Well I must say this has been an interesting thread from a personal perspective. I've been accused of being an "insider" for/with the defence due to predicting the defence argument with "alarming accuracy" all the way down to someone who has nothing of value to add :thinking:
FWIW, I don't claim to be a legal professional and I don't claim not to be a legal professional. I get many things right and I get some things demonstrably wrong. Nevertheless I remain respectful to ALL members of the forum, even if their views are in conflict with my own (which is more than I can say for some active participants, from both sides). Any information (outside of a personal opinion) is either accompanied by a relevant source or is readily obtained by a quick search by anyone who wishes to delve any deeper.
I've been where Elde Fruit has been, with one (ex) moderator in particular waging a personal vendetta with every post I made greeted with a very bold cut and pasted "you need to be a verified expert to post information of that nature", even if it was something as innocuous as "excellent post, I agree" or something along those lines. It got to the point where I posted a link, as required by the rules, only to have that link modsnipped and I was later banned for not providing a link! Thankfully I've been granted a degree of leeway since those inauspicious beginnings.
I post here on Websleuths because I enjoy discussing/debating legal matters with everyone, regardless of whether they have an opposing point of view. There are precious few forums of this nature, at least with a membership size of any note. I like to encourage people to think outside the box, consider opposing points of view and, to some degree, educate people on various areas of the legal process where I can (with the appropriate references of course!). I don't want anyone to take what I say as gospel, people are free to take on board what I say and they are equally free to completely ignore it if they so choose. Nevertheless I'll continue to opine on various matters as I genuinely enjoy the robust discussion (minus the personal attacks that pop up from time to time) and it's my hope that some members find my input of some interest, even if it doesn't sway their position
And now I realise that the post I was replying to has been deleted and I look like I'm talking to myself, d'oh!
