Louise Mensch MP talks Twitter, trolls and motherhood

[ElenMumsnetBloggers]

This week, Mumsnet Bloggers Network is one year old. To celebrate, we're hosting a week of blogging activities - which kicks off today with MP Louise Mensch's guest blog. She explains why she ran for MP, how she juggles parenting with politics and why Conservative HQ was alarmed by her tweets. Read it here and leave comments on this thread - about blogging, about Louise's new venture Menshn, or about what she's said.

I want to like her. Her life story is certainly amazingly interesting.

But whenever I have seen her speak in public she comes across as a ghastly female version of Jeffrey Archer.

I just object to her opening statement that people think social media is a massively male dominated arena. I work in marketing and have a real interest in digital channels, and actually the evidence suggests social media is either fairly gender neutral, or actually slightly female-biased. It does depend on the channel; LinkedIn has marginally more comment by males, whereas Pinterest is dominated by women.
So making that statement to look 'brave' and feminist is a bit ridiculous as there is no evidence that this is what people think. I believe that politics is that kind of arena, but definitely not social media!

I've got to admit I don't know anything about her personally, except for all that I can infer from her being a Tory MP but here's a good article that sprang to mind [http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/29/chloe-smith-mouse-feminist-tory?cat=commentisfree&type=article]

(sorry, on phone, don't think link formatted correctly)

I was quite interested in reading this until I realised it was just a massive plug for her new venture.

Reinforcing my prejudice that all tory MPs are motivated purely by self-interest.

This might work although probably not again

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

MNHQ - you have got this one wrong.

This puff blog is ill-advised, blatantly commercial and, ahem, v. vacuous.

Please give us a bit more credit.

Louise Mensch - talking about how articulate MNers are is not quite enough to win us over. One of the worst blog posts I've seen for a good while.

What is the point of all this. Am I missing something?

@Viviennemary

What is the point of all this. Am I missing something?

The point is/was twofold - to promote the Bloggers Network (on its first birthday) and to host an interesting blog from an interesting person.

Sorry if you didn't like it.

Never apologise. Never explain.

I wasn't keen on it being Louise Mensch. I shouldn't have posted that. I'm sorry. It was quite late and normally I wouldn't have posted such a cross sounding negative post.

Well, sadly, as "interesting" as Mensch is, her blog post was crap.

Hth.

I admire her stance against the media and internet trolls, but there's still something about her that I don't like.

She strikes me as the kind of person who'd eat her own children if she went without an Ocado delivery for a fortnight.

I'm certainly not against her, although as a feminist I'd like my questions above answered as they are at the heart of her credibility.

However I was absolutely appalled by her stance on internet trolls. We want robust strong people who have such strength they do not get at all fusssed with abuse. We wan women in the media who are prepared to put up with criticism, not fold over like some kind of weak Victorian flower. We needed Mrs Mensch to say - I do not care what people say - freedom of speech rules okay. We want women in particular to learn to be tough. Toughen up the nation. Tolerate adverse comment. Grow a skin. Rather than ah poor poor you did that nasty person line hurt your feelings; ah, nanny state will ban them.. ugh.