We're recruiting for Mumsnet pre-election focus groups: would you like to take part?

As I SAID, I don't think the whinging is pointless in this case.

quite frankly id be media cannon fodder if i met the criteria

I work in the media industry so fully understand and I don't really mind being journalist fodder for £100, I've done worse for less

I am sure everyone who has read the OP gets it.

Pointless whinging is so tedious though.

Every focus group that ever took place could have groups of poeple whingning about how and why it wasn't representative cos they couldn't attend.

eg. -'it took place in Edinburgh, it would take me 8hours on the train to get to edinburgh'
'it was in the evening I'm a single mum and can't afford babysitters'
'you had to have one leg and a moustache, it's not fair'
etc etc in relentless tedium.

It's not so much not knwoing you are journo fodder, it's not not minding too much.

I have a dear journo friend who frequnetly uses me as fodder (triuals of face creams/stories of my ailments/family storoes type things) I find it a distracting and amusing pastime.

hang on no subterfuge here is made clear for times so no one is being mislead by big journalists sniffing around

this is a request for adults,who are presumed to have capacity to consent,to participate in media event

Yes, what Brideshead said, she put what I was clumsily trying to say far more eloquently!

Pointless whingeing is allowed, nay even encouraged on Mumsnet.

On this thread, though, and on this particular matter, I do think the whingers have perfectly valid points.

Still, a lot of people who have signed up don't seem to fully grasp that they are just providing fodder for journalists.

Are the concerns that this focus group will not be representative of women, mothers or mumsnetters??

Beacuse most mothers are not mumsnetters.

using MN as a source for opinions of mothers is hugely unreprensentative in itself, but it's an easily avialble source to tap so they'll use it.

That's how these groups work, they try to get as broad spectrum as they can but in the ned they can only target those they can reach somehow.

they've made some concesions eg train fares but they won't be able to meet everyones needs and conditiond to take part.

I've signed up.

A little outing to London to sit around voicing my opinions, sounds like a rather lovely day out.

Obviously the focus group will be self limiting to those who can physically get there. Any group which requires people to physically attend is.

Online focus groups do get around that element of selection but of course self select in another way entirley. e.g people with cpmputers, people with braodband, people who are likely to use discussion forums, and to be honest I know more mothers who are likely to be free on a tuesday afternoon than fall into these categories.(I know no one else who is a MNer).

So none of us are 'representative'.

So stop yer whinging.

RTL Agree. After all they posted it in 'politics' not 'chat'!!

quite, hatwoman...

no it can't be perfectly representative - but decisions on timing and location can increase the chances of it being more representative. or they can increase the chances of it being less representative. and in this case it's clearly the latter.

Anyone else wondering how they are going to get a representative response to the question about how likely MN-ers are to 'actually cast' their vote (in the OP) when MN have promoted this to people who are 'passionate about politics'?

Call me crazy but I reckon there's a reasonable chance that MN-ers who are passionate about politics are more-than-averagely-likely to vote, while those who are less likely to vote probably don't think of themselves as passionate about politics, never clicked on the link, haven't had the delight of reading this thread and have excluded themselves from the get-go.

They probably have more interesting lives than us lot as well come to think about it.......

FWIW I'm in the would-love-to-but-breastfeeding-a-small-baby-and-wouldn't-want-my-picture-in-the-Times-in-a-million- years camp

It can't be representative, that is my point! Regardless of whether it is London, Cornwall, Wales or Timbuktu it is not going to be representative so from MN/Times/Poll company perspective I guess they just do it where is easy for them.

Most political polls are online, I guess they don't want to just do an online poll otherwise they would - it's less time, money etc. Maybe that is what they will come back with?

LOL ruddy too true!

Ewe - how can the selected sample be representative when the criteria excludes so many mumsnetters? eg:

Breastfeeders, anyone due to give birth over the next month, everyone from the SW, North, Wales, NI and Scotland (in effect only those in London and the Home Counties can reasonably take part). Also difficult/impossible for those with disability/SN/childcare/financial issues to contend with and yet these are the very parents whose voice needs to be heard by the Politicians rather than those parents who can easily upsticks and go off to London on a jolly at short notice.

A wee true story. Woman came into my office to book a room for a series of lunch time Carer's Forum meetings. I pointed out that the room she wanted could only accommodate 20 and was not wheelchair accessible. 'That's fine' she said, the sessions are for the carers only and so most of them will not be able to come.

online discussion forum should elicit opinion online.follow up by telephone and email for those who consent to further comment - meet/photo if willing

no travelling
no geographical contentions
no hard arrangements
accessible to many

oh bibboid.

I could easily do it but am not interested in providing easy copy for a News International title.

[folds arms].

But if it was in Manchester, in the evening for example, it would only be a narrow section of MNers who could go. It would rule out those who are breastfeeeding, single parents, those who have to work evenings/nights, forces wives etc. Any combination of timings/places is going to exclude plenty of Mumsnetters.

London and South East is where the majority of Mumsnetters are based according to last census, it does make sense to do it in the place that most people are located especially considering that is also where the Times is and more than likely the polling company. I think it would be better if they could let babies/children attend though, that imo is the bigger issue.

juneybean- presumably a 'don't give a shit' attitude is perfectly valid and one worth airing. they might want to know why you have such a view..?

unless you don't give a shit about not giving a shit

SuSylvester - I know, and if you had read my comments further down, you would know that I know. So I would equally ask you to keep up.