Lord Lofthouse presented with Special Merit Award

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract, a former President of BARLA, has been
recognised by the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group.

The Group presented Lord Lofthouse with a special Merit Award when it convened last week at Westminster.
The former Deputy Speaker was at the helm when BARLA and the Rugby
Football League unified several years ago, ensuring that the agreement
ratified BARLA’s sovereignty and autonomy.

Article Courtesy of Phil Hodgson

Steve Manning
BARLA PRO & Media Officer

Congratulations to Lord Lofthouse. Perhaps he could spare the time to mediate the current hiatus?

Doubt it he was president when this all kicked off

I've been censored! My last post has been removed.Which of the Barla hierarchy ordered that Admin? I thought I was being funny,but I've clearly hit a raw nerve somewhere.....Bet I won't get an answer to my question to Barla quite as quick. Thinking of taking my ball and bat home.........

Peter,
I'm not sure were you are coming from regarding your last post, if it was the one asking about the benefits of the NCL being in BARLA its still there, if its something I have missed I alpogise now
Steve

Steve,
He has had an earlier post removed ,it was a factual post which highlighted why Lord Lofthouse resigned his posistion with BARLA.
If we are being open and transparent why was his original post removed.
If this forum is to have any credability that the removal should be explained.
Peter is a highly respected Proffessional and would not post any un-truths would he ?

peter moran wrote:I've been censored! My last post has been removed.Which of the Barla hierarchy ordered that Admin? I thought I was being funny,but I've clearly hit a raw nerve somewhere.....Bet I won't get an answer to my question to Barla quite as quick. Thinking of taking my ball and bat home.........

Your post was deleted as I deemed it potentially libellous.

forum rules wrote:*DO NOT post comments that are libellous or potentially libellous. Anything deemed to fall into this category will be deleted without warning. The Administrators of this forum could be prosecuted for libellous content posted by another forum member. It is our responsibility, as the Admin Team, to exert reasonable control over forum content to this end, which is of course publicly visible.

also...

forum rules wrote:*DO NOT post "Where's my post gone?" messages. If a message you posted was deleted, it will have been for a reason. Contact one of the Admin Team if this continues to bother you.

How sad

Lee Peter is a solicitor your reason is not a valid one , I question your judgement

mick doyle wrote:How sad

Lee Peter is a solicitor your reason is not a valid one , I question your judgement

As forum administrator, it is my responsibility to ensure messages that are posted on a public forum do not result in personal attacks on any individuals. In this instance Peter may well have been factually correct(and his profession is irrelevant), but I do not know this, nor do I have the time to verify every comment posted.

This applies to any public message board, and even more so to one which has official ties to a governing body.

As I have stated on several occasions already, posts which may be acceptable on an independent forum, may not be here. If people don't like that, then this isn't the forum for them.

Admin wrote:As forum administrator, it is my responsibility to ensure messages that are posted on a public forum do not result in personal attacks on any individuals.

So what was the link to Phil Hodgson's article on the BARLA website if not a personal attack on an individual?

Be consistent in your moderating at least Lee.

clowesey wrote:

Admin wrote:As forum administrator, it is my responsibility to ensure messages that are posted on a public forum do not result in personal attacks on any individuals.

So what was the link to Phil Hodgson's article on the BARLA website if not a personal attack on an individual?

Be consistent in your moderating at least Lee.

you've answered your own point there with the term "link", It had already gone to the Rugby League press as well as being published on the official BARLA site, so any legal aspects are their concerns and not mine, Utmost's or this forums.

This forum seems to becoming very Stalinesque, free speech is only allowed if you toe the party line. It is the first time I have encountered such a sad situation.

Barla took it off their website very quickly and posted it on here instead. .If Hilary wants a target you can now include Utmost in that as you have promoted the article-a forum in which the admin becomes active is as much the media as any other format.
And if you think my post about geoff was anything other than a laugh you've got a lot to learn.We play the hardest but fairest game there is and it's no different off the park.
I know its early days but lighten up or the site will get boring and in turn not visited. RL has never been a game of 'yes' men and even the Board will want this site full of comment so they can see the wider picture (I hope).

ps.I have spoken to your MO as suggested.He seems a nice guy.

peter moran wrote:
Barla took it off their website very quickly and posted it on here instead. .If Hilary wants a target you can now include Utmost in that as you have promoted the article-a forum in which the admin becomes active is as much the media as any other format.
And if you think my post about geoff was anything other than a laugh you've got a lot to learn.We play the hardest but fairest game there is and it's no different off the park.
I know its early days but lighten up or the site will get boring and in turn not visited. RL has never been a game of 'yes' men and even the Board will want this site full of comment so they can see the wider picture (I hope).

ps.I have spoken to your MO as suggested.He seems a nice guy.

Peter, please get your facts right.

The Article has NEVER been published on this forum, only a link to the article which is on the BARLA website (and still is) is there.

The forum and utmost are certainly not responsible for any article that merely has a link to a news story on another domain/server.

As a solicitor, I'd have thought you would know this??

If you can't get the facts accurate about where the article is published, how can I be certain your facts are right about Lord Lofthouse?

The reason I posted the link was to encourage the kind of debate you are asking for... You can't have it both ways!


And the call was appreciated, thanks for that..

The thing is Lee reading between the lines and I can see that you are trying to get a momentum going with the forum, BUT.. it sometimes seems like it is o.k to put on a post or link articles with regards to other people yet the minute anything is aimed at BARLA it is not allowed.
I personally read the forum with a open mind I am also a NWC represntative as I said earlier I don't proclaim to understand the nitty gritty bit of everything that is going on. But it would of been nice just for a change to hear from someone from BARLA, Carol is a member surely a responce just to say I have read your comments once we all agree, I will post a reply hence nobody is going to be blamed or have the finger pointed at.
But it seems that you are left to cover the tracks ( which isn't fair to you ). It isn't your responsibility to try to answer the questions.
The reason I have changed the colour is to say that it works both ways.
You can't link or post something then turn around and say we want to encourage debate but only on the issues we want you to debate and in the manner we want you to debate them.

One of the questions which keeps being asked is what do NWC think they will gain from leaving BARLA to which Sam & Mick have posted a reply yet when I asked the reverse what will they lose nobody bothers to answer.

Admin wrote:

peter moran wrote:
Barla took it off their website very quickly and posted it on here instead. .If Hilary wants a target you can now include Utmost in that as you have promoted the article-a forum in which the admin becomes active is as much the media as any other format.
And if you think my post about geoff was anything other than a laugh you've got a lot to learn.We play the hardest but fairest game there is and it's no different off the park.
I know its early days but lighten up or the site will get boring and in turn not visited. RL has never been a game of 'yes' men and even the Board will want this site full of comment so they can see the wider picture (I hope).

ps.I have spoken to your MO as suggested.He seems a nice guy.

Peter, please get your facts right.

The Article has NEVER been published on this forum, only a link to the article which is on the BARLA website (and still is) is there.

The forum and utmost are certainly not responsible for any article that merely has a link to a news story on another domain/server.

As a solicitor, I'd have thought you would know this??

If you can't get the facts accurate about where the article is published, how can I be certain your facts are right about Lord Lofthouse?

The reason I posted the link was to encourage the kind of debate you are asking for... You can't have it both ways!


And the call was appreciated, thanks for that..

mary.poppins wrote:The thing is Lee reading between the lines and I can see that you are trying to get a momentum going with the forum, BUT.. it sometimes seems like it is o.k to put on a post or link articles with regards to other people yet the minute anything is aimed at BARLA it is not allowed.
I personally read the forum with a open mind I am also a NWC represntative as I said earlier I don't proclaim to understand the nitty gritty bit of everything that is going on. But it would of been nice just for a change to hear from someone from BARLA, Carol is a member surely a responce just to say I have read your comments once we all agree, I will post a reply hence nobody is going to be blamed or have the finger pointed at.
But it seems that you are left to cover the tracks ( which isn't fair to you ). It isn't your responsibility to try to answer the questions.
The reason I have changed the colour is to say that it works both ways.
You can't link or post something then turn around and say we want to encourage debate but only on the issues we want you to debate and in the manner we want you to debate them.

One of the questions which keeps being asked is what do NWC think they will gain from leaving BARLA to which Sam & Mick have posted a reply yet when I asked the reverse what will they lose nobody bothers to answer.

Thanks for the response, and yep, I think you've highlighted the proverbial rock and hard place I have wandered into of my own accord!

On one hand I'm trying to spark up debate and create some interesting threads which are worth reading and encourage people to want to join the forum, on the other hand, I don't want the Board of management to get spooked and pull the plug under the whole thing(if all it turns into is a BARLA slagging contest), I've put too much work into setting up this forum to let that happen.

Pulling Peter's post was a judgement call, some will understand why I did it, some won't. It's one of those things that administrators have to live with!

Of course, day to day chit chat like this is always going to feature, and getting the balance right has been designated to me. Sometimes, people will think I'm wrong, so be it.


The whole concept of this forum and the wider vision for it is much bigger than a standard message board, and in many ways we are trying to use the tools that software like this provides to create something unlike what has ever been done before.

We are trying to create a central hub for ALL the amateur rugby league clubs (and leagues) associated with BARLA. This not only includes a direct line to the Board of management but also to allow clubs to seek sponsorship opportunities and to seek equipment from each other or our corporate partners. An information hub to aid day to day running where ideas can be discussed and problems overcome collectively.

A means where all clubs and leagues can promote events and functions at their club houses to a much wider audience. A dedicated memorial section where written tributes and treasured photographs can be stored for ever and easily accessed by all members. The ability to upload videos should mean that over time we can build our own historical database of matchday videos and photos. I am looking at incorporating a league table structure where all fixtures and results can automatically update the tables, where ALL of the amateur rugby league tables will be instantly updated. We can create an A-z of amateur rugby websites where every club and team regardless of age group can have their own input if they want it. Maps and Directions to grounds, club history links to their own sites,etc... The aim of all of this is to encourage as many members and regular posters to visit the site as possible, and to create a unique tool, unlike any other out there. It isn't here to wipe the userbase of other forums or to encrouch on any league website or forum, but to create something different and alternative.

Of course this will take time. One of my previous message-boards had a membership of less than 50 for its first six months, but we stuck at it, and now six years later (I no longer administrate on there) the membership is over 8,000 and during the day there is always at least 400-500 members browsing the pages at any one time, and the record number of posters online at any one time had peaked to over 1200 (last time I looked, and usually about an hour after a match finishes) The Football club whose forum this is, has an average gate of about 20,000 and probably has a interested support base of about 60,000. I believe the interest in amateur rugby league is greater than that. So I think it is perfectly conceivable that we can reach those kind of figures, within less time. With those kind of daily users, it will help the BARLA-Utmost affinity group to attract many more suitable corporate partners, which we can then push into the leagues and clubs.

We all want sponsors and financial assistance for the clubs, but the sponsors expect some kind of return on supporting the grass roots game, be it through purchasing of their products or simply by getting good publicity.


Of course we(utmost) are working directly with the clubs and in various other ways apart from this forum, but we want this to be the central hub where everything happens.

I just want everyone to know where we are trying to take this, and I for one do not want the whole thing scuppered because BARLA perceive the site as a nuisance which does nothing but have a pop at them.

It is early days, there will be much more direct dialogue with the board of management and other relevant persons. But this may take a little time to get the normal processes of who is going to say what and when into place. Until we can do that, I'll continue to try and find out what I can, when I can and to release any responses I get.

Rome wasn't built in a day!

peter moran wrote:

Lee the article actually disappeared for quite some time off the Barla website and turned up on this site whilst offline.I got more than one e mail about it and honestly thought it had been pulled because it was probably actionable.Barla's pockets are much deeper than Phil's! That's when you became the publisher of the material I'm not proposing to blow the cobwebs off my lawbooks. I've more than enough with my court room antics. Geoffs reasons for leaving the Presidency are well known within the game, as were mine before him. I'm sure you have a hot line to someone who could have told you before you pulled it .It was just a joke post, but censorship nevertheless.

Peter,

as I said, the document has never been published on this forum, the link that is in the first post of the thread, goes directly to the article on the BARLA website. If the article was pulled from the BARLA website, then the link would not work. So at no point could we be deemed to be publishing the article as it was not and never has been on our server. Maybe the 'news headline' was pulled from the main BARLA site, I don't know, but as far as the webpage the article was published on goes, it is still there at the end of the link and has been since it was first published.

One of my previous Forum was one of the first message boards in the UK to have a law suit actioned against it (this was about 7 years ago), one of our members happened to be a London Barrister and he represented us free of charge. It never reached court but whilst it was ongoing we made it our business to find out what you were and were not responsible for on an internet forum.

That is why I encourage 'links' rather than 'copy and paste' entire articles from one site to another as it is almost certainly a breach of copyright, and it also means that we are not publishers of the article, we are simply discussing it. The whole subject is covered in the forum rules and terms of use.

I've sent you another pm by the way

Unfortunately there is nobody on the end of the direct line.

once a ref wrote:Unfortunately there is nobody on the end of the direct line.

Think of me as your virtual, round the clock secretary....

Tea, two sugars please.

once a ref wrote:Tea, two sugars please.

That'll be £40,