MNHQ - why are you so squeamish about any discussion about leaving the EU

[ElfinStardust]

I know there is a Brexit board - and very valuable it is too. I know you don't want AIBU flooded with Brexit related topics. But why are you moving genuine AIBU threads onto the Brexit board? They are proving popular at engaging MNers who don't frequent the Brexit topic and are very informative. You allow so many "posting here for traffic" threads to stay. You've told me you get a lot of reports/complaints - why give in to the people who are trying to stifle debate and information sharing? It's like you're encouraging the dumbing down of MN.

MN, do you gather any statistics on who reports Brexit posts to get them moved? Existing users, recently joined, etc?

I hid the Brexit board because I don't want to see or have any more debate about it here. The same people say the same things and more people come along and speculate and then the catastrophisers arrive, and then the rubber-clad-rays of hope. It's tedious and predictable, like an issue of Women's Own from the 1980s.

Hi OP,

We promise there's no squeamishness on our part here, but we do accept that lots of folk on the boards get Brexit fatigue from time to time and so we tend to be slightly led by the feelings of the users on this one, rather than having a hard and fast 'rule' on it.

With the thread you're referring to, we did think it was more of a Brexit thread than a true AIBU, so when we got reports on it, that fact, added to the fact that it did seem to be annoying folk in AIBU helped us make that decision. We can see that it's annoying though when it's 'your' thread that gets moved.

We do try and keep a balance between 'some' and 'too many' Brexit threads on boards like AIBU and Chat. Same goes for other topics, such as trans issues and Christmas, as others here have mentioned. We know we can't please everyone all the time, so we do just do our best to keep a balance and, as we said, try to take into account 'the mood of the room'.

We also take into account what's going on in the world, with all these threads, so for example, with Christmas threads we're more likely to move them to the Christmas topic when they're posted in July and likely to cause mass blood pressure spikes! Whereas, a thread about Christmas on 15th December seems much less likely to cause mass irritation. With Brexit, there have definitely been times when the news has been quieter on the topic and there might be more general interest in a thread about Brexit, and then there are times when we have to recognise that many of our users are experiencing 'Brexit overload' and perhaps want a bit of light relief, so we might try to keep Brexit threads away from general chat areas a bit more.

There are some interesting points on this thread though, such as the comment someone made about the Brexit board being a bit too 'hidden away'. We will have a think about that. If anyone else has any other ideas on how we can improve things for everyone please do share them, we are reading.

That's a really good point about the pro-leave paid astro-turfers Borisbogtrotter. I sent an e-mail about it to MNHQ at the time. To be fair to them, they acknowledged it and said they would keep an eye on the "balance" or words to that effect. But I'm not sure they succeeded.

Brexiteers: we don’t want to talk about Brexit. Although we voted for it, we get furious if you ask us why - we actually find it very boring. We wish you’d stop going on about the rights you are losing and the shit economy. We don’t care about that.

No one ever said brexiteers were intelligent.

X post with HebeMumsnet there. It would be great if the Brexit board could be given more prominence.

but there are a fair few of us on here who feel entirely the opposite. We want to discuss and challenge empty rhetoric and share information

And tada you have your very own board for that

and we desperately want to put that right. Many times over if that's what it takes even to change one person's mind

Is that what you're trying to do, change people's minds? How exactly will that change anything ?

Why not just not click on the thread then ? Scroll on past instead

I do.

Gamerchick I'm not prepared to just sit back and give it up as a lost cause (even if it is). Marching can influence politicians. As can sending them letters. As can signing petitions and posting on social media. If it comes to a people's vote (I don't think it will but you never know) challenging the lies that people were fed at the time of the referendum could effect change. Even if it doesn't, there is merit in pointing out facts and challenging empty rhetoric fed to us by politicians more interested in their careers than the good of the UK. And all this debate has had an effect already. Politicians are now publicly expressing doubts about the Brexit process that they wouldn't have dared to express two years ago (even if they had those thoughts privately).

I think the attitude on this thread by several posters shows exactly why MNHQ move threads to the Brexit Topic - haranguing, lecturing, sneering, dismissive, insistent that they must be heard and listened to.

AIBU and Chat were at one time just walls of Brexit threads, most of them just repeating the same things over and over again (from both viewpoints) and most of them that appear now are just cut and paste versions of every other Brexit thread.

That's fine, do what you want just don't complain when people get tired of hearing about it. You can't have all ways.

AIBU and Chat were at one time just walls of Brexit threads, most of them just repeating the same things over and over again (from both viewpoints) and most of them that appear now are just cut and paste versions of every other Brexit thread.

Yep they were, they are and they will be. Forever.....

Gamerchick I will carry on and by posting on here I'm not complaining about people's reactions (except those who express boredom about such an important issue I suppose) nor am I trying to have it both ways. People are entitled to their own views. I'm merely expressing a strong wish for MN HQ to be a bit braver about this topic and supporting others on here who feel the same.

I agree with the op

I think the attitude on this thread by several posters shows exactly why MNHQ move threads to the Brexit Topic - haranguing, lecturing, sneering, dismissive, insistent that they must be heard and listened to.

Completely agree.

Whose sneering etc? Unless I have missed a page or two (entirely possible on this ancient tablet) I can only see one post on this thread that fits that description.

Who is?

StaringCoat

People are entitled to their own views Not evidenced by posts on this thread.

I'm merely expressing a strong wish for MN HQ to be a bit braver about this topic and supporting others on here who feel the same What do mean by this?

Cassandra I've already explained to the best of my ability in a polite way in my post of 15.43 and subsequent posts. Not very well obviously but don't think I can do any more. This thread is about Mumsnet's squeamishnes in relatikn to discussion on leaving the EU. I'm agreeing with the op. Posts about Brexit are regularly removed from AIBU and put in the (not very obvious) Brexit topic whereas other subjects in AIBU are not shuffled off to their specific categories in the same way.

I feel very strongly about this. I try and be polite. Am I supposed to apologise or something?

Read the whole thread StaringCoat, I'm not the only who has picked up on it.

GAH! Squeamishness in relation to

Although we voted for it, we get furious if you ask us why - we actually find it very boring. We wish you’d stop going on about the rights you are losing and the shit economy. We don’t care about that

....

No one ever said brexiteers were intelligent

^this is exactly the attitude that makes it impossible to have a decent discussion about BREXIT on MN & the reason it needs to be confined to its own board.

It’s not DEBATE that we don’t want, it’s this pathetic, childish, boringly repetitive stream of ridiculous, unfounded, insults.

It's nothing to do with being brave. People whether you agree or not are pig rotten sick of seeing the same threads on a loop. It's not your way or the high way and people will keep reporting them to be moved to the Brexit topic.

There isn't anything more to say really. People are allowed to be bored, it's their right.

reddogsbed can you be more specific because I'm not picking up on it (genuinely). People are objecting because they don't want Brexit threads all over the place. I am arguing that Brexit is such an important issue that it warrants free and wide discussion and people have the option of not clicking on a thread. I have been polite.

No, not asking you to apologise StaringCoat, I was querying the MNHQ being braver comment. I disagree with you I don't think MNHQ are being squeamish, there is a whole topic dedicated to Brexit, those who are interested know where it is, it frequently comes up on the Active List, if a thread is started in AIBU and then moved those who have seen and responded to it will still know where it is and it will alert those with an interest to go to the Brexit topic.