How would that be different from a regular political thread? Obviously Politician X is a bastard/bitch because of his/her policies which is debatable, unless of course the OP just wants to complain he/she has poopy pants. Quite frankly, I think we could do with a lot less of the latter.
Sounds like an experiment worth trying. Thanks to the Powers That Be for trying it.
How is a political debate different from a Pit rant on a politician? Is that your question? I guess it’s a matter of the level of vitriol. While it’s very enlightened of you to wish for less of the latter, I think it’s something that’s going to continue and ought to be anticipated.
Thanks, Ed, Marley23, Giraffe, “the Usual Suspects,” and anyone else responsible for this breath of fresh air!
Actually here’s a question:
If GD is the place to discuss politics like adults, the Pit the place to talk about politics like rowdy adolescents, will this new place be the place to just “talk” about politics? I.e. no debate, no ranting, just sort of easy going commentary? What sort of mood is being sought?
Good idea, and far better to do it for a midterm election.
In the OP, Ed saith (verily and all):
although I suspect over time it will develop its own “flavour”
Grim
I don’t like the idea of temporary forums. I think you should make a “current election” forum whose scope would therefore change automatically after the Nov elections. Non-election related politics and politics related to past elections would stay in GD.
Should you participate in the new forum, this is a question to ask your fellow posters. Our role will be to enforce our standard rules. The forum’s tone will emerge from the conversation.
It’s actually two options.
First, you’d need to disallow “Allow Users to Start Threads” on X date.
And then you’d need to disallow “Allow Users to Reply to Threads” on X+Fortnight date.
Is this the time to start campaigning for an Australian federal election forum, to keep all your other nice forums free from “Aussie crap”?
(The date of the next federal election in Australia has yet to be decided by the Governor General – Her Excellency is doubtless waiting with bated breath to get advice from her chief adviser, Kevin Rudd, on the subject. It must be held by April 2011, and if held before August 2010 can be a double dissolution of both the Senate and the House of Reps.)
Come to think of it, we might be having a federal election in Canada soon if a vote of non-confidence succeeds (as pundits are forecasting for sometime this spring).
Man, those silly Canadians have some weird voting procedures to elect a state governor. Did they go for McCain or Obama in the last election?
An Election forum would be specific for that year’s election; GD would still have general politics discussions. Gun control, for example: “Candidate Soanso said such-and-such about gun control” in the Election forum; “Gun control is bad!” “No, it’s not!” in GD.
I suggest moving the active ones and leaving the inactive ones where they are and locked. Keep the forum marked as read-only until 2012, at which point you keep the existing threads locked but allow new ones.
Perhaps this proposed Election forum could have a child forum with Pit rules?
Famous last words.
Not much point is there? This is by far the hardest to call UK general election since the 70s and there’s, what, one thread about it?
You stoic Brits just know how to keep quiet unless you really have something to say
Thumbs up from me. Thanks for doing this, guys!
And no-one in Australia really cares about politics ;), so there’s no need for an Australian Politics forum.
Well… it mainly numbers. The very large majority of our posters are American, so US elections tend to be more a discussion topic than ditto in Canada, UK, Bolivia, etc.