Just what is going wrong with the online comments section?

After complaints about biased management and moderating of their online website's comments section, with accusations that the MEN web team could be seen to foster a climate of bullying and thuggishness, things seem to be getting worse there.
Not only are they censoring, by refusing to post comments from some  readers, but now, when people try to log in they get this message:

"Sorry, logins have been temporarily disabled"

How intriguing!

Rather makes a mockery of their claim to be "your favourite newspaper"

Update: Well, well, well, the Express has started publishing my posts again and has restored log-ins for all. 
It will be interesting to see if they take action on the bullies, sock puppets and thugs as well  from now on

Does the Express support bullying & have a right wing agenda?

This is from what I have today submitted to the web site editor:

"You have allowed this very personal abuse from this obvious sock puppet yet have not published my reply, why not?

This is not the first time that this has happened.

You constantly allow personal abuse from a small group of one or two people under various sock puppet names yet censor when people try to respond.

It looks as though you are supporting these abusers want to stop others from posting. In effect you are supporting and encouraging a small group of bullies whose purpose seems to be to shut down alternative points of view and who seem to want to stop some of us from expressing our views at all.

The culture of bullying from a few that you seem to support inhibits many people from posting or expressing their view. It takes quite a thick skin to post here anything that is not either rabidly right wing or just plain thuggish. I am finding it quite an unpleasant experience, especially as you seem to support the thugs and bullies.

In effect you are suppressing the views of a substantial proportion of the people in Macclesfield and your distribution area - it increasingly seems that you only want to appeal to and serve a specific sector and not the people of the area as a whole.

................................................. the way that you are managing  the comments on the site, your support for (or, at least inaction over) bullies and sock puppets and what looks like bias"

Welcome

Welcome.
This blog is for comments about the slow motion car crash that is the Macclesfield Express.
This paper seems to be doing everything it can to hasten its own demise; it has long since given up any pretence of being a local newspaper, in touch with its readers and often, it seems, sets out to antagonise sections of the local population.
Due to its  inconsistent and arbitrary censorship on its online  comments section, locals with valid points of view often find themselves unable to comment on local  or reported issues.
Recently, for example, they  have shut down comments on the case of the local policeman charged with drink driving.
So, as they won't let people comment on their site, and as they are reported to cut, alter or simply ignore letters sent to the Editor, here as a place where people can comment on the paper, articles in it, the way that it is run and any other issue connected with it.
As ever, keep it legal, decent, honest and truthful. We will only cut abuse (ad hominem or libellous attacks etc), obscenity or similar. Differing views are welcome.