I appreciate your POV.
What you did was not incorrect and you were perfectly within your jurisdiction to lock the thread for the site rules are that there should be no political discussion. However even when we have the right and even when we can act within our jurisdiction it does not necessitate that we are compelled to exercise that right especially if there is some other mitigating circumstance.
In other words we weigh up the factors in our mind and attempt to come to a consensus through subjecting our reasons to the process of falsification, like we do when we are considering a chess variation. "I can take the pawn", "I have the legal right to take the pawn", "I want to take the pawn but am I forced to take the pawn?" "Is it really necessary?"
Perhaps you felt that it was simply a matter of legality, the thread was political and should be locked, which is fine. However what if there are other mitigating circumstances? "Kaynight was getting a sound thrashing!", "The kids were enjoying it, it was like jelly and ice cream for them!", "It was not overtly political or heated and it was informative", "Erik will never find out!", "I like that robbie_1969 he's a poet and a Chessbomb and is devilishly handsome", etc etc.
Of course you are a moderator and you do not need to justify anything to a peasant like me and I apologise for the rather caustic tone of my initial post, you have an admirable way of taking criticism and you will do awesome because humility is a rare and beautiful thing and I mean that sincerely.
I think that is a perfectly justified criticism. I hadn't read those threads. I just locked them with a caveat about such discussions in the forums
Then perhaps rather than arbitrarily lock threads that you have not read you might take the time to ascertain the views of those who have contributed to them because your approach in the Brexit thread was draconian, you seemed intent to apply the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it , it was wholly unnecessary to lock it for it had veered off from a political discussion and your action has spoiled what was a good thread. Surely a moderator should walk lightly on the ground not stomp up and down policing the forums.
Even if we have the right its not always necessary to insist upon it.
I appreciate your POV. I did read through some of the thread(s) before locking it. It has nothing to do with following the "letter of the law" but rather with applying rules consistently and as objectively as possible. I locked the thread rather than deleted it since, as VintagePawn explained, there IS some lack of certainty. If my action for some reason is deemed incorrect, the thread can always be unlocked. - So, it's not ruined, but detained.