I am growing both more intrigued and frustrated with OLO. It's almost impossible to get a reasoned discussion up here that dares to question the new orthodoxies of "business bad, government good". Parochialism is killing this site.

Lest I be accused of the same, I can state that I have been consistently opposed to the sell off of NSW power. Perhaps I've been the only one to bring up their opposition to the sell off of the CBA, the fashion that was demutualisation, the growth of middle class welfare in Oz and other seemingly leftist viewpoints.

Enough rant. As a 50yo I consider I'm privileged to have a handful of 'best friends', people I trust implicitly and who trust me. People who don't care if I make a tit of myself and vice versa. People who would only deny each other as the cock crows for the gag.

The point of this? 4 of the 5 I'm relishing in as best friends are diametrically opposed to me politically.

My question is, is this the same for you guys? Do you like to hang out with people who hold dissimilar views? There tends to be a consensus view among many of the contributors here that is stifling. Witness the warm welcome back given the vile Ginx; after Boaz probably the most hate filled contributor on OLO. Witness the attempted shut down of KMB's most recent post by 'the usual suspects'.

It seems our conspiracy has been uncovered; blown wide open by KMB's thoughtful and disinterested thread and palimpsest's balanced appraisal of our efforts to gag debate.

Comrades, we must immediately cease our campaign to turn Australia into a commune of vegetarian Muslim homosexual polygamist nudists and concede that shallow bigotry more than compensates for a lack of effective argument, and deserves the commensurate consideration.

We must acknowledge the superiority of insular conservatism. Please wait for the modern era to be dismantled, and your local church will send a witch-finder along to burn you shortly.

"Witness the warm welcome back given the vile Ginx; after Boaz probably the most hate filled contributor on OLO. Witness the attempted shut down of KMB's most recent post by 'the usual suspects'." (Quote: Pratlimppest).

Don't be a silly he-she! 'Some of my friends disagree with me' and your other weak attempts at credibility, is a sad and pathetic attempt to justify the fact that those whose opinions you clearly strongly oppose, are perhaps currently (CURRENTLY-it changes all the time you know), more effective than you would like.

Tough. Stop with the silly tantrum, it's so immature.

Signed: The Vile Ginx.

(Thank-you, I appreciate that. Really. It shows I've got under the skin of people like you. I consider that a badge of honour).

I think that the financial meltdown has polarised opinion.The left see selfish greed ,free markets and capitalism as being the primary cause.I see an unregulated all powerful World Reserve Banking System being the primary cause.

People are so sure their conclusions are correct and now tend to attack the dissenter personally rather than argue the facts.

Arjay:"People are so sure their conclusions are correct and now tend to attack the dissenter personally rather than argue the facts."

Welcome to my world. I've even been told by one poster here that to ask questions is "bullying".

Whoah Nellie, ya sure chucked the cat in the chook-house there mate, lol!
But you're right, in a way, but as another 50 odd I reckon the appeal of those who dispute us is inherent, or symptomatic? It's largely a matter of circumstance though, in the long run we don't have much input on that, do we?
"Ya pays ya nickel and ya takes ya chances", that's life, friendships, the universe and everything!