Should Mumsnet be going to Baby Show ? We need your views

Please don't go. Clarion bought 2 more arms fairs in September making a total of 5 they now own (all purchased this year). Yes they sell to the military. The Saudi military, the Indonesian military and the Chinese military amongst others. They sell cluster bombs.

Up to 98% of the vicyims of cluster bombs in the last 3 decades have been civilians. A third of those were children.

Reasons for going... I have an excuse to go play with MRM

But what are the reasons for going? ahundedtimes has asked a good question which hasn't been answered.

< by the way: hundredtimes are you doing HTT here? as in - mommy shall I go to the arms fair? why d'ya want to go honey?>

But seriously - it's a good question, what's the answer??

When you makin a decision MNHQ?

I think MN should still go

What I don't like is the fact that an entire part of the MN community has been effectively barred by the non provision of changing facillities.

Oh I know Peachy, I just thought the arms thing was the most uninformed part of the argument.
I think MN should go.
Get the message out there! Be the lone voice of sanity amongst the formula flogging and early weaning clubs!

I don't care about it from a publicity for MN perspective to be honest, MN was invaluable to me in the early weeks when my DD was born and I think that the more people who are aware of them (and to be honest, I don't know anyone who has heard of MN and I know LOADS of people who attended the baby shows) then I think they should do it.

Ultimately these events have to exist, someone has to run them, the main exhibitors are electronics companies, vehicle suppliers, equipment suppliers etc. All essentials. Guns are a very small part of the event and not even represented at one of the events. Oh and FWIW when they do have arms manufacturers exhibiting it is normally in a sectioned off area that you have to have security clearance to enter (this was the case when Reed owned them, doubt Clarion will have changed this) - the government do have to buy guns!

I say go still.

But I have ulteria (sp?) motives cos I wanna help man the stall!!!!

It's not just the arms though bubbaluv- other issues too

people always say that direct action doesnt make a difference but in fact it can

one person emailed mn

she has made a difference in raising awareness and creating this debate

Don't think his email changes anything.

Dont go.

And the involvement of Bounty is adding to my opinion that it is not something MN should associate itself with.

Go.

If you don't, all those mums might end up on another parenting site, and thereby never get the chance to debate moral decisions such as this.

I have a friend who used to come over to the UK to go to the arms fair. He was an arms buyer for the Australian Military. The British Military also would attend these fairs to properly equip (hopefully) the soldiers fighting in Aphganistan/Iraq etc.
Just thought I'd throw that into the equation.

But ewe we don't always know that they are in anyway to do with arms.
With this one we do.
MN do not need to go to this fair. They can achieve more publicity (I'm assuming that is what they want) by not going than going.
So why go?

that' not even a personal e-mail; if it were it would address what they could offer mn as a unique business: its just a circlar with a name at the top. Cynical.... (and suggestive of how many others conidering same thing.

E-mail them back at the very least and ask why they think they'd be a good choice for a site with a strong sn support side given theres no facillities

previously clarion didnt own these fairs and clarion raqn the majority of fairs and exhibitions so you could go to them without the associtaion now they have bought them true you cant

they shouldnt have bought them should they

If in doubt don't go. I'd say don't go anyway...

To be honest, you would never attend any events/exhibitions/conferences if you didn't want to go to anything associated with arms/defence.

I recruit into this industry - infact, Clarion are a client of mine - the industry is very incestual and most events in the UK will be run by a company affiliated with arms in some way.

We need arms and military defences, yes in an ideal world we wouldn't but this is not an ideal world!

I don't understand what not going is achieving?

Well, they still have that daft C.B-C going and are sponsored by BOUNTY who suck and are, in my cynical little brain, on the road to being as bad as Nestle.
And they don't have disabled changing facilities.
Plus their email is shoite. They are supporting arms, however they do it, or else why would the previous owners have sold up due to public pressure?

i really don't think you should go but for the 'too many huns ' reason

Yes, and again, watch Iron Man.

there is defence and there is offence

i dont see that anything has changed in the nature of these fairs or the trade since clarion recently took them over

the arguments put forward prevuiously still stand imo