All these generous comments to Michael are well-deserved.

I've worked with Michael since day 1 and always did what I've thought best for the community that is R3ok. I have always thought that to allow promotion of political thought here would destroy a forum that was set up initially as a sanctuary for Radio 3 listeners interested in discussing the music and arts in the R3 schedule but to also have fun. If the intellectuals were unhappy with the restrictions imposed by the BBC messageoards then they should have set up M&S in February, but they instead decided to join R3ok.

I'm hoping I can persuade Michael to stay - I certainly want to stay on. With the creation of the M&S forum the way is open for the two forums to co-exist and to share; despite the similar structures to the forums they have very different agendas. R3ok is named R3ok  because the members enjoy Radio 3.

I want to stay on because I want to preserve a friendly community free from intimidation, free from any postings with a real political agenda.

If Michael consents then the forum could benefit from additional moderators. I actually think there is not much for moderators to do here, now that M&S is set up, but from the many PMs I feel that the remaining membership would welcome additions to the moderation team, possibly anonymous as is the case at other forums.

So, these are my thoughts and comment would be most welcome.

John W

This is my first post since things 'kicked off' and while I still don't feel comfortable posting here again right now, I wanted to echo the thanks being given to Michael.
From the very beginning, there were some nasty suspicions aimed at your motives for starting these boards but I think that you showed categorically that they were ludicrous at best.
Best wishes for everything that you do in the future, and if you hand over your mantle, make sure you stay registered and in touch with the forum!
hh

I would like to add my backing for that just posted by Baz. Excellently put, Baz. A very accurate reflection of how this MB has been viewed by many of us. I don`t believe that the problem has been with  your moderation style, Michael, as IGI so succintly indicated.

John, no amount of smilies in your posts is going to `cheer up` this place. Can you not read the mood of this MB?

I would just like to say how I agree with what Baz has said.

I do hope you won't leave the board Michael and John. This board has been wonderful, we have all made lots of friends here... we know who loves Britten, who plays which instrument, who goes to opera..who composes, who knows a heck of a lot about certain musical topics... and even who loves Janine Jansen.!!

The coffee room has been wonderful, silly yes, but fun. Those of us who spent a lot of time there also read and contributed to the serious threads because we are all together is  our love for classical music. We have communicated to each other and enjoyed the friendships that have blossomed.

In the morning the first thing I do is to log on to see who is around, and the last thing at night I also go on to see what is happening, it will be a sad day if this goes, a really sad day .

So please John and Michael , keep this running. You are appreciated and those of us who are left here are still a bit bemused as to what exactly happened last week.

Here is a smiley or two John... we are trying!

A

Now, I wonder.....

I'm "listening" (sort of) to quite a bit of him at this moment - only problem is, it's in an opera by James MacMillan  .

I echo all A's sentiments.

Obviously what is needed is some kind of moderation system where threads,topics are voted off, and a value set i.e. 3 users required to vote things off etc, i think a major problem is the amount of time required to moderate.

Perhaps things would be easier if more people are given moderator status ?

(I would have preferred to wait a few days before saying anything here, but I'm about to be away for a while so I'd better get this in now.)

I was lurking on the BBC site during the collapse in February, and even though it took me a while to get actively involved here, I'd like to add my thanks to those who set up this alternative.  It was needed, and has grown into quite a special community.

But all this talk of "moving on" sits very badly with me.  It simply is not possible to "move on" when those who have been affronted (either personally or as a matter of principle) have had no attempt at explanation or rapprochement.  Or any attempt at clarifying what the problem was in such a way that would be unambiguous in the future.

As far as I can see, closing certain threads and encouraging certain posters to leave is the result of a mod's arbitrary dislike of certain topics (topics that were related to music, I would add).  It seems that "intellectuals" who engage in high-pitched, passionate arguments have been confused with "advocates" or "proselytisers" who would try to impose a certain view.  I don't think any of the people here, no matter how entrenched their own viewpoints, have posted in such an evangelical way.

No amount of self-effacing smilies or referring to one's self as a "dummy" in an attempt to charm and lighten up is going to solve this.  Censorship is a serious issue, and those of us who see it that way ought to be taken seriously.

And by the way, I don't think the M&S board is trying to replace or steal traffic from this one.  A number of us are still posting on both, and no one on either board is discouraging us from doing so.  Saying things like that only hardens divisions, and also does little to solve this.

<no smiley here>

A pity strina. This board is , or was , fun and lots of friends here got on well.
If you can't smile it is an even sadder place.

A