That's unfair. I'm happy to be a great deal more specific about why they're shit -
and/or why other contemporaneous acts were infinitely superior.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 15 Apr 2011, 15:19, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

A Certain Ratio were fucking BRILLIANT
I don't mean to suggest that you can't back up your arguments, merely that you have a very black and white viewpoint and are rarely willing to concede ground. I will admit that your knowledge of music is vastly greater than mine and as such you are entitled to have your opinion respected.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Fri 15 Apr 2011, 15:23, Reply)

since there is no calibrated musical scale of quality, though
Any reason you can give for them being shit and others superior is merely an opinion, though, still.

Without New Order - yes, Madchester would have been different and that that might have prevented some dross from being released, but that's true of any emerging music genre. But there would also probably be no Prodigy, Orbital, Massive Attack etc.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 15 Apr 2011, 15:24, Reply)

I'm sorry but the last sentence of this contains nonsense.
I have to do some work now so I cannot go into detail but I could draw you a musical timeline of Liam Howlett's musical influences that led to the sound of the Prodigy and New Order are not on it. My mate Hamish was their photographer for a bit so I've met him a few times and have exchanged formative influences over drinks.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 15 Apr 2011, 15:34, Reply)

I said probably, not certainly
again, I don't know them, so I can't know. but I've read interviews in the mists of time where they've talked about the influence of the whole guitar/electronic thing, I'm sure.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 15 Apr 2011, 15:39, Reply)