Live webchat with Ed Miliband, Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition, Thursday 1st Dec at 1.45pm

[KatieMumsnet]

We're very pleased to announce that Labour leader, Ed Miliband will be joining us for a webchat this Thursday between 1.45pm and 2.45pm.

Ed is MP for Doncaster, former Minister for Energy and Climate change and won the Labour leadership in the autumn of 2010. He's keen to hear your views and answer any of your questions.

Do join us for the webchat. As ever, if you can't make it, please post up your advance questions here.

Thanks,

MNHQ

@KateMiddIeton

Women? What all of them?

WHICH women? We are not a homogeneous group you know

FFS

It was an audience of 100 women from around the country representing different organisations and professions

I second Caramelwaffle's Q.

Is Ed a one-fingered typist perhaps?

Hi Ed just wanted to say think you are doing a great job loved your speech at the Labour conference (watched it on tv). Please stay true to your gut left leanings as your passion will shine through

Dear Ed,

What can the labour party do to appeal to those who think of themselves who are on the right of the center?

Thank you. :)

f5 f5 f5 f5 f5

Welcome, Ed.

Welcome! The votes of older people are going to become ever more important. What do you see as the three most important things the Labour Party can do to persuade us that they are the party of the second half of life, (as well as of the first!)?

@northeastofeden

I would like to second Vivalebeaver's question and add my own... Surely if the NHS pension scheme was run in a way where that £2billion surplus was ringfenced and invested every year the scheme would be sustainable? I don't understand why the surplus goes back into treasury coffers currently... I don't work in the NHS nor am I a teacher, but having found out the facts I totally support their strike action as this seems to be a stealth tax on public sector workers. Please start sticking up for ordinary people!

I agree on the stealth tax - 3% tax rise on public sector workers not to help their pension but for the deficit. The government claims that John Hutton endorsed this in his independent report but he didn't. And it will affect many low paid part time workers. The government should give ground.

Hi Ed,

I wanted to ask, do you think that we can ever get a capitalist market economy system to work in a fair way? Will there always be poverty at the bottom and fat cats at the top?

Thanks in advance if you get a chance to respond.
Luz

Do you ever have a solution that doesn't involve spending more taxpayers money that we don't have?

I've already asked my question, but just to intercede: I don't think anyone here wants to read a barrage of answers blaming the current government. We want to hear what you oppose, why, and how you would do it differently.

As you were.

@GeraldineGransnet

Welcome! The votes of older people are going to become ever more important. What do you see as the three most important things the Labour Party can do to persuade us that they are the party of the second half of life, (as well as of the first!)?

Decent pensions in the public and private sector, dignified and adequate care for those who require it, and the sense that the country being passed onto the next generation is one where they will be ok. Older people want to know that future generations are going to have decent lives.

LittleWhiteWolf - seconded

I'm with you littlewhitewolf :)

Follow up question to the one so kindly answered:

Could you please answer my serious question? I've cut and pasted to be helpful

Mr Miliband, what are you doing to stop the coalition demolishing our welfare state? Why aren't you making more noise and attempting to break up the coalition? You are in opposition so please strap on a pair and oppose!

Sincerely KM #frothers

Is there something you haven't understood about "one question" Janet Naylor???

Labour voter, member and small time activist here - don't you think we need to fight back more strongly? There is a huge amount of support for yesterday's strike action, yet when I tell people to join Labour they don't see how they connect. When you cancelled your appearance at the Durham Miner's Gala, you disappointed those of us who were hoping for a return to Labour's roots - supporting the workers and the disadvantaged, and you haven't done anything to reassure us.
Will you be coming out in favour of unions and robust industrial action, or will you stay in the middle and lose voters at one side to the tories and at the other to distrust, apathy and the extreme left?

Janet - you appear to have misread the webchat guideline at the top.

Here I'll re post them for you:

MN WEBCHAT GUIDELINES 1. One question per member plus a follow-up question if appropriate, ie once you've had a response. 2. Keep your question brief 3. Don't be disappointed if your specific question doesn't get answered and do try not to keep posting "What about me?". 4. Do be civil/polite.

Yes with LWW too. Why is he going from the end of the thread not the top?

Dear Mr Miliband,

I'd like to ask as your view on the Maternity Allowance for self-employed/business owners mothers. It seems very unfair that someone that is employed by a company is allowed to start their own company while on Maternity Leave but a self-employed person is not allowed to keep running their business, that is not even allowed to email, answer a phone call while on Maternity Allowance - apart from 10 days (however even if you only work 30 minutes in a day it is considered a full day)

I do understand that Maternity Allowance is designed so that you can spend time with your baby, but I fail to see how using a few hours a week to maintain your business afloat while on Maternity Leave is of any problem. A bigger problem is to have to shut down your business completely to go on Maternity Leave or have a month off only and have to go straight back to work full-time on your business.

The rules for Maternity Allowance for self-employed/business owners mothers are completely unfair and deserve to be looked at and changed. I would very much appreciate to hear your views on this and how this can be improved.

Many thanks.

Ha! was about to pull her up on that myself bucharest

I agree with Littlewolf. I want to like you Ed, I really do...

How realistic do you think it is to make more, many, many more, jobs part-time/job share in this country? And I mean all sorts of jobs, not just the usual low-paying part-time jobs that are all that is available.
I am a SAHM and it's just not worthwhile my going back to work full-time. On the other hand, my husband would love to work less. If between us we could work one full-time job and at the same time provide, between us, full-time child care, I think we would all be much happier.
I know there have been a few efforts to job-share at a high level (eg I believe there have been Foreign Office Ambassadors who have job shared?) but I don't see any real effort in this direction.
Thanks for coming in.