Cliff Notes

at

 

Gulp.

This morning/afternoon.

BODGER. Get in here.

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184 thoughts on “Cliff Notes

  1. Qwerty123

    Yup, full tinfoil hat these days. I enjoy it though and enjoy the comments from complete wack jobs. Its interesting. You should re engage with G O’D for the full masonic/satanic perspective you are lacking.

  2. Dame Lula

    The vast majority on shills on Broadsheet supp COVID measures and the toxic comments section hturned most reason off.

  3. GiggidyGoo

    What’s with the mention of a tie-up with Village Magazine?.

    NWL’s byline is ‘”They don’t believe in coincidences. They’ve heard of them. They’ve just never seen one” – Westray’

    Co-incidential that a BS article writer, has also had an article published in Village Magazine?

    1. Rob_G

      ↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑

      Ya, I wonder where the paranoid, febrile atmosphere at Broadsheet could possibly be emanating from…

      1. GiggidyGoo

        That’s a very feverish reply Rob. Don’t be so agitated. I know today and yesterday haven’t been good for you here.

        1. Bitnboxy

          Hmm, I do think that Broadsheet has lost its way – something hasn’t been right for a while (years really) and as I have often commented, it is a source of amusement for friends and my other half that I still post the odd time. I recall the good old days of an air of progressivism with a touch of cynicism and wit coupled with the hilarious attempts of the notorious and bungling troll ABM to derail debate.

          For me things have changed – and it is probably exemplified by two posters: GiggidyGoo (who with a pregnant daughter is obviously much older than I thought) and their “against everything” attitude, devoid of wit and just propagandising (don’t get me wrong, there is much to critique about FF & FG but Giggz is in the “Leo eats babies” territory) which I do find tedious and counterproductive. Giggz is a sort of light-touch conspiracist. Give me a decent Shinnerbot any day. I have probably driven d’aul Giggz demented with my antics calling them out though for my own amusement.

          Clampers is another one – just turned obsessively reactionary about an issue I just see as deeply complex and not one really suited to sloganeering and Manichean thinking but the change is remarkable. I find it quite astounding that such a vulnerable and tiny section of society attracts such ire and vicious debate. That is not so say there are some things around the issue requiring more scrutiny and probity but it brings out the crazy in folks and some BS commenters.

          I never minded posters like SOQ who were more in the Broadsheet tradition although I rarely agreed.

          I guess what I am trying to say is that Broadsheet has become tiresome and predictable and even Bodger’s attempts to attract more Covid-sceptics and get a slice of the action from those with more of a Trumpy-taste hasn’t worked.

          Quo vadis Broadsheet?

          1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

            curious, what name did you post under before for all these years ?

          2. GiggigyGoo

            I’m getting worried about you now Boxy. You seem overly preoccupied with me. Has the Boxy nothing else to amuse itself with?

            I doubt, Janet, if it can remember all of the names it used. Even now it’s unreal

          3. V aka Frilly Keane

            I’ll just say to that
            what I have always said
            there is room for everyone on Broadsheet
            and the More the Merrier

            Yes, Broadsheet, is very different now to what it was back – say five years ago
            both above the line and below the line
            and behind the scenes

            Obviously I’m just fooling myself, and all of ye
            with the room for everyone

            but ultimately, this is the internet, nobody is chained to the place

          4. K. Cavan

            It’s the Covidian Cult, stupid. (not trying to insult, y’understand?) There is no coming back from what’s coming down the road, people are holding their nose & taking the jabs, without realising jabs are forever & Bill Gates III has a Decade of them in mind &, well, people that rich tend to get their way, these days. It’s serious, nobody’s walking away from this, as you’ll see, eventually (& far too late).

          5. Clampers Outside

            Other than point to facts, I’ve done none of things you say regarding individuals unfortunate enough to find themselves suffering gender dysphoria.

            As I’ve said before, there are many level headed trans individuals whose views I echo. And yes, I’ve listened to the other side, Nigel end of things, and it does not make sense.

            Lastly, please do point out one single comment by me on the subject that can be said to be fenuinely transphobic, and not simply some other commenter who doesn’t like facts making an accusation. Please, please do……. I can wait.

          6. GiggidyGoo

            ‘Lastly, please do point out one single comment ….’

            You’ll be waiting Clampers.

  4. scottser

    you might find that period coincided with salmons at peak vaccine one-upmanship.
    now that he’s not around, the comments section is actually a lovely place again.

    1. alickdouglas

      I’m not sure I’d call it ‘lovely’ but there has been a definite uptick : D

      Quite a few dodgy commenters seem to fall away within a similar timeframe.

    2. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      nail on the head Scottser, it will take time but people will trickle back,
      I know BS has always defended a trolls place in debate etc, but a bridge too far is a boring bridge too far

      1. Lush

        You put it perfectly as usual.
        I like/want to believe that the BS position on certain subjects is more driven by a wish to encourage ‘debate’, than from an editorial position.
        Finger’s crossed.

      1. goldenbrown

        well….I still haven’t had a yes or no to my question

        Charger Salmons = Four Laptops Harris?

          1. Papi

            If you get really, really drunk and rearrange the letters in the names, it’s identical.

            Really drunk though. Like, facial tattoo drunk.

        1. V aka Frilly Keane

          funny you should say that Goldie

          the PV themselves, where I know Charger and his previous from (as well as other former Gah spots)
          have already got that tie up well under way

          and Harris openly lifted from AFR himself

  5. asitsaysinthepapers

    “some of our coverage has turned a lot of them off” – There have been 2 anti-vax/covid hoax posts (Loss of Function/Late Debate) already today. This site appears to increasingly revolve around one contributor’s particular fixation.

    1. K. Cavan

      You reckon you’ve got the chops to spot ”Covid Hoaxes”? I suppose all those hours consuming them in the MSM wasn’t wasted, then.

  6. Micko

    So what you’re really saying is that all the anti – lockdown “conspiracy madness” stuff is hurting the site in general and of course screwing with the bottom dollar.

    Less people visiting = less ad revenue.

    And yet Bodger STILL posts content because he believes in it.

    Not because it makes him money – but because he thinks it’s the right thing to do.

    Right or wrong and wether you agree with him or not – that’s the kind of media we should all support.

    Fair play.

    1. Rob_G

      Mmm – that’s some fairly specious reasoning. If Bodger had decided to turn BS into a white power website, I imagine that it would also lose readership, but I don’t think that it would be an admirable thing to do.

        1. Rob_G

          No; I’m not sure you understand my argument.

          You are suggesting that a website that loses readers for supporting an editorial line of X is noble for doing so, regardless of what X is; I’m suggesting that it isn’t, that it would depend on what exactly ‘X’ was.

          Although you seem to be fairly conspiracy-curious yourself, so not all the surprising that you might see it in this light.

          1. K. Cavan

            Mille, if Rob G resorts to a Strawman, he’s got to take his licks, matteradamn how satisfying you find his contributions. The tendency towards vulgar abuse & the almost constant strawman arguments & other assorted fallacies do tend to come from Covid Cultists & Authority fetishists, if you care to look but since they bring little more to the table than a gra for believing propaganda, it’s hardly unexpected. I’m sure Rob can defend himself from not being called a troll, anyway. Clarified? Now I must go and laugh heartily at Daisy calling me a troll, actually Daisy calling anyone a troll is hilarious, in a peculiar way. Pot calling a Kettle a Utensil of Colour rightbackatcha, Daisy.

          2. millie bobby brownie

            I don’t believe I’ll be engaging with you again on this topic as I can see it would be a spectacular waste of time.

        2. K. Cavan

          Correct, Micko, but standard practice for the trolls on here, they specialise in the various fallacies that school debating teams are thought to avoid, lest they lose every debate.

          1. millie bobby brownie

            Just want to clarify something here:

            By ‘trolls’, you’re referring to the commenters here who disagree with you? And more specifically in this case, Rob_G?

            Because if there is one thing I’d say Rob_G is not, it is a troll. I don’t often agree with his position (and Janet might have a thing or two to say too) but I would describe him as a logical and direct commenter, as well as someone who is able to back up a point with a good source.

            Also, someone disagreeing with your stance does not a troll make. There are any number of them here (or possibly just one with multiple personalities, who knows?) who do fit that description, and it’s fairly easy to spot them too.

          2. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

            yeah Rob is no troll, I think I even agreed with him…once ;)

          3. Daisy Chainsaw

            KCavan calling others trolls?

            There’s a kettle on line 2 who wants to discuss colour schemes with you!

          4. scottser

            My politics and values are virtually polar opposites to Rob G, and I’ve had many a barney with him. But one thing he is not is a troll.

    2. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      personally I’m over even the word covid and the havoc it has wreaked on many personal relationships…not mine so much as I just hold my water,
      however I respect that BS allows a platform for free speech apart from my potty mouth posts…. whatever your position it’s good to hear other people’s views

      1. K. Cavan

        It’s a great invention, ”Covid”, it means Pneumonia but that didn’t sound scary enough so they looked at the way human Coronaviruses are labelled, HCoV-Sars02, HCoV-HKU1 & so on, ignored the ”H” for ”Human” took the ”CoV”, which indicates ”Coronavirus” and added ”id” for no feckin’ reason at all, et viola! a new Brand was born. These PR guys didn’t get to where they are by snorting coke and dreaming up new names for existing diseases but they do that too. If you get a bad infection of HKU1 or OC43, it’s called Pneumonia, if it’s Sars02, the very same disease is called ”Covid”. Brilliant!

  7. Zaccone

    I don’t agree with lots of Bodgers’ stuff, but I completely respect broadsheet for posting it. The rest of the Irish media is effectively a government-aligned echo chamber these days. Its refreshing to at least hear of/be made aware of some other points of view.

    If people disagree with Bodgers’ posts I’d love to see comments below the posts refuting them, backed up with factual evidence. Thats how you show people the error of their ways (or posts).

    But instead we get “cancel culture” where people just shout down any view they don’t like, and demand the views get muted or silenced. Or go out of their way to stop hearing about any views that challenge their own beliefs in any way whatsoever.

    Its incredibly dangerous for a democracy.

    1. V aka Frilly Keane

      I know this is nothing to do with you Zaccone, and many others

      but I have to tell ye all

      every time I read / come across the expression Cancel Culture
      both here in the comments section
      and above the line

      I snort
      same – well sometimes when free speech appears

    2. fluffybiscuits

      BS is not a democracy though, its a private enterprise and as such has every right to dictate what can and cannot get posted. Cancel culture exists to seek a balance between hatred that can incite people to set upon a minority and good order. Social contracts we have with each other., Anti vaxxers and anti maskers are such of low intellect they will tend to never be able to question rhetroic but believe what is put in front of them. Save people from themselves before they harm others …

          1. Micko

            Heh heh. Maybe ;)

            Well, I think that we can all agree that there’s no geniuses here. Geniuses don’t spend their time commenting on random websites trying to prove their smarter than some dude their trading barbs with on the internet.

            No, it’s the fact that I find de-humanising language troubling.

            “Low intellect” “rat-lickers” “dirty” “infected” “free-dumb” “lunatic fringe” “ psychotic” etc

            All commonly spouted here.

            Ye know the kinda language that makes it super easy to see your fellow humans as pieces of dirt.

            Language like that only seeks to raise your own self worth at the cost of another.

            Never ends well.

          2. Clampers Outside

            You should check out the many genuine academics – associate professors, professors, tenured professors, etc. – on Twitter and the arguments they engage in on that platform…. Goes some way to refuting that first part :)

          3. millie bobby brownie

            I agree. I dislike a lot of the dog-whistle type terms. They don’t help at all; they succeed only in making those kinds of ideological divisions deeper and more pronounced, and I think you make a great point when you say they’re dehumanising. It applies to both sides, as both are equally guilty of it, and, as you said, there are no geniuses here.

          4. Micko

            Totes.

            Prob the best thing we can all do is try to understand each other’s point of view.

            Either that or a massive Broadsheet bloodbath. Battle Royale style!!!

            Either option is good with me – I’m on the fence if I’m honest ;)

          5. Nigel

            ‘No, it’s the fact that I find de-humanising language troubling.
            “Low intellect” “rat-lickers” “dirty” “infected” “free-dumb” “lunatic fringe” “ psychotic” etc’

            Or, what was it, ‘lick the vaccine off a pensioner’s eyeball.’

          6. Micko

            I said “Suck” I believe good sir.

            I said you’d try to “suck” the vaccine through your local pensioners eyeball if you had half the chance.

            And the fact that you remembered it Nigey, gives me a little glow inside. I am literally smiling here.

            That line is probably my favourite thing I’ve written in the last 12 months here.

            Mmmmff….So proud of myself right now.

            :0)

          7. K. Cavan

            Absolutely +1, Micko. Nasty & dehumanising, the tactic of bullies & fascists & yet utterly silly, in this context.

    3. Daisy Chainsaw

      People do refute them but because it disagrees with their own beliefs, the anti mask/lockdown/covid cohort ignore them.

    4. U N M U T U A L

      @zaccone… +1

      For me, the monothematic drone from some of the old guard in here, who condider BS to be their own sacred space doesn’t add much either,… wheeling out the same old shtick to beat the conversation down with… the house pedants, the resident nazi hunters, or political frappehousers…would zap even the keenest of commentators… One wouldn’t even mind if they had the wit to woo… but alas no.

      On the plus side, it’s been interesting to watch the masks slip on some of the more ‘enlightened’ posters… so not all bad, I suppose. :-|

      #BodgerHoldFirm

    5. Nigel

      “cancel culture”

      Yes, those endless blocks of text complaining about how they’re being silenced and how dangerous it is for democracy that people disagree with them.

      1. K. Cavan

        No, Nigel, people being sacked from their jobs for not bowing to an intellectually & morally suspect orthodoxy. Stop trying to pretend it isn’t a serious matter, everybody knows what time it is. First they came for the Jews, Nigel…

  8. Reidman

    Yep – used to be a fun and interesting site other than leather jacket guy, it’s pretty soulless now and has lost the humour. The covid conspiracy content is a drag and unbalanced. There’s enough of that out there online already. But it’s your website not mine.

    1. Lilly

      There’s more humour in the headlines alone than the entire content of your average site.

    2. millie bobby brownie

      Jaysus, I even miss LJG at this rate. Never ever thought I’d find myself saying that but here we are.

  9. Mr. T

    Its less the covid hoax poo thats easily ignored, but the reactions from most of the commenters is what would really make you lose faith in humanity.

    It makes it very clear who most of the readership are, middle class Dubliners

  10. Bertie blenkinsop

    Charger and the moderation (I think i saw them supporting The Clash) was a big drag for me.

      1. bertie blenkinsop

        Hey Lush-ish!
        Hope you’re well too.
        Keep on keeping on!

        Gas that the thread that’s so busy is about Broadsheet not being busy.

        ps
        Francis Hughes, RIP
        Never forgotten.

  11. fluffybiscuits

    We are all allowed to lose our way at some point in the lockdown. Most of the covid consipracy nonsense I skip over, its total thrash and is not even what BS should be. There are stories we known that are being sat on and BS can cover. Use the FOI mechanism to comb for pieces on the establishment. Write some hit pieces on what has happened with the left turning in on itself. Expose the corruption that is taking over the seams of Irish society at will. Explore the various facebook groups that are a treasure trove of writings.

    Ive already one suggestion, one absolutely amazing historian who writes about Irish history from perspectives we never knew. Yesterday he put a piece up on FB about the ‘Irish secret service’.

    BS is that home on the web that some of us are seeking, a place where we can comment, enjoy the comments and pour forth on what we are musing on

    And it has also delivered to me one marvellous friend who rode into my rescue at a time of need.

    Bodger, lets completely turn the tables and MAKE MS GREAT AGAIN!

    BTW I do miss Charger, always had a laugh (more a sneer) at him or her…

    1. Clampers Outside

      You should send a link to that historian to BS Fluffy… I’d love a read of that :)

  12. Hank

    I suspect it’s more related to Charger than to covid coverage although both have contributed to a more toxic comments section. In the past couple of weeks, there’s definitely been a noticeable improvement now that 50% of the problem has been eradicated..

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      Charger is easily ignored. Pimpin’ the fash and their crazy conspiracy theories, not so much.

    2. Lush

      Charger was easily ignored, as Daisy points out; but once their post was up it was a foregone conclusion that all the usual suspects would take the bait; like shooting fish in a barrel.

      1. Papi

        If you’re ok with racism, bigotry, misogyny, permanent trolling, xenophobia, calculated and constant, not just on this site, proven on others, here just to be a nasty piece of work, yes.

        1. Lush

          No Papi, I’m not; but I felt it was trolling/grandstanding/ taking the piss – call it what you will.
          I never believed that the poster (whoever it was) believed anything they were posting.
          So yes, I ignored it.

    1. Hank

      I assumed he was sailing to Jersey to sort out those ghastly French fishermen, speakers nailed to the mast blaring ‘God Save the Queen’ on repeat

    2. Otis Blue

      Heard that he passed in a bizarre gardening accident that the authorities said was “best left unsolved.”

  13. Unreal

    Charger was the perfect embodiment of the worst aspects of every commenter and I include myself in that.
    Thank dog, him, Brother Barbarous and Johnny Hamptons are fairly quiet of late though

      1. Unreal

        I can’t believe it’s not (Pat of) …

        Butter wouldn’t melt in his/he/they’s mouth!

        Must (Rye) Hard(er)

  14. V aka Frilly Keane

    FWIW

    The drop off – if there really is one
    I’m never convinced by these algo machinations when it comes to open forums
    has noting to do with the Charger Salmons posts

    Comments were dropping off from about three years back
    very little now hits 100+
    and when the comments drop, so do the views

    I know Broadsheet will say the opposite
    Fair enough

    But Broadsheet.ie made its mark from its comment sections
    and Bodgers Headers
    anyone that says different is talking thru their pompoms

    btw, I expect this thread to go well into 3 digits
    if it doesn’t you’ll know the drop off is for real

    1. scottser

      not everything on here is designed to get comments, and while it’s probably important for revenue and advertising reasons, it shouldn’t be the only metric by how this site is judged. some of my favourite stuff on here gets little or no reaction like the cartoons, the ‘you may like this’ stuff or those pics of the universe. i even enjoyed ‘poxy bleedin shop’ though i don’t think it garnered any comments.

          1. Tony

            +1 Scotty – cars and space pics for me

            Chum is what you throw in the water to stir up the sharks – I’d say the antivax muck is more like chum

        1. Rosette of Sirius

          Part of it for me V is the predictability.

          Nick for the music / entertainment – which is great and fairly diverse
          Chompsky for the giggles – and if I’ve not seen them first on Reddit, usually give me a laugh.
          And Bodger for everything else relating to politics and current affairs – which have become so blindingly one-sided it’s hard to see past them as anything other than editorial direction and / or comment bait. Which, predictably, is failing the site. IMHO, of course.

    2. K. Cavan

      End of history, Frilly, liberal hegemony, the Mainstream Media’s going down the tubes, meanwhile, on Youtube, videos of women going through their morning makeup routine get millions of watches, political debate shows get thousands. It’s all censored, filtered, there is literally no such thing as news, you just get a parade of ”stories” that fit the narrative the provider decides on, it’s a totally different methodology from even a decade ago. Then there’s the personalisation of websites, you & I might both visit some site, something as banal as Amazon, but the two of us will see completely different sites, politics online is being delivered by algorithm, in exactly the same way. We’re being rewired, live on stage, by the web.

    3. Clampers Outside

      On those figures….

      They are from what I can see ‘Desktop’ only. They may include mobile Web, but I don’t think they do.
      And they definitely don’t include mobile app use – neither android or apple – which is a big platform for BS.
      I’d even hazard a guess that mobile app use increased with lockdown / work from home…. and that desktop decreased, but that’s a guess, nothing more.

      This is not to deny a decline, but I don’t think the Alexa figs are anyway reliable beyond a possible current trend on desktop use.

      There are better sites than Alexa for cobbling this kind of info together… Similarweb.com is better IMHO and can provide app stuff sometimes (if you do the free trail you should get some access to that type info… If memory serves me well. I’m out of that biz a while now.)

    1. Unreal

      +1
      Great website and great craic
      It would be a place you’d fancy your chances of getting a ride, if it was a nightclub

        1. Clampers Outside

          * sprays phone with a mouthful o’ crisps *

          LOLOLOL!

          *splutter*

          I don’t think I’d meet your high bar desire of for a “bear” Fluffy!

          Long time no flirt all the same :)

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      Because links to Norwegian psychics and Tracey O’Mahoney’s “human rights” scam that get posted here are totes legit!

      1. Fergalito

        Don’t forget unsubstantiated assertions ….!

        And asserted unsubstantiateds…

  15. fluffybiscuits

    YouTube degrees are in vogue now, Im a qualified back surgeon..watched three vids yesterday

  16. Point

    Wall to wall lunatics and professional cranks. It was funny for a bit.

    It’s boring now.

    A few good commenters pop up now and again. Hardly worth sifting through the detritus.

          1. Lush

            Jaysus J, you have arrived!
            BTW, hope you and sprog are doing well and the worst is behind you.

          2. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

            ah all going grand thanks Lushie
            and here don’t be letting any froggie leave you the wet spot !

  17. Serious Chappie

    All I can say is that Broadsheet is one of the few sites that is worth visiting. There is a balance to the reporting and especially on Covid that is absent almost everywhere else. From an advertisers point of view I would think this enhances the value of the site as more people would trust its integrity.

    Alexa rankings are easily gamed and don’t measure actual importance of traffic. You may also be experiencing google downrating because of your stance. The woke resident gang here are the tired bit. Deplatform them and you will get much higher engagement with us normies.

    1. fluffybiscuits

      Just hope they dont give into the lunatic fringe of anti maskers and anti vaxxers. Fantasists belong on strong anti psychotic meds

  18. Lilly

    According to SEMrush, which is way more accurate than Alexa, BS organic traffic is higher now than it was two years ago – and has been been stable over the past six months, showing slight growth of anything.

    Maybe we’ve all been a bit subdued by the pandemic, hence fewer comments.

    1. Rob_G

      Bodger himself seems to be agreeing with the premise.

      “Maybe we’ve all been a bit subdued by the pandemic, hence fewer comments.”
      – if one-quarter of the workforce is furloughed, cooling their heels at home, and you can’t increase engagement in those circumstances…

      1. Lilly

        I don’t have access to his Google Analytics stats. Presumably he has, and knows how to read them. I would take Alexa rankings with a pinch of salt in any event.

  19. Point

    “It’s ok , it’s ok…”

    It’s not ok.

    Just keep it light and only be serious when it isn’t tinfoil, easy.

  20. MoRhustyDilis

    I for one really like this site, with it variation of pieces. And also it’s about the only place with any real non mainstream news. Stellar work around the Tuam babies and such which you won’t see anywhere else.
    And I applaud the work Badger is doing around the current environment. People will look back when things move onto where they are going and hopefully some will regret the anti-choice and little time for other’s thoughts and opinions that go against their own. It’s sad that those who are so convinced they are right and everything else is a sham or conspiracy or anti-vax (terms I abhor) are the first to label other with derogatory names.
    “It doesn’t matter how strong your opinion are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem”
    Coretta Scott King

  21. Nigel

    Arguably the antagonism between some commenters gives the comment section a bit of an edge. Okay, things can get nasty and feck obvious bad-faith trolls like Charger, both of which are off-putting, but I don’t actually come here just to find people who agree with me. Granted, some the areas of disagreement threaten my last shreds of faith in humanity, some are actually kind of shocking, and some are inexplicable (has Trump won the election yet, Bodger?) but most of the commenters, even the most irritating, are capable of expressing coherent sentences, if not arguments, and thus can be engaged with if that seems worth the while.

    1. Papi

      +1, even the level of correct spelling differentiates the site from others. It can get family Christmas sometimes, but that’s ok too.

      1. Unreal

        I don’t know: I like Nigel but he and Clampers’ “debates “ are a curse and you learn nothing from the constant put downs and winkee waving

      2. Unreal

        E.g.

        I absolutely think you are being hysterical, over-reacting, fearmongering, hatemongering, abusive, slanderous and transphobic. I wouldn’t worry about it. Whether the child turns out to be trans or not, access to health care and treatment for trans people in the UK is tortuously slow, and thanks to people like you, getting slower and more tortuous.

        Reply

        1. Nigel

          Don’t like that? Well I don’t like his transphobia.

          People have this weird idea that disagreements in comment sections are or ought to be about persuading people of things, and if nobody changes their minds then they’re futile, when in fact they’re about the act of arguing things out. People lament about the futility of argument with one breath and warn of the dangers of echo chambers full of people who are all in agreement with the next. I make no claims about the quality of these arguments, or the intellectual or entertainment values they offer to readers, but if there’s one thing the internet should good for, it’s the open working through of ongoing arguments about the world. That is, if you can find internet venues that haven’t been destroyed by trolls or the sorts of people who harass women, and such. But Broadsheet has only one major troll and a few minor ones. You don’t like one argument? I’m sure another will be along in a few minutes.

          1. Unreal

            No your endless tirades and tedious badger baiting are worse than futile Nigel – don’t worry – I don’t understand it as you are clearly a clever and caring man – but it comes across so badly that in the end no one cares

          2. Clampers Outside

            Again, I ask where is the transphobia when the comments I’ve made are mirrors of trans persons I’ve listened to. Those who’ve been through the mill in making transition or put in the road to it – both those happy with their outcome and those who say they were misled – and now warn of the failings of care. That is not transphobia, thank you.

    2. Redundant Proofreaders Society

      Agreed. The site is like Twitter in that it IS possible to ignore the regular hateful bile and opt to be courteous instead. It still remains a great aggregate for news items, as well as discoveries, political satire, astronomical wonders (literally, not metaphorically), history lessons, pleasant photos (despite wonky horizons), and sharp Irish wit.

      And on that last point, one of our few criticisms of Broadsheet has been the very British content. Yes, it’s from one particular commentator, but the daily publishing of British tabloids really gets our goat. Especially as their puns are nowhere near as fine as Bodger’s.

      1. Unreal

        Yes I don’t find Twitter bilious – not that it isn’t – I just feel I can safely ignore any such areas in it

  22. Royal M

    Broadsheet commenters used to be the kind of people with bits of spit at the side of their mouths, although they didn’t seem to be aware of it.

    Now they’re the kind of people who fart in lifts.

  23. H

    My takeaway from this is relief that the anti Covid/mask/vaxx stuff is not actually representative of the population as a whole. From my vantage point here in London I was starting to think that was how the majority of people in Ireland thought….

  24. K. Cavan

    There are clearly some lost souls on here who want the exact same BS from BS as they get from the MSM. They clearly need constant reassurance that their extremely authoritarian views are somehow normal, not Fascist at all, that swearing by every word of spin issuing from the government doesn’t make them sheep, that their childish insults are profound & their barely-coherent rants communicate something other than their own slim grip on sanity. Either the mental health issues we feared from the isolation of lockdown have taken their toll or their bosses have told them to double-down on the crazed gibberish. I’ve rarely seen such a collection of drivelling, childish nonsense in print, so their handlers will be happy. Those of you outside this bunch of demented trolls are reassuringly sane but that tends to make the shills seem ever shiller. Behold, the Covid Cultists, look upon their works & laugh.

  25. K. Cavan

    Micko, I don’t think Rob there understands the Strawman thing at all, he & a few others here would have little to say, if they were to eschew the use of that single fallacy & should they leave out hyperbole, non sequiturs & the rest of the blowhard’s repertoire, they’d be struck dumb. The fury at the appearance of anything that’s not part of the Legacy Media Narrative is genuinely remarkable. Some of them must be shills but what about the rest? Maybe we’re seeing the psychological effects of lockdown or were they always like that?

  26. Harold Molloy

    I still flick through it most days but don’t know how I ever used to find the time to comment as often as I did and, if I’m honest, I think most commenting is wasted energy unless you get a good kick out of it, which I don’t now.

    But I did one time so I’ve changed. And having been active on other forums one time, have seen that if you get ten years out of a poster then you’re doing well. People just move on, natural attrition.

    I suppose the question might be why it’s not attracting new people. And that may be because the comment sections got quite boring, endless threads of people arguing with the same crap stirrers (why do this!?)
    But you also see the likes of boards.ie having fallen off a cliff. Younguns are too busy posting their onlyfans on Twitter and being all sinn fein and punk.

    Not sure if it’s content as I never agreed with the politics much. Love the car posts. I’ve thrown dirty digs at Bodge a couple of times when I cared more than I do now but I think he’s a good bloke and hope you’re still enjoying it mate.

    I’ve also been on the naughty step for yonks but not asking to come off it as I won’t in all honesty promise not to call someone a tooty pipkins.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      well it was nice to see ya, hope comment gets to stay :)

    2. ciaran

      your comments were always terrible. it’s good for the website that you don’t comment as much as you used to. not a dig, just the truth.

      1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

        that crazy thread about the burka and face covering in public looks a bit silly now

  27. Bebe

    For years I’ve clicked into broadsheet a number of times during the day and last thing at night. I love the captions on articles; the crack me up and I’m Bodger’s biggest fan. You guys gotta admit he’s incredibly, incredibly talented.

    BS is free; no subscription, it’s bang up to date on content. It gives voice to voiceless – it speaks an inconvenient truth; it allows for comments ; on politics it provides reports from Oireachtas (such as Catherine Murphy yesterday on housing) with link to articles to read more.

    WTF do you guys want?

    It’s a free market – those of you who believe you can provide a better resource go for it.

    Meanwhile #be kind. The world is a shitty place just now.

  28. Steph Pinker

    BS, bearing in mind the context of all above comments – That’s You That Is!*

    * You could do with posting some more tight 70s underpants/flares photos, otherwise keep it lit!

    P.S. Mullets in Speedos would also suffice/ mullets wearing Speedos – same difference?

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