Lots of Peeps viewing but few posting.... come on post!

[DominicJ]

I have no idea what you are saying. What is "the PS movement" when it's at home?
Are you arguing that people who join PS and express opinions some of us don't agree with shouldn't be challenged?
Or are you even arguing that those of us who are left-of-centre should change our opinions, or pretend to change them, to attract more punters?
What would be the point of that?

Change your opinions?
No, of course not.
Allow that just maybe, just maybe, not everyone who doesnt share them lock stock and barrel is a not a cryptofascist corporate lacky?
Might help.

The sad thing is, the people who tend to leave, are the people who have actualy put their money where there mouth is like Vortex, or Fifth Column.

Or maybe the rest just dont keep us updated?

Its deeply worrying that with a three month supply of dried beans, 4 chickens and (in the next couple of days) home alcohol production, I'm near the top of the class.

That stock opinion seems to be how to bring about Peak Oil rather than resist it doesnt exactly inspire confidence in new membership either.

[jonny2mad]

One thing I am certain of is this: there's no shortage of people out there who would, if they could, shut this forum down.

I don't think this forum, and possibly not even the Internet, will continue to exist after TSHTF. In the confusion TPTB could accuse PSers of domestic extremism and make the ISPs hand over our details.

(I suspect the Internet will be co-opted for purely military use, by fair means or foul. The idea that the ISPs wouldn't stand for this is naive IMO: they'll be made to stand for it. People have been made to dance to

I think when the TSHTF things will be falling apart so quickly it wont greatly matter its like a building starting to topple over at first it looks like a building but when it starts to really break up it just looks like a load of stuff flying through the air .

if you have the fall of something simple like a rock that can keep its shape during descent but what we have will just turn to rubble, its to complicated.

[bealers]

I came to this site relatively late, after we'd gone through the navel examining/OMG we're doomed phase, got real, and had already decided on a path.

I do come here regularly but I don't post much because I don't have the bandwidth for detailed discussions and, frankly, because I can't be arsed with some of the sniping. I'm used to forums and mailing lists, have been since usenet days, I just don't care for personal attacks so I prefer to keep my own counsel. That said I've met a few PSers in real life and they've all been really nice & interesting individuals.

I'd agree with other posters that some amalgamation of top-level topics into a more loose arrangement might help things a bit.

The preparations topic is definitely my most visited.

[Bandidoz]

The sad thing is, the people who tend to leave, are the people who have actualy put their money where there mouth is like Vortex, or Fifth Column.

That's about the most useful observation I've seen in this thread....

For me, this is a place of great ideas and views on what's going on the world through "energy descent" glasses, a view that you don't get from most other sources.

I also think there's a bit too much argument over "evidence-based-facts" going on, rather than just allowing people to air their opinion; when those opinions are shot down in flames then it puts more people off posting.

[Lord Beria3]

I have no idea what you are saying. What is "the PS movement" when it's at home?
Are you arguing that people who join PS and express opinions some of us don't agree with shouldn't be challenged?
Or are you even arguing that those of us who are left-of-centre should change our opinions, or pretend to change them, to attract more punters?
What would be the point of that?

Change your opinions?
No, of course not.
Allow that just maybe, just maybe, not everyone who doesnt share them lock stock and barrel is a not a cryptofascist corporate lacky?
Might help.

The sad thing is, the people who tend to leave, are the people who have actualy put their money where there mouth is like Vortex, or Fifth Column.

Or maybe the rest just dont keep us updated?

Its deeply worrying that with a three month supply of dried beans, 4 chickens and (in the next couple of days) home alcohol production, I'm near the top of the class.

That stock opinion seems to be how to bring about Peak Oil rather than resist it doesnt exactly inspire confidence in new membership either.

Exactly. Already somebody has accused me (ironically?) of being a quasi-fascist because of my centre-right views which are generally pretty mainstream among the majority of the population.

if you insist on thinking that anybody who has Tory/conservative views is selfish, bad or plain mad than you will never get the majority of the population ready to listen to arguments on PO.

[Ludwig]

I have no idea what you are saying. What is "the PS movement" when it's at home?
Are you arguing that people who join PS and express opinions some of us don't agree with shouldn't be challenged?
Or are you even arguing that those of us who are left-of-centre should change our opinions, or pretend to change them, to attract more punters?
What would be the point of that?

Change your opinions?
No, of course not.

Indeed not, if it's only because someone tells me I should in order to ingratiate myself with the public.

You and Beria seem to think the green movement should make appeal to the very selfishness, greed, insularity and unbridled individualism that got us into this mess in the first place. You might as well scrap the bloody thing if that's what you're going to do, because if there is a hope in hell of averting disaster, it can only involve a drastic rethink of the way society works.

Allow that just maybe, just maybe, not everyone who doesnt share them lock stock and barrel is a not a cryptofascist corporate lacky?
Might help.

Where did I accuse anyone of being a cryptofascist corporate lacky?

The sad thing is, the people who tend to leave, are the people who have actualy put their money where there mouth is like Vortex, or Fifth Column.

You mention the small number of conservative ex-posters, when there are any number of "green" former contributors who have done the same thing.

It's not surprising, in all forums people come and go, and it figures that those of a practical bent are going to get busier as the time draws nearer.

Its deeply worrying that with a three month supply of dried beans, 4 chickens and (in the next couple of days) home alcohol production, I'm near the top of the class.

Are you? First I've heard about it!

That stock opinion seems to be how to bring about Peak Oil rather than resist it doesnt exactly inspire confidence in new membership either.

What?? So you think Peak Oil is avoidable?

[Ludwig]

Exactly. Already somebody has accused me (ironically?) of being a quasi-fascist because of my centre-right views which are generally pretty mainstream among the majority of the population.

You class your views as centre-right, but in fact they are hardline Thatcherite. You probably don't remember Thatcher, but she was not centre-right by any definition.

Even now, with the world economy in freefall, you insist that capitalism is the way forward!

The reason conservatism is mainstream is not that it is right, but that it is all the population has been fed for the past 30 years.

Generally, popular opinion is wrong about everything.

if you insist on thinking that anybody who has Tory/conservative views is selfish, bad or plain mad than you will never get the majority of the population ready to listen to arguments on PO.

I'm not sure I'd want them to listen, since I suspect most of them would respond by demanding the extermination of the poor/foreigners/any other scapegoat they can find.

[biffvernon]

Generally, popular opinion is wrong about everything.

Yep, that's a good rule of thumb.

[emordnilap]

Generally, popular opinion is wrong about everything.

Yep, that's a good rule of thumb.

Heh heh, love it, says he thinking of a few examples.

[Lord Beria3]

Even now, with the world economy in freefall, you insist that capitalism is the way forward!

My personal opinion is that the globalisied fiat-currency neoliberal form of finance capitalism is doomed to collapse at some point in the future. I can see it lasting a little longer, but only via massive printing money by the central banks to keep the bankrupt system going.

However, that will lead, to either double digit inflation or hyperinflation and some kind of socio-economic implosion. Within 10 years for certain in my opinion.

The future is going to be in my opinion a hybrid of old fashioned unregulated capitalism going back thousands of years (you know, merchants trading goods and services - stuff that has always gone on in human nistory) and a very statist, protectionist and militarised state capitalism of strategic commodities like oil, gas, coal and gold.

[postie]

At the very least it needs to be phpBB3. The layout wont really change.. but it'll make it more manageable for admins.

Some of us were helping to test the upgrade to phpBB 3 in January 2009, but it never went live. Are any of the current admins able to do upgrades?

Or at the very very least fix the glaring error on the main Index...

General Discussion
Forum for general discussion of Peak Oil / Oil depletion; also covering related related subjects ...

[biffvernon]

Oh no, don't fix that. Related related subjects are good.

[Catweazle]

Why are people slating "right wingers" ? Right wing (ish ) is the new middle, survival is the key.

I've been slated on other forums as a "limp-wristed tree-hugging leftie do-gooder". That might give you some idea of my previous politics, but the game has changed. I've written before, socialism is great in a time of plenty, when the shit hits the fan it's every man for himself. If you don't believe it you'll be the man standing in the street whilst your new friends empty your larder.

If this makes me sound like a horrible bastard then so be it, my family comes first, in my experience most people don't want to hear what's coming, even after repeated explanations.

I'll still make preparations for friends, even though they won't listen now, but any freeloaders can expect a frosty welcome.

[ujoni08]

PS is still a good discussion forum, though the bickering gets tiresome. Most other forums I visit are less stressful to read. There are probably 5 or 6 solid, sensible, regular posters on PS that make it worth coming back to.

I do read the latest posts, just haven't had the energy to post anything lately.

[Ludwig]

Catweazle, the fact that you changed your politics so readily makes me wonder how sincere your previous beliefs really were, and frankly whether you were just holding them to fit in.

I was left-of-centre when I was 16 and still am at 42. My basic ideals haven't changed at all - though my view of how realistic they are inevitably has.

Of course, having a family changes most people's perspectives. I have no children, but if I did, I am pretty sure that any capitulation to the ethos of dog-eat-dog on my part would be reluctant. Violence breeds violence, those who live by the sword die by the sword etc...

Of course, in adversity one always puts family and friends first... But through most of history there was a level beyond this, that of community. Community is very useful, but unfortunately, once dead it cannot be revived. And looking at previous collapsed civilisations, there is no sign that people formed communities; it really was a free-for-all. Unlike you, I don't look forward to such a situation.

In summary: yes, you do sound like a horrible bastard.