AIBU to wonder if a stay-at-home mum could become an MP?

That 17-year-old Reform councillor - George Finch can't have had much of a work history . I would say though you need to start doing some political work.

Possibly but they would be most unsuitable imho.

How much are you proposing to pay for parents to stay home?

Because you do realise that from the funded hours the nursery get is between £6 and £12 per child? (Depending on age). It's why so many of them are either closing or having to charge hundreds in top up fees each month. If you take the lower end of £6 an hour that would be £180 a week (Based on 30 hours) or £720 a month. Which won't even cover the mortgage for many people.

I've been with my partner and daughter's father for 16 years. Neither of us have any interest in throwing hugs sums of money away on a party, nor do we believe in sky fairies

What do either of those things have to do with getting married?

I must confess to not having read the whole thread. OP, if you're serious, I think you should begin by being active in your community. Volunteer in schools and hospitals and church groups. Volunteer to be on committees - local groups are usually crying out for people to take on committee roles. Be a school governor. Use public transport and have conversations with people at the bus stop. Listen to what people say about what matters to them. Maybe start a local (non-political) news blog or newsletter, if there isn't one already, or contribute to an existing one

All the above will develop skills you would need as an MP.

I don't believe you are a mother.

Every literate woman going through the pregnancy learns about prenatal screenings schedule and kind of issues that can be found there.
Even 24 weeks limit is troublesome, because it means that if bad news come at 20+week scans, there is little time to arrange additional tests, get them evaluated and decide based on the results.

If you really are a mother and somehow ignored this, just don't go to the politics. You seem unable to represent even your own demographic group.
The politics need more women, but those women should poses a basic knowledge about women's topics.

Quite. The fact of the OP being a SAHP is very unlikely to present any barriers, but based on this thread, there are other significant issues which might get in her way.

Most politically aware people know who Charlie Kirk. Being a fan of Charlie Kirk would probably make you a shoo-in for selection as a Reform candidate. The bar is pretty low.

So it’s not just young children you want a mum at home for its teens as well? So a woman could potentially have a child at 20 so the family get tax breaks to stay home for 16 years, then have another baby at 36 and get the tax breaks to stay home for another 16 years, then at 52 the tax breaks stop? Then what? This woman with zero work experience has to try and get a job? Or does her husband have to continue to support her? What if he dies or leaves? And she can’t get a job. But you’ve cut benefits so she’s now on the streets with her 17 year old. That’ll be great for the 17 year olds mental health I’m sure.

Where do you get this from?

Carers allowance is an absolute nightmare and the cliff edge for eligibility is barbaric.

I was entirely with you OP when you said about politics in your area being middle aged men I thought you sounded ideal, a breath of fresh air... with your further posts I don't think quite so much.

Local politics would be one thing but the job of an MP is quite a leap from SAHM, and especially if one of your arguments is to promote having a SAHP as a valid and important choice, working as an MP would definitely be more "do as I say not as I do". Then again that mindset itself makes you even more well suited I guess.

I think anyone should be able to stand and their background wouldn’t put me off voting for them.

What would put me off is self interest and a candidate who is determined their own opinions are facts.

A local Lib Dem councillor is basically a sahm.

she has done things akin to Avon selling in her spare time.

she has been very heavily involved in her kids schools PTA and volunteers locally for lots.

Hope that helps x

You'd be surprised. I don't think those candidates appeal to voters especially we just often have no choice.

I wouldn't mind at all that you'd been a sahm but I'd want to know your views on policies etc and what you'd bring to the job. I'd probably expect you to maybe have considered how hard it would be to move from your current lifestyle to a rather inflexible long hours job, and be ready for the press to ask questions on that.

I'd consider being an mp to be a professional and highly skilled job but that doesn't mean you need to be a lawyer or university educated. I think if anything is critical that government includes a diverse range of experiences.

Our local MP in London is a tradie. He has a small company and does small handyman jobs. So yes, I think you should go for it and at least try.

What if the pregnancy is the outcome of rape or of illegal sex with an underage girl. Even if the pregnancy is over 12 weeks, would you expect the woman to carry and give birth to her rapist's baby?

where…? LSE and Harvard research found no material differences when both parents work. The biggest influence is poverty.

you’re free to have your views. But don’t present them as facts, without for example any facts.

Staying home is just your preference. And that’s fine.

It's a bit niche, isn't it? People want someone who is going to act for the people. It's not great to be heading into politics for a single issue, imo.

If you're serious, I would start taking on some voluntary roles to beef up your CV. School governance gives lots of the core skills. Charity sector work. School admission appeals. Local conservation group. Basically, anything that gives you an insight into the formality of procedures and local government structure, and also exposes you to local people so you can get an understanding of local issues.

Another question OP, what would you do if your OH sadly passed away? You'd have capital but how long would it provide you with an income to keep your lifestyle. At some point, you'd need to work. What if your ADHD was exacerbated to the point you found working FT and looking after your children impossible?

You do realise that you are only doing okay because of your husband? That without him, or maybe your parents, you could be no different to the women you criticize with disdain.

Yes. But only if deserving enough. Assume the plan would be https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/benefits-dwp-cuts-conservatives-austerity-cap-b2956620.html

This is really interesting, as it reflects quite a lot about the social circles that the OP moves in. Clearly, she isn't surrounded by people who watch the news or follow current affairs etc. By contrast, I would be utterly gobsmacked if any of my friends or family didn't know who Charlie Kirk was, because they are all reasonably engaged people with at least a passing interest in what goes on in the world.

The OP is obviously much less used to interacting with people who choose to keep themselves informed about what's going on, so perhaps she also isn't really used to having her very uninformed views challenged in ways that might help to develop her thinking.

So you want to be an MP standing on a platform of encouraging women to stay at home, while being paid by the state yourself not to stay at home.
Make it make sense.

Worked out well for Serena Joy didn’t it…?

Yes a SAHM has the ability to become a councillor or MP.

Do you possess the skills and knowledge to make an effective one? So far I'm not convinced.

Everyone I know knows who he was and my friends are all in their 60s/70s. His name was all over the news in the UK nothing to do with being online
I think in general his views were abhorrent so if your beliefs align with his I wouldn't vote for you. But it's nothing to do with you being a SAHM

It feels like you’re saying wealthy people and those without disabilities should be able to do what they like. But everyone else should have to take responsibility for themselves - you say those with mental disabilities should just take responsibility for it, you want to reinstate the child benefit cap if both parents are out of work so presumably they just have to take responsibility for the children they have if they lose their job, and cut carers allowance… etc.

Are you perhaps in a bubble of an existence on these issues with little empathy for anyone else (assuming this isn’t a bait thread). If you’re truly interested in these issues, and early years, why not look at the clear research on the benefit to society of lifting children out of poverty (more likely to complete education, join the workforce, less likely to end up in the criminal justice system, have better health etc). ‘Punishing’ parents for being out of work assumes it’s a choice, and if it is and they are really feckless parents then it will mean that child does not eat.

I’d also suggest volunteering to see these issues in action - try a food bank to open your eyes.

Paying a parent to stay home takes someone out of the workforce - exactly what you object to with the poor or disabled. This means less economic growth - this then raises the obvious question of how you are going to then pay for this policy.

I’m not saying it would be nice for everyone to have the choice to stay home…. But in all honesty is this because you’d like to and feel you should have the right to. I think lots of parents would like to (a big part of that must be so they can have that time with their children). There’s a lot of research on outcomes of children with working mothers - generally educational outcomes are the same as stay at home mothers, for girls it’s higher, for boys it found these are more likely to be competent and equal in the home (with childcare/housework) https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/kids-of-working-moms-grow-into-happy-adults two parent working families are more likely to be financially stable and poverty is one of the biggest influences on outcomes for children.

I think you can campaign on these points if you want and they may be popular in the divided society we live in, but I do wish people would be more honest about their drivers - I doubt given your other views that there’s much altruism and hope of helping wider society. If you did wouldn’t your focus be on better early years provision for all?

I think you would sadly make a great Reform candidate.

You seem to have a complete lack of awareness of the lives of others. It's depressing that people like you consider putting yourselves in such vital public positions.
A great example of the Dunning-Kruger effect though, just think of the amount of highly intelligent and qualified women in the country that could make such a positive difference to the lives of others.