Hey, long post. I agree there is a major problem with oorp going on in Dublin, but I have been there a lot observing and participating as a miner, trader and pirate and there are some super positive things to say about Dublin.
- It is very dynamic. Fraction and non-fraction alike fight daily battles, and the atmosphere of the system can change on an hourly basis, making for some interesting RP and entertainment.
- The emotional aspects. Feelings run high in Dublin, and I can't count the number of times I have been 'scoring' a load of ore from some indie (BMM iff) miner, investing a sizable portion of cash and crapping my pants at every sight of a pirate on my way to NY. Even though it spawns a lot of bitter oorp system chat, the general tension of Dublin can draw you in.
- In extension to the above, the nerve-wrecking Dublin-NY trade route was a lot of fun, especially if you have been playing this game in a lot of different ships - personally some of my best Disco moments was right in the beginning hauling cargo in my Rhino, biting my nails that I wouldnt get shot down by NPC's and lose all my credits invested in the cargo. Once you get a decent transport you don't have a lot of moments like that, in fact more or less only when you encounter other players - which you did often with the intense focus on 'The Dubling Gold Rush'.
- It has been a gateway for a lot of new players, and a means for them to be integrated with the rest of the Disco players. Afterall I met 'lolwut' miners who just needed directions and a light introduction into rp. In addition to this, I have done a bit of pirating in Dublin and on the trade line to NY myself, and trust me plenty of official faction tagged traders get cought up in it and behave silly. Dublin functioned as a community 'hub' much like New York does it in some sense: A place where people meet and greet, but opposed to NY system there is more of a 'wild west' setting in Dublin.
I think Dublin as it was had something to offer that no other system in Disco has. I remember entering Dublin in my indie Corsair bomber, hooking up with a Corsair fighter pilot i never met before, pirating together and then meeting up with a couple of hogosha transports (total strangers as well) and together we could really put the pressure on those miners, tractoring in the gold from the wrecks of those who refused to pay and then re-sell it to dodgy traders in the system and sharing the profits evenly amongst us. It is moments like these that make Disco a truly unique game, where strangers can meet and work together. You don't really get those opportunities (especially playing outside of a faction) in any other system.
Deactivating the mining in Dublin really is a shame, and there must be a way to rectify the situation. I vote for the Molly dirty bomb, leaving the mining intact but the system heavily radiated and having an ALG/Junker/Zoners presence (freeport for my zoner guard id char to dock:-)) far from the mining areas to clean up the mess. Boot out the 2 BS'es - IMO Essex doesnt really make that much sense in Dublin (even considering the history of Molly/BAF) as the Brets are getting their arses kicked by the Kusari (Kusari fighter patrols all the way down to Planet Leeds). I my eyes, defence of New London, the heart of Bretonia, would take massive priority over Dublin - if BS Derby is to fall, the Kusari can just walk on through to Planet New London before reaching any real opposition. If I was the admiral, I would be very much focused on protecting the heart of the Empire and also on re-assuring the New London polulation that they are safe by placing a second BS in New London system.
So it's easy:
BAF realize that Essex is better deployed in the defence against Kusari and pulls out --> Mollies seize the day and blow the miners and everybody else back to stoneage with a dirty bomb, heavily polluting the system and thus pissing off the Gaians in the process --> Junkers/Zoners/ALG move in with some sort of base (either junker or zoner) far away from the mining areas and BMM try to maintain their operations (working at their own risk with no BAF backup) out of a crippled Graves Station.
That's my solution, as you will maintain the mining (but making it more difficult for the miner) and relieve the BAF of having to work around the clock to protect lolwut miners. And if you think it is unlikely or even crazy that a Molly would blow up his/her own system, remember this is the people who invented the leprechaun...