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.

[effingterrified]

TheHoneyBadger - there is a difference between someone who expresses a Tory view and someone who pops up on to repeatedly argue black is white and night is day if it supports the government line.

Ditto the very obvious derails.

Many longer term posters have spotted it. It's not exactly subtle!

[TheHoneyBadger]

Agree absolutely effing. Was specifically talking about my experience of sm pre referendum and how it echoed that of another poster.

[mondaynoon]

I've noticed people on threads who are very supportive of the government but when you search their name, they have only posted that day or in the last week. I assume they're not genuine posters and just ignore them.

[ITonyah]

Name changers?

[TheHoneyBadger]

Name changers tend to announce themselves as such to invite credibility, yet be anonymous.

[RainMustFall]

I've defended the Tories on here for years because I honestly believe them to be the only party capable of running this country - yes, I know, you all think otherwise but we are all entitled to our own opinions. If there are others on here being paid by the Government, that pisses me off since I've been doing it for free and surviving on the OAP and a tiny private pension - I could do with a stack of cash coming my way. Prices for shopping have rocketed, and I now have to buy a cheapo bottle of booze instead of my favourite.

[ITonyah]

honeybadger I'll point you to MNHQ comment.

[thecatfromjapan]

Anyone seen the paid-for 'advertorial' in the Daily Mail today?

I actually feel sorry for Mumsnet missing out on all that cash.

Anyway, I still think, 'yes'.

[effingterrified]

Always good to bump this thread periodically.

Will give the paid trolls something to do, to try to push it off the front page again. :)

[ITonyah]

Yes, particularly to draw people's attention to the comment from Mumsnet HQ.

[effingterrified]

How lovely to see you here again, ITonyah!

You're one of my favourite posters, you know. :)

[ITonyah]

Good o!

[drivingtotestmyeyes]

[Therollockingrogue]

Absolutely they have people on mumsnet .
For years they entertained themselves with anyone questioning the safety of vaccinations.

[effingterrified]

Anyone questioning the safety of vaccinations? Or are they questioning the safety of vaccinations?

Have to admit I've never read a thread on vaccinations.

[TheHoneyBadger]

Vaccination threads best avoided ime.

[duffeldaisy]

Bots are very easy to spot on Twitter - they'll post something like "Boris is trying his best. It's not possible to stop the virus" and then when you look they have 2 followers, are following 38 people and joined yesterday.

Glad someone brought this up. It's weird because on so many things Mumsnet seems relatable - Apart from the wilder AIBUs, people's problems and worries seem similarish to those of me, friends, family, etc., especially on parenting.
But then when it comes to this, there's suddenly a load of completely unafraid people who just want to crack on with the economy, and it just feels out of sync with real life and the people around me.

Until recently, I hadn't thought of Mumsnet as social media in the same way, but of course it is, so they are likely to target it. It's a shame because it then changes the conversation artificially, and makes it feel like there are loads of people feeling a particular way.
Some of my family vote very differently from me, some of my friends do too, so while I have strong (socialist) views, I don't mind hearing other people's perspectives. It helps to at least understand why someone's ended up feeling or voting that way, even if you don't agree with them. But other people's perspectives, not government representatives' ones.

[effingterrified]

duffeldaisy - agree with you.

They are quite easy to spot as they just trot out whatever the latest Government talking point is. They are all completely gung-ho about ending lockdown, know no-one who has died from the virus or in some cases even had it, and think we should all put Cumgate behind us. They like to compare the UK's ending of the lockdown to Denmark's, ignoring that Denmark has hardly any cases.

They also tend to obsess about things that no-one in real life could care less about, like the current thread on Tim someone-or-other who supposedly said something about Dominic Cummings. ...Who?

They all share a passionate desire to get back to the shops/soft play/school or wherever it is the Government wants us to go, whereas no-one I know in real life is dying to get back to Primark or send their dcs back to school.

They also respond in indignation as soon as anyone mentions paid shills, even though they were never named and no finger was pointed at them! A certain guilty conscience methinks!

It's a bit like a five-year-old who responds to a comment noting that the biscuits have all been eaten with a shout of "I didn't eat the biscuits!" It kind of tells you everything you need to know about where the biscuits went!

[ITonyah]

Your comment accusing me of being a paid poster was deleted by Mumsnet as breaking the rules effingterrified, but I'll remind you it was direct and accusatory, and therefore deleted as it was a load of paranoid bollocks as usual

[DBML]

I’ve been accused of being a poster on behalf of the government before. I’m not. My views just so happened to differ to the majority here. So, I’m not so sure.

[effingterrified]

I haven't accused you of being a paid poster, ITonyah.

I wouldn't do that, as a) it would be against the rules and b) obviously nothing could be further from the truth.

[effingterrified]

Is there a reason I have the tune of Carly Simon's hit 'You're so vain, bet you think this song is about you...' wafting round my head?

Anyone...?

[Lweji]

Bots are very easy to spot on Twitter - they'll post something like "Boris is trying his best.

Slightly more sophisticated bots will start with
"I don't like Boris, but he's doing his best..."

[dangerrabbit]

I am extremely anti Boris and the way he is operating, especially with the Cummings debacle

However, they did get in with a large majority, so some fuckers are presumably voting for them

[Viviennemary]

Only lovely comments allowed. That is really strange. What us the point of that.