Comments policy
This is a site about politics. Almost by definition, politics is about the contest of ideas and egos. Politics can be gladiatorial. It is often brutal. I love it when people express views with which I disagree. I enjoy reading the arguments between people.
But I am no fan of personal abuse. I do not want this site to become a bear pit for sledge fests. I am more interested in the contest of ideas than the contest of egos. If your best argument is to call someone a Nazi, a left wing loony or a f*ckwit, you have already lost. Twice in the last week I have disabled comments on a post because the comments thread had descended into personal abuse.
My comments policy is simple: play the ball and not the (wo)man. If we cannot manage this on a voluntary basis I may need to gird my loins in leather, get a whip, restrict comments to registered users and apply a policy of three-strikes and you are out.