For anyone who is curious about the previous Formers site, it can still be accessed but the address seems to have changed. You can use your old username and password, or, if you were not registered, you can register as a new poster. As the site is now closed to new postings I guess it may not be available for long. There is a decent search tool available, so that you can look for postings by a particular individual, or on a particular subject. Address:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/formercommunists/