I don't think getting rid of certain sub-forums entirely is the best move, especially ones like the News & Current Affairs. There's some really good takes there and some very good and informative discussion that goes on between mostly like-minded people. There will always be a post or two that derails entire topics and steers the discourse into something more divisive.
As with the investment thread, it seems like the mod team requires a couple more additions to keep on top of things instead of just putting a blanket ban on certain topics. I'm sure there are a few well-respected active daily posters here who have a fair bit of time to keep things in order where required. It shouldn't be as black and white as "oh that's a controversial topic, too difficult to moderate - not allowed".
Ultimately a forum is where discussion and debate take place. There are many reasons for the decline in active posters over the years on here (not least the rise of social media etc), but actively stifling discussion around certain topics doesn't help. It's a Liverpool FC forum first, I get that, but I've seen mods say 'why do you expect to discuss this in a Liverpool forum?' in that case just get rid of all the forums except the main LFC forum. It currently seems like an easy line to trot when drawing an imaginary fence around certain topics.
Personally, I've been on here for around 14 years and a lot of the views that I've come across have shaped the person I am today in some ways. I'm not from Liverpool, but thanks to RAWK, I feel my values today are very much aligned with people from the city (and generally the NW). I'm not totally sure if RAWK would have the same sort of low-level, but real, impact on anyone in the future as things are getting a bit too 'vanilla' when it comes to active discussion and debate on topics beyond just LFC.
Obviously, up to the mods to do as they see fit but I think the opinions of posters on here are important too rather than just being told yes or no.