It has been announced that the "parent" of this forum, the Honest John forum, will close on September 30th.
Apparently the costs involved in meeting the Online Safety Act are not sustainable to those who run it.
I tactfully suggest people who frequent C4P, and maybe the moderators in particular, will be welcoming to any HJ members who end up here, though I realise the atmosphere here is somewhat different.
Last edited by: James Loveless on Thu 25 Sep 25 at 14:35
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Well if HJ can't keep going because of the danger of the lurking child molesters, it is not clear how this site can afford to bring in the necessary controls.
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>> Well if HJ can't keep going because of the danger of the lurking child molesters,
>> it is not clear how this site can afford to bring in the necessary controls.
Size of this place and number of posts might make a difference.
Will be interesting to see if other forums pull the plug but it might also be the case that the current owners of HJ wanted out anyway.
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>> but it might also
>> be the case that the current owners of HJ wanted out anyway.
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I think that is probably it.
I've had a look through a summary of the act and I don't think this is the type of site it applies to.
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That’s my impression too but I guess we shall see. It could actually be quite beneficial here if we can attract a few more members.
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There was a discussion on here a week or so back about this and I also came to the conclusion that we could readily satisfy the requirements for this "hobby" sites by publishing some written guidelines and risk statements.
I will re-email Stephen to see what's planned...
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Although I haven't been on there since this site began it's still a shame to see the old place go. I got the impression that when HJ was still involved in the website he came to the conclusion that the forum was more bother than it was worth and stopped contributing himself.
Last edited by: Robin O'Reliant on Thu 25 Sep 25 at 19:59
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I think HJ was contractually obliged to drop out when he moved on.
Anyway post volumes have been dropping, both here and there, in recent months. Hopefully a few will migrate over here and help keep a viable number of members. Looking on the HJ site comments it seems some might well come across.
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Sadly the emails out of the site get blocked and can only be fixed by rewriting some of the software. So anyone trying to sign up never gets the validate email.
I will get the AI to modernise and modularise the forum section within our Khooseller platform, but there is much to do before that.
In the meanwhile we could add some disclaimer text. If you let me know what is appropriate I can stick that on the site
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How about "The UK Online Safety Act is a set of laws which protects children and adults online. In the interests of the people posting here, we have decided that the provisions of this act do not apply to this forum."
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Very good. AI is slightly more verbose. It suggested the following, either as a sticky thread or Terms of Use/About page.
This forum is operated as a small, non-commercial community space intended for hobbyist discussion. We are aware of the UK Online Safety Act and its requirements for user-to-user services.
While we do not believe our forum poses a material risk of harm, we are committed to maintaining a respectful and safe environment for all users.
We do not host or tolerate illegal content, and we reserve the right to remove posts or ban users who violate our guidelines.
Direct messaging is not allowed, and moderation is performed regularly by volunteers.
Should our scope or user base change significantly, we will review our obligations under the Online Safety Act and update our policies accordingly.
And here is the associated risk statement
Online Safety Act Risk Assessment Statement
This forum is a small, non-commercial community space intended for hobbyist discussion. We have reviewed our platform in light of the UK Online Safety Act and conducted a risk assessment based on current guidance from Ofcom2.
Scope Assessment
Our forum qualifies as a user-to-user service and is accessible to UK users. While our user base is modest and the nature of discussions is low-risk, we acknowledge that the Act applies to services of all sizes.
Risk Level
We have assessed the likelihood of illegal or harmful content appearing on our forum as low, due to the following:
- The forum is moderated by volunteers who regularly review posts.
- Direct messaging is disabled.
- The community culture is respectful and focused on niche interests.
Mitigation Measures
To ensure compliance and user safety, we have implemented:
Clear and accessible terms of use and community guidelines.
- A reporting tool for users to flag inappropriate or illegal content.
- A process for prompt review and removal of flagged content.
- A designated compliance contact who can be reached for safety concerns.
Review Commitment
We will periodically review this risk assessment and update our safety measures if our user base grows or the nature of content changes significantly.
Last edited by: smokie on Fri 26 Sep 25 at 20:09
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'HJ members who end up here'
But where can we put them up? All the hotels are full.
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Is HJ - Peter Lorimer - still alive and kicking?
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"Is HJ - Peter Lorimer - still alive and kicking?"
A year or so ago I did some trawling and came up with a few facts.
HJ/Peter Lorimer (full name Peter Frazier Lorimer) seems to have kept a low profile since the HJ website was bought out in 2020. At that point he was described as aged 71 and based in Peterborough.
His connection with Thailand was well known. On social media he states he got married in 2023 to a lady who seems to be from Thailand, to judge from her name and appearance, and is living in Weybridge.
He is on X (formerly Twitter), where he describes himself as "Founder and the original Honest John. Now silenced and buying and selling cars on a smaller scale at honestca_32 on EBay."
Years ago, his recommendation of the technique of left-foot braking when driving an automatic provoked a good deal of controversy in the HJ Back Room forum.
Last edited by: James Loveless on Sun 28 Sep 25 at 13:47
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>> Years ago, his recommendation of the technique of left-foot braking when driving an automatic provoked
>> a good deal of controversy in the HJ Back Room forum.
Yeah, electric cars with one foot regenerative braking screwed his theory up there.
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looked into HJ tonight and sad to see as read only. another of life's little pleasures taken away
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I joined HJ in 2001, migrated here when it shut down for a while. Although I haven't been back since it's a shame to see it go. I hope the latest batch of refugees find C4P as useful a place as the other site was and it will do this place a world of good to get some new blood in.
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Having read the "closure of the HJ forum" on that very site, I am very saddened to see the closure blamed on lefty control of freedom of speech in the form of the online safety act, (and the implied suggestion that Farage will fix it)
Lets look at that point. The internet is now a very dark place to be at times, some sites and platforms being very unsafe for for those easily influenced, or too young to realise, a place where every type of loon can fuel their particular fire. A situation that was forseen many years ago.
As it stands, the online safety act is a very poorly thought through piece of work, rushed in to soothe the brows of mothers union types demanding something must be done to save their children, and in its current implementation utterly useless in achieving that goal. Ironically its only parents who can do that, yes it can be done but you need to be technically savvy and seen as controling.
It is possible for state to control its citizens access to the global internet, aka the great firewall of China, or as Russia is starting to do now. Trump would love to, but unable to do so.
In summary, the online safety act, is a poor tool to try and fix the unfixable, not a political act.
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Closure of HJ Backroom Forum - Biggles aka B_i_G
