What the expletive is professional indemnity insurance, what’s more do I need it to add comments on this forum?

It is just a forum ain’t it, you know – personal opinions and things like that.

Deeping wrote:It is just a forum ain’t it,

Are you qualified to make such a philosophical judgement?
I will carefully word my response to make it sound like I once worked for Aristotle and demand to see your typing insurance

Bluebottle wrote:

Deeping wrote:It is just a forum ain’t it,

Are you qualified to make such a philosophical judgement?
I will carefully word my response to make it sound like I once worked for Aristotle and demand to see your typing insurance

I am Aristotle!

Loving this thread.

As a long time civil servant this argument is right up my street.

Principles I try to abide by:
- sit on the fence as long as possible. The other side may crack first.
- only say something is "certain" once it has already happened
- personal views should be carefully crafted to look like facts but not actually say they that they are such
- use only widely accepted authoritative sources for "facts"
- only ever answer the question you wanted to be asked
- use statistics very selectively but be ready for the rest to come out
- put as much effort into understanding the opposition's argument as you put into constructing your own.
- never reveal all your cards at once. Retain a multi-layer defence
- never insult someone except in jest. You might need them one day.

Now, please continue.

StephenC wrote:Loving this thread.

As a long time civil servant this argument is right up my street.

Principles I try to abide by:
- sit on the fence as long as possible. The other side may crack first.
- only say something is "certain" once it has already happened
- personal views should be carefully crafted to look like facts but not actually say they that they are such
- use only widely accepted authoritative sources for "facts"
- only ever answer the question you wanted to be asked
- use statistics very selectively but be ready for the rest to come out
- put as much effort into understanding the opposition's argument as you put into constructing your own.
- never reveal all your cards at once. Retain a multi-layer defence
- never insult someone except in jest. You might need them one day.

There is also the Civil Service technique of making crucial words ambiguous. A classic example (though not actually from a civil servant) was the recent Libor/ Barclays scandal, where someone wrote an e-mail to say that Libor rates need not be so high....whatever 'need' might mean in that instance.

SpikeOne wrote:I am Aristotle!

I am Aristotle and so is my wife

StephenC wrote:Loving this thread.

As a long time civil servant this argument is right up my street.

Principles I try to abide by:
- sit on the fence as long as possible. The other side may crack first.
- only say something is "certain" once it has already happened
- personal views should be carefully crafted to look like facts but not actually say they that they are such
- use only widely accepted authoritative sources for "facts"
- only ever answer the question you wanted to be asked
- use statistics very selectively but be ready for the rest to come out
- put as much effort into understanding the opposition's argument as you put into constructing your own.
- never reveal all your cards at once. Retain a multi-layer defence
- never insult someone except in jest. You might need them one day.

Now, please continue.

I like these principles very much and shall endevour to live my forum life by them, until I get annoyed/pissed/find my soapbox etc

Deeping wrote:I am Aristotle and so is my wife

Do not challenge my wisdom. I was involved in the research and development that led to Aristotle and his wife of the same name.

(Ok, I was outside sat on the donkey checking the number of ears it had, but I only said involved, not my fault if you thought something different. )

I hope you had the proper indemnity insurance for that donkey, viscious brutes they are, you wouldn't want it to be mauling some innocent children with its fangs and claws.