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

I admit I blindly completed the survey believing it was possible to participate in one or two of the three.

But London? On £100?! LOL.

Then again, I have no problems with my children speaking in the accent of their region or using Scottish dialect and words like 'ta' or 'doggy', so I probably wouldn't be a very good representative of anyone in which any politician would likely find anything of interest.

oooooo expat agreed with me online

I feel all valued

'Why London? Don't the rest of the UK count?'

Has it ever, to any government?

lol Lulumaam at cashmere dressing gown ... all I can think of is just how impractical that would be. but perhaps getting the nanny to take ones egg-stained dressing gown to the dry cleaners is just part of the daily grind of being a yummy mummy.

i want it

given mn is internet forum why not host discussion online? posters participate from any location in uk

Why London? Don't the rest of the UK count?

I work, albeit only PT, but don;t finish til lunch time so can't even manage the online times - they span a whole lunch time so affect people who work mornings or afternoons. And I work in schools so days off are not an option.

will echo what others have said - your entry requirements will mean you don't get a cross section of people at your focus groups. I would have liked to have done this but
its very short notice for those of us who work and need to arrange a day off, its the same day 3 times, whilst changing my day off once would be fine 3 times lot harder, its in london. Whats wrong with say Birmingham or Manchester or York?

It had niggled at the back of my mind, GetOrf. Like those threads where you never know what happened in the end.

I so so wish I could go, I would dress up as Jordan and explode the myth.

goingpostal.. i agree that not everyone is in the "yummy mummy don't need to work all got nannies" (YMDNTWAGN) bracket ! totally agree.

but i would bet my Boden cashmere dressing gown that if there were 20 MNers at the photo op, and one was a boden wearing, middle class , yummy , nanny blah blah blah .. she'd be the one in the papers..

because 'ordinary' folk don't get in the news, they're not a fulfilment of the stereotype

lol expat!

Thanks for that, GetOrf. I can now sleep peacefully.

Ha! Yes, the bloke who was giving her lifts left. She emailed me to ask and I said no because I left at different times. She said ok, no problem.

Ended as a damp squib really. Very reasonable. I was hoping that she would cry and rant and then I could come on 'ere and moan about her to you lot.

Spoiled all our fun!

HIJACK!

GetOrf, did you ever get out of giving that horrid work colleague a lift to work? If so, how?

As you were, ladies.

Hat - see, SEE, you geddit!

I suggested that the emoticon picture could be of a goldfish. I thought it all through very carefully. It was rejected.

come on Justine, reconsider.

I think many people overestimate just how much the ordinary Mumsnetter wants to be courted by the media.

That poor London tonight chap who wanted to film a Mumsnetter talking about the site's current popularity and profile - he only got one taker!

I honestly believe for 90% of us its all a bit meh. And most of us treasure our anonymity. That's almost the whole bloody point of the place!

George Osborne, for example, is a .

• just doesn't work, does it?

If the polling organisation don't get the range of applicants they are looking for (whatever that might be) surely then they will adjust the times / location. We volunteer (if we can and want to) - they pick!

Totally agree with Luluma'am - exactly what I wanted to say you you put it better.

Hat - yes I requested a twat emoticon because I think the biscuit is crap. Justine dismissed it out of hand

What weegiemum said.

Just realised taking part in this means you have to go to London, and for many, many of us, that means overnight.

Well, I know how far London is from here, do The Powers That Be know how far W. Scotland is from them?

Probably not. Because they don't and never will care.

it would be interesting to know how many of those who've said they can do it would fall into this "yummy mummy don't need to work all got nannies" (YMDNTWAGN) bracket.

I can do it because I live in London, I'm self employed so can work hours to suit myself (so would make up time in the evenings) and that's the day ds is in nursery so that I can have a few hours straight to get stuff done. I'm also a single parent and don't think I'm yummy, just knackered. I can't afford Boden. I do think parenting is hard but think there are lots of ways to do it and they all have pros and cons.

I do agree that the system is flawed in terms of representing MN users, but do object to being grouped in some YMDNTWAGN bracket when that's far from the truth.

[getorf - am pmsl at the twat emoticon - that must have passed me by. nice try!]

I would do a proper piece of research for you, but I suspect no-one would want to pay the real fee ...

i also agree

my fear is this will end up as another 'look at how middle class and yummy mummy and don't need to work and all got nannies but moan about how hard parenting is and criticise everyone else's style of parenting ' piece of detritus

it is an exclusive and divisive way to portray MN and a focus group without a diverse cross section is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

surely asking MNers to contribute to an indepth survery, that could be filled in at their leisure and done via email or one of those survey monekey links would be a lot more beneficial?

but then you dln't get your photo op with the times....