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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Mumsnet's views on democracy do not appear very democratic

29 replies

summertimeover · 07/09/2015 16:31

So, I would be interested to know everyone's views on this, because I really don't think I am being unreasonable.

The refugee crisis is shocking, emotional and above all political. Mumsnet HQ produced a survey asking members if they wanted HQ to get involved and campaign.

82% of respondents to the survey said YES.

Mumsnet HQ said "ahhhh, we have changed our mind…:

What is the point of asking your members, who are the basis of everything in this community, a simple question and then ignoring the overwhelming answer?

here is the link to the results…

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_campaigns/2460948-Refugee-crisis-please-take-our-survey-to-let-us-know-where-you-stand?pg=11

This isn't very democratic is it?

OP posts:
yeOldeTrout · 07/09/2015 16:34

It's a for-profit website, not a democracy, there's all sorts of censorship, policies written by who-knows-who & stuff here. sheesh.

OTheHugeManatee · 07/09/2015 16:35

MN isn't a democracy for goodness' sake. It's a business. They can campaign or not campaign on anything they like. If they've decided that it is not appropriate for their overall business strategy to weigh in on the political issue du jour that's absolutely their prerogative.

Original poster
summertimeover · 07/09/2015 16:35

So then why produce a survey in the first place?

OP posts:
ThroughThickAndThin01 · 07/09/2015 16:36

There's no need for a campaign is there? Cameron has announced we will be taking many refugees in (20,000?)

ouryve · 07/09/2015 16:38

To see if people would support them if they DID? In the end they didn't, but know that had they gone ahead, the majority of mners would have been in support.

I can't see the problem.

iamaboveandBeyond · 07/09/2015 16:39

I think my views have been made clear Grin

I will add two things though...

  1. why bother putting it to a vote at all? and
  2. when the results didnt match what they wanted to do, why tell the truth that it was such a large majority? Dodgy of course, but none of us would know if they fudged the figures!
Robertaquimby · 07/09/2015 16:40

YNBU at all. According to the Mumsnet view of democracy Nick Clegg should now be our PM. He lost the election by a massive margin but of course his supporters felt particularly strongly about their votes.

I have been on Mumsnet for years under different names but this has really put my off the site. Would definitely never bother with any of their campaigns in the future.

iamaboveandBeyond · 07/09/2015 16:42

Justine has actually just updated now, they will look into some sort of campaign re search and rescue in the med, as dc only addressed letting refugees into the uk.

Robertaquimby · 07/09/2015 16:43

Throughthick Cameron is offering to take 20,000 over 5 years ie 4000 a year. Hardly overwhelmed by this generosity.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/09/2015 17:02

YANBU - I was mystified by this.

Glad to see Justine's message about search and rescue though.

Samcro · 07/09/2015 17:04

this is not a democracy it is a business
i am glad they are not doing it.not because I don't care, but I can't see the point of a mn camaign

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/09/2015 17:14

Mumsnet is not a democracy, but they took an opinion poll, and then ignored a landslide result.

Original poster
summertimeover · 07/09/2015 17:41

Great news re the search and rescue campaign. But will remain baffled as to the point of the survey...

OP posts:
Thecatisatwat · 07/09/2015 18:11

I think they jumped in too quickly by offering a poll in the first place and then over the weekend thought 'Shit what have we done!?'

A landslide result isn't really that impressive if only about 1% (or less) of membership took part. I bet there are people over in the litter tray who had no idea the poll existed (no offence to cat owners obviously) and some people like me don't go on MN every day so really the poll wasn't representative of many people on MN at all.

FuzzyWizard · 07/09/2015 20:57

I agree that the survey was pointless. FWIW I don't think the number of refugees we are offering to take is many at all. 20,000 over 5 years is a drop in the ocean when Germany are taking 800,000 this year.

iPaid · 07/09/2015 21:05

It was all a bit silly really.

iPaid · 07/09/2015 21:06

The majority of us are only interested in the talk boards and don't look at the home page or give a fig what MNHQ wants to campaign for.

Source: me

wannaBe · 07/09/2015 21:17

it was an opinion pole not set in stone. and given they had only 3000 members fill it in it's hardly indicative of a majority view.

I didn't fill it in and don't really get involved in their campaigns either way, but tbh I don't think that mn should be getting involved in political campaigns such as this one, and campaigning for the government to give money to more refugees when its own members are posting about how they are being left in poverty by the government.

madwomanbackintheattic · 07/09/2015 21:23

7 million members, 3000 voted. 82% said yes.
It would be really funny if those sorts of stats were used to dictate policy. In a spectacularly hilarious way given the furore on here after the voting stats at the election. Bahahahahahaha.

Opinion polls are just used to check how many people are bothering to read the article, aren't they? Not to actually base decisions on?

poocatcherchampion · 07/09/2015 21:24

There is a survey bias though isn't there. People are more likely to fill it in if they feel strongly about either the issue or the proposed activity

Many others presumably didn't see it, ignored it, or clicked on the survey and realised they weren't interested enough to fill in the boxes.

madwomanbackintheattic · 07/09/2015 21:42

Or if they see mn as a political or charitable institution, or somewhere to loosely discuss parenting, fruitshoots, what should I wear to sil's wedding, or whether my ndn is bu to use his toilet light at night.

I'd say 'survey bias' covered that... As indeed a sticky linking to a plethora of charities providing aid and requiring community or volunteer resource/ donations would have done to the 'what can be done?' question. In case the powers of Google had abandoned the masses. (I use the term 'masses' as a descriptor for the small number of recipients from the potential population loosely)

Theremustbesomething · 07/09/2015 21:48

But I'm not sure that that's an argument for discarding it? That's the way that voting works, isn't it? If you choose not to engage in the process, you can't really complain about the outcome, surely? Did I miss something...?

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/09/2015 21:52

I'm not convinced you can conclude that because not enough Mners saw it, the outcome would've been vastly different, either.

Theremustbesomething · 07/09/2015 21:53

Sorry - that wasn't meant to be rude - I'm genuinely confused.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/09/2015 22:07

Not rude, Theremustbe, I agree with you.