As Pete and Dud once sang "Now is the time to say goodbye. Now is the time to yield a sigh. Now is the time to wend our way, until we meet again some sunny day....."

Goodbye, Goodbye I'm leaving you Goodbye.....

With all the faffing around that's been going on in the administrative side of NS Blogdom, including my personal email address being posted out to all and sundry; the allowing and non-moderation of abusive replies which had been becoming increasingly rampant and the castigation of all bloggers over a system which allowed one (or some) bloggers to tamper with posted comments, I've decided enough is enough.

Having also been told that if, as a blogger I don't post on a more than once every 14 days basis I then have to apply to teacher for my blog to be uploaded, I'm afraid I have just thought, like the turkey at christmas.... stuff it!

This defeats the entire ethos behind blogging. It also takes into no account whether we want to blog every other moment of our lives or, as some of us do, blog when a particular sacred cow eats our hat from our hand.

I don't expect to have to apply to the powers that be to say "Please can you authorise my posting" like some latter day Oliver Twist coming cap in hand for some more gruel.

If a system doesn't work, then make it work WITHOUT penalising those who've been running with it and doing for you for so long.

And so, as much as I will miss being able to sit and have a "Naq's Rant" at a moment's notice, I feel I have no choice.

I know that I've raised a few chuckles for which I am pleased. I also know I've made a few people sit up and take notice which is also pleasing.

But working within these new constraints smacks of incipient censorship.

Many years back there was a series called Max Headroom and one of the characters closing remarks was.....

"Have you any idea how effective government censorship is?

No?

Effective isn't it?"

Have fun, it may not last much longer and, as I've said before, if you want to see your future then rent out a copy of "V for Vendetta"

NAQ