I'm not happy here.  My posts are being edited or deleted without prior notice or warning.  I understand that there appears to be an issue between one of the members and one of the moderators but it is none of my business and I want no part of it. 
The posting of a contentious news item is a request for opinion.  If I am not allowed to express my opinion there is little point in inviting it, and no point in removing posts that actually support the point made by the origional poster.

Deleting of posts IMHO is an abuse of the role of the moderator.  My posts were in no way abusive and did not attack any member of the forum or national government.

Will

And no, there's no issue, btw.

Will & Scott. At the risk of sticking my big nose in where it's not wanted.  I always understood it's not possible for a mod to delete an individual reply without removing the complete topic. I don't know if this is still the case.

PS. The forum script automatically changes certain offensive words.

If that's the case, then three of my replies on the thread in question were eaten simultaneously.  Awfully big coincidence.

I do not see myself as a troublemaker.  Even when offended I remain polite and explain what has offended me.  If I upset someone I have the decency to apologise in public, on the thread in question.

In the 9 months that I have been a member here I have been involved in a maximum of four or five disagreements, all of which have been either resolved amicably or the other party has been requested to leave because they have become abusive.

I censor myself, I don't appreciate others doing it for me.

Will is correct;  what he wrote was not out of line, but I was in deleting the relative threads by all parties en masse without discussing it with him.  My only thought was to remove the entire argument and restore some order to a situation that had gotten out of hand.  I have apologized to him, and while I may have handled it a bit wrong, I still stand by my decision to delete the offending posts.  In the future it will no longer be a problem, and I will consult Pete first in these matters.

Will. I have always considered you a polite & valued member of this forum. I'm not sure what's going on here but never considered you to be a troublemaker. Hope I didn't give that impression.

I find it's sometimes all too easy to misinterpret what people are saying. In the past I've taken strong offence at what turned out to be the most innocent of comments. I simply read them the wrong way. This still happens now on the odd occasion. I now try to read things through carefully several times or even sleep on it before replying.

Thanks mate. Seems it's all resolved now anyway. I hope so, although it does help to vent your spleen sometimes.

PS. Scott. I'm not sure you're entirely convinced. You come across as a highly articulate person who enjoys intelligent discussion. This sometimes results in your provoking arguments by not letting something go. You must have the final word trying to get your point across. I might be completely wrong but that's how I see it. I recognise this as one of my own failings. We have much in common.