I don't really post here that much, but I do read the board every day. I did notice the increase in the amount of political posts, especially in the run up to the general election when the "no party politics" rule was temporarily lifted.

I think it's to be expected that when so much is going on in the world that people's anxieties are going to spill out into forums like this one. Here in the USA we are approaching a pivotal election that could dramatically change the path that the country is taking, possibly steering us in to a much more authoritarian, some say theocratic, form of government. US-based forums like Reddit are full of discussions about what may be to come, people's hopes and fears.

I think like everything though, these discussions will wax and wane, and the essential purpose of the board as a place for Hebburn people all over the world to meet and discuss hasn't been lost, especially with the fantastic old photographs to stimulate conversation.