guidance to how they want it to be.

[CakeCakeCake21]

I don’t know, my aunt and other family members post very similar things on FB (don’t criticise the government, use common sense, if you can’t work out what you are being told to do you must be thick etc) it’s very unlikely they are being paid by the government!

[FourTeaFallOut]

There's a lot of brand new posters with a lot of views about what other people should be doing for the greater good who phrase things in a very extreme manner.

Can you imagine being paid to be a complete dick and to make people feel like shit while you guage the flex in the common narrative around coronavirus? I mean, fuck me - get a proper job.