Can MN confirm there is no flooding of alleged Reform bots?

[DangerQuakeRhinoSnake]

I find it hard to believe bots would post on this site anyway. Sigh. But the repeated accusations from what I assume are extreme left wing posters of so called "Reform bots" to anyone who might offer a counter opinion, is both wearying and juvenile (imo).

(Notable that this same accusation is rarely - if ever - found to be made in the opposite direction).

Please can MN confirm to all that "Reform bots" are not flooding the site?

Can you prove that? Your confirmation bias is natural and something everyone tends towards, but clearly you (and the media you gravitate towards) home in on whatever stories confirm your narrative and ignore (or don't even see, because of the media you watch/ read/ listen to) those that don't.

I could come up with any random claim that there's more of thing A than thing B, and write a longer list of thing A and a shorter list of thing B, and claim that "proved" my point. Obviously it wouldn't "prove" anything, except that I'd chosen to look harder for examples of A than B.

The article doesn't "prove" any more - nor any less - than your argument. The article lists statistics, which you can look into if you're actually interested.

There's no point arguing though as your opinions are fixed - if you actually wanted to do genuinely objective research you could. This seems unlikely to happen, and it's obviously far more likely you'll just double down without actually going looking outside your usual bubble for evidence that rebuffs your argument, but you never know...

I did report a post claiming ‘there will be demonstrations’ as this is stirring already high tensions. I asked if this was a genuine poster and why did they have such a keen interest in directing MN users to X.

Response was:

Hello and thanks for your report.

We’ve reviewed the post and it does not break our Talk guidelines. Our role is to apply the rules consistently and posts are removed only if they include personal attacks, hate speech, or otherwise clearly breach the guidelines. Criticism, debate, or strongly expressed opinions, even if you disagree with them, do not automatically count as a breach.

Best wishes,
Pip
MNHQ .

To be honest even the reporting system makes reports inaccurate in content. Reporting inaccurate data, as misinformation is never a breach either.

Reporting does not address the tone, the overtake or the pile on. If you read above I am not the only poster that felt as I did last night.

Thank you for clarifying @BeckyAMumsnet that's very useful.

I don’t know why MN even has “misinformation” as a rule break as they never seem to delete posts that contain obvious misinformation but instead suggest debating with the poster. Really do question why they have “misinformation”as something worth reporting. If I’m reporting it’s because I don’t want to argue with the poster.

They also never seem to read anything beyond the actual post reported in order to gain any context.

Agree with this it was very blatant ten years ago around Brexit. And also the idea that there are many many more easily manipulated very hard right-wing thinking posters on here, these days, is absolutely true too.
Today some will be bots some will be humans, probably as it has been for the past ten years since Brexit.
It’s a mix of factors now. I’d imagine a few of those prolific extremist posters are paid to stir things up on behalf of Reform and some of them are just useful idiots who have been manipulated by social media views into shilling prolifically for the extreme right for free.

The idea that the far left (which obviously does exist albeit in much smaller numbers), is paying people to shill or buying farmed bots to post left wing content a total joke. No way would that happen or be funded to happen by immensely rich backers. Not how democratic left wingers or their backers operate.

Mnhq have just said otherwise. There are prolific Labour posters not just Reform presumably they just care about Labour enough to post. Same as anyone for any party.

The accusations are usually from one section of politics.

Oh the irony

I couldn't agree more. For example, there are regular posters on here who often spread (possibly unwittingly, hard to be sure) misinformation from Twitter etc. but nothing is done.

I think the public has shifted to the right and some people are in such disbelief that centre right beliefs could ever be mainstream, that they actually think it must all be bots. There are very good reasons people have the concerns they do about immigration and welfare, and aggressive demands for proof and the usual smears of bigotry aren’t working in the way they used to as more and more people share the same concerns.

I think this is something you’re just going to have to come to terms with rather than hoping it’s all bots and looking for alternate explanations.

Yes calling everyone a ‘Tory bot’ in the lead up to the GE was similar but now Labour have messed up enough for further shifts in the electorate.

Check out what MI5 and Europol have to say on the matter of radical Islamism and the threat it poses to the west.

ETA: I would disagree with the analysis that far right terrorism accounts for 5%, it’s probably slightly higher.

people are in such disbelief that centre right beliefs could ever be mainstream

What an odd thing to say.

I don't think it is "centre right beliefs" that are worrying people at the moment. Those beliefs have always been mainstream and we had 14 years of a centre right government.

I think this is something you’re just going to have to come to terms with

Personally I don't think we should be "coming to terms" with the racism and misogyny of the likes of Reform, Restore, Robinson etc. There are still more people who don't support them than do, on the left and the right.

Nothing ‘odd’ about it. Reform (for whom I will not be voting) consistently poll as the most popular party time and time again, yet you’re all here pleading with HQ to tell you the support for them here are bots, despite the fact this isn’t a website remotely suitable for such bot activity. There’s a huge amount of denial going on.

I think it's pretty obvious that MN is not a site that would be very attractive to those paying for bots. It's a debate site so any opinion expressed (even opinion dressed up as fact) is likely to be challenged - especially any opinion that is even slightly controversial.

If MN seems more right wing now my guess is that this is just a reflection on UK society. We have moved to the right so the Conservative party doesn't seem that right wing now compared to Reform let alone Restore.

Yes and it’s just the same posters aiming bot accusations at Reform rather than Tory.

I haven't pleaded for anything.

Are you claiming Reform is centre right?

MN is full of trolls, shrills and bots. Eventually this will be the death of the site. Just like this thread is full of trolls and political shrills and 'people shouting at bins'. MN do nothing, just interested in the traffic. Take the money and run.

Yes. They won’t reintroduce the death penalty, they won’t decimate the welfare state, they’re not an entirely white party.

Restore are far right however as the above does not apply to them.

So if Reform is centre right, what is the Conservative Party?

This type of post will be, but there’s nothing making anyone stay here.

I don’t think it’s easy to pigeonhole parties in this way these days. Some of Reform’s policies could be considered left wing eg economic policies. They are more like Blue Labour.

Centre right.

Interesting. Thanks.

Yep. Labour pick up on policies around immigration and done say great. They’re not far off Reform’s and ditto the latter’s spending policies.

Conservative is the only one who consistently says you can spend that much anymore.

I wasn’t!
My concern was lack of debate, sharing of misinformation, inaccuracy and lack of evidence.

MN allowing this to stand.

Feeling isolated, in a place I don’t know anymore, bullied and silenced.

If there is no debate, no advice, no support, MN are going to lose their customer and audience.