When I mentioned to a friend that I had resigned my position as editor of rabble.ca, she expressed great surprise. “I thought you loved your work there,” she said.

And I do. I have loved every minute of the work I’ve done here. But I’ve been here since May of 2003. That’s a long time in internet years and it is now time for rabble and me to tear ourselves apart and pursue other challenges.

There have been many changes at rabble.ca since I arrived here, four years ago — in personnel, in additional content and new sections, in administration. But some things never change.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that all of us, in all our jobs at rabble.ca, are here because we want to make a better world. From the beginning, rabble.ca‘s reason for being has been to look at the world from a different perspective and to report news that is consistently ignored or misrepresented by the corporate media and to share commentary from thinkers and writers who are in the minority in our public discourse.

We have been — and we remain — unabashedly and unapologetically left-wing. We support governments that work for the public good — that champion and fund and actively support universal social programs, public broadcasting, special programs for those who live in poverty or with disabilities or are otherwise marginalized. We support governments that work to narrow the gap between rich and poor. (We don’t see too many of these governments, unfortunately, but we live in hope.)

We’re occasionally described as a “protest site” which is odd because we think of ourselves as much more pro than anti. As I wrote in these very pages not too long ago in a little skirmish we had that involved the Pope, we’re pro equal rights — for everyone; we’re pro-choice; we’re pro-family — however you yourself decide to define it; we’re pro freedom of religion — or freedom from religion if that’s your choice. (Of course, we are anti some things: we’re anti-sexism, anti-racism, anti-homophobia. You know that.)

I am often asked — understandably, usually by journalism students — “Don’t you think rabble should tell the other side of the story?” And my stock answer is always, “rabble is the other side of the story.”

We could not have come this far and we won’t be able to go on forever without the love and support we’ve always had from you, our readers. (Love is never enough, of course.) You are amazing readers. It never fails — on those rare occasions when a typo or another irregularity might appear on the site — that within minutes, I will have a flurry of emails in my inbox, alerting me to the error. How can I not love that?

And many of you readers are also writers and a week doesn’t go by when I am not overwhelmed by your wonderful submissions, looking to be published. It’s both gratifying and frustrating but, I promise you, I have always tried to publish as much of your work as I could or, at the very least, let you know why I couldn’t. For so many of you to continue to send your work — even when remuneration has not been possible — is extraordinarily generous.

A “labour of love” is a cliché but I know that describes so much of the work that has gone, and will continue to go, into rabble.ca — from its writers, its volunteers, its staff, its administration.

rabble.ca has — and has always had — the most active and most important progressive discussion board in the country. One of the very first questions I was asked when I was being interviewed for this position was, “What do you think of babble?” It was asked by then-publisher, Judy Rebick, who cared deeply for babble and would never have hired me if I hadn’t recognized its value to the site. It too has changed and has had its ups and downs but babble has always been seen and will always be seen to be the heart and soul of rabble.ca.

I have mentioned only one name here and it’s the only name I’m going to mention: the incomparable Judy Rebick, without whom there would be no rabble.ca. We met in person only when I was hired as editor but we knew that we were both regular panellists on Peter Gzowski’s Morningside political panel. Never at the same time, of course. Of course, two left-wing feminists could never appear together, could we now?

As editor of rabble.ca — and earlier, of “in cahoots” and OneWorld.ca — I have been able to work, on our own staff and elsewhere, with some of the most interesting writers and thinkers from across the country and around the world. It has truly been a remarkable experience and I’m grateful for it.

And âe¦ c’mon, eat your heart out — most days, I’ve done it all without getting dressed before noon.