Why Justine Roberts should not give in to demanding celebrities

I agree with the cause, however I feel that the letter writers haven’t really understood Mumsnet. It’s not a hive mind that can be mobilised by getting the founder to endorse a position, it’s a forum where people discuss things, and strongly disagree on some topics!
I think it would be good to have more international guest posts and Q&A as UK mums and other MN users are absolutely interested in global politics and issues, we’re not just here discussing prams. But Justine can’t unilaterally endorse a campaign on behalf of all of us.

I don't have any "agenda" here but quite clearly the addressee of an open letter should have been the foreign Secretary or prime minister not a business woman with no direct connection to the issue. I am actually deeply sympathetic to the cause but how they have gone about trying to strong arm Justine into getting involved in it is offensive

They should have written to her privately

They’re asking her as the owner of a business that depends on millions of women for its existence and is seen to be influential. Why is this such a problem for some of you? What’s your agenda?

I don't think they were asking her to sign it? They seem to be saying it was for her to effectively do the campaigning for them. baffling

Fair enough. I haven’t.

Completely agree OP.

They can have their cause and make it public, but it's wrong to call on an individual by name to sign it.

But they haven't asked other women too. That's the point. If it was an open letter addresses to all women that would have been perfectly fine (although really I think all people would have been even better). It just doesn't make any sense why they singled out an individual woman and it's made them look stupid (at best)

Yes you misunderstood - if they wanted her to just be added as a signatory to the letter they would have emailed her and asked her if she would like to be a signatory to the letter . A private email like that would have been a perfectly reasonable thing to do

What is so unacceptable here is that for some absolutely inexplicable reason they have decided to address the letter to Justine even though she has no personal influence over foreign politics at all

The usual convention is that the addressee of the open letter is somebody who can actually do something about the issues in the letter. Here that would normally be the prime minister or the foreign Secretary.

I don't think I've ever seen an open letter addressed to somebody with no direct influence before and that is what is so utterly bizarre about this

Did you object to MN being indirectly asked to endorse Reform @IwantToRetire? If not, why not? MN is widely regarded as being influential and asking for its support in a campaign by women to support women feels like a natural fit to me. Disparaging the talented women behind it doesn’t help your cause.

I don’t think you understand @Sparklybutold, they’re not asking for money. They’re asking for the “powerhouse” of MN to add strength to their advocacy.

I find it very difficult when celebrities who have an inordinate amount of cash asking for others with much less cash to donate. If those in the top percentage actually clubbed together and financed it themselves they’d probably go a long way in getting things done, but instead they spearhead or represent this or that. Not saying they don’t donate, but 10k from some of these women is mere pennies to them. They of course also get the kudos, the brownie points. How about they just get on with focusing on what they can actually achieve together, which looking at there list, they could very likely fund and sort. So many more women who are on Mumsnet are in survival mode right now and have to deal with enough crap on our own doorstep. That’s not to say that I am not aware of global issues, but there are issues closer to home that need my focus. I don’t have the time or luxury to start worrying about things further afield.

Fair enough.

But she’s a very talented hard working professional, not a luvvie.

And OP: dismissing talented professional women as luvvies is just a way of dismissing women.

It’s not a ‘soapbox’ any more than your opinion is.

I imagined that when the many signatories of the letter to Justine asked for her support, they wanted her to add her name to the list of signatories, and eventually to a letter to parliament. Perhaps I have misunderstood.

They haven't asked her to sign the letter.

That would have just been an email saying 'do you want to sign the letter?'

This is a completely different thing entirely.

Yes

Have you seen any such threads? Any suggestions from Mumsnetters that MNHQ should join such a campaign?

Can Justine Roberts make any money off this?

I guess they want Justine to sign their letter because she founded Mumsnet which offers resources to support and empower women and, through that, to help children. There is such a range of opinions and beliefs on Mumsnet that it wouldn't be possible to say 'Mumsnet believes' or 'Mumsnet supports'.

How do you know they aren’t on here already?

Exactly.

They are not asking Justine as an individual to support their campaign, they are asking Justine as Mumsnet to support their campaign. But Justine is not Mumsnet. We, the posters, are Mumsnet. Mumsnet campaigns have always been driven by what the Mumsnetters discuss and want to campaign for. So these slebs need to sign up and engage in the discussion as Mumsnetters, if they want Mumsnet to support them.

I’m so happy to see some of my favourite people signing that letter. X

I agree with @IwantToRetire in finding the tactics of this public letter off-putting and detrimental to the cause they claim to support.

Also: "If they suceed in getting a "mumsnet" response via MNHQ then it leaves mumsnet open to any number of no doubt sincere campaigners demanding that they to get MN recognition."

As I've already said on the other thread, it's OK for an organisation/business to have a focus and and do it well. Mumsnet's campaigns have always been about the UK and that's OK, Mumsnet doesn't have to become a supporter of every campaign to improve maternal health in the rest of the world.

Quite. They need to watch RGervais’ GG speech again.

I adore Judi Dench’s acting.

But I’m no more interested in or swayed by her views, or any other performer’s, than I am by those of the woman three doors up the road.

They are women with a public profile of some kind asking Justine to join them in speaking up for a very vulnerable group of women and children. No doubt they have asked other women too. Nothing outrageous about it. Justine is free to refuse, or to ignore their request.