Coppola Comment

What does "discussion" mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, there are three definitions: the action or process of talking about something in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas a conversation or debate about a specific topic a detailed treatment of a topic in speech or writing Well, this is a pretty wide brief, isn't it? Lots of opportunity for misunderstanding there. I recently joined a discussion group. There are lots of these on social media, some open, some closed. Some have clearly defined topics, others are much woollier. Most do not specify what they mean by "discussion". I expected a friendly debate in which differences of opinion are welcomed and there is no intention of reaching any conclusion. But there is no particular reason why I should expect this. Another person might expect discussion to be focused entirely on obtaining general agreement to a particular course of action. And someone else might simply be wishing ...

After the Welsh Assembly elections - in which UKIP did rather well - I had a Twitter exchange with an angry Welshman. He said: @dsquareddigest @Frances_Coppola Most UKIP votes came from, erm, English migrants to Wales. Unbelievable. The famous 'white flight'. — Gweirydd (@gweirydd) May 6, 2016 I challenged this, of course. But in the ensuing heated discussion, I misquoted him: @gweirydd @dsquareddigest Why? You didn't support your assertion that UKIP voters were all English immigrants. — Frances Coppola (@Frances_Coppola) May 6, 2016 As far as I am concerned, I misquoted him because I had not remembered his tweet accurately. Memory is fallible. But as far as he is concerned, I misquoted him because I am a liar. We do not disagree on the facts, but on their interpretation. Who is right?  What is the truth? In Greece, the Debt Truth Committee has drawn together facts about the origins of Greece's debt. And from this, it has deduced what it believ...