Don't take it personally, but with few exceptions, Trev;-) you all just keep banging on about Unions or Tony or climate change or some such, and I feel the need to break it to you all, the reason you're all so angry with each other is that you cant find any new ground to cover.

So you're left with predictable personal snipes, and holding a line. To some degree I can see the comfort, and the consistency of someone like SM on the ALP, runner on abortion, whatever, a certain mass of these kind of characters is ok, but this site has officially become... well lets just say I wont be visiting this nursing home any more. One topic warriors abound, nobody says anything not totally predictable, I know all your mantras off by heart, and they make me want to... escape.... or die. Is this what I have to look forward to as I age? Man.

I see you all as less than real people, more cardboard caricatures now, and your lack of any kind of charm or levity or stimulating ideas has made it all a very unrewarding experience. It's just all so sour and sad. It used to be cheeky and enlivening and witty. Read through some of the comment history of a couple of years back and it was so much more entertaining and engaging.

So, no hard feelings, and farewell.

PS: Naturally this will elicit a defensive response, and no question I have been equally uninspired when I bother to engage here these days, but surely someone must agree that this place is missing something more than a bit of spark, and it's not just about the jousting it's the quality of the jousting. It's just not there.

Thats because OLO is not really an inclusive, unbiased forum it is a cesspit of right-wing, religious nutters who, at the first hint of "jousting" debate go running to Graham complaining they were insulted, despite having said much worse themselves on many previous occasions.

Anyone who does not subscribe to the dominant conservative groupthink is hounded out or even officially banned and thus the debate becomes sterile and boring.

A bunch of yes men standing around agreeing with each other.

Yawn.

Houellie,

No defensive reaction...you are absolutely right.

There is no quality here that is inspiring.

(we have lost quite a few that made OLO worthwhile - including yourself - so understand that for those of us who had meant to exit when it became bland - well we decided to hang around just in case it ever regained a bit of it's past vigor)

My weakness is continuing to drop by for a bit of biffo with the right-wingers.

But since I'm elsewhere most of the time these days and only drop by to indulge my pettiness (which is what OLO does really well these days)I'm hoping to kick the habit somewhere down the track.

Anyway, I'm off now to whatever I do when I'm not being boring.

Cheers mate.

Hey Houellie, put up an interesting topic and I’ll take you on!!

If it is something I agree with you about, I’ll play devil’s advocate, for the sake of a good stoush. Or… perhaps, not a stoush, but rather, a good interesting friendly debate ( :>)

Be positive, man!

Comeon, OLO is what you make of it.

Ok, so you’ll get comments that you think are silly. Well, just skip past them and address the ones that you think deserve a response. And in so doing, steer the discussion where it interests you.

Looking forward to your new general thread!!

That’s interesting Poirot.

Such a poor opinion of Online Opinion, from one who post’s here so prolifically!

Ludwig,

It is interesting, isn't it.

I do post prolifically, even now when I'm not hovering over the threads like I used to when I first started.

As I said, that's mainly for a bit of biff on politics - which, as Houellie, points out is pointless and boring,.....but you know, I remember how it was here, and I always wondered if maybe we'd get back to something of that kind.

Not gonna happen.

So even though I post, I always feel that each post might be my last one - because it's kind of like being on a mouse wheel - same old, same old....

You're one of the more thoughtful posters, so at least you're still here...but really, me posting and biffing with righties is just a petty indulgence that's kept me coming back.

No overall value.