Live webchat with Fiona Millar, Tuesday 3rd March, 1-2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Fiona Millar will be visiting us at Mumsnet Towers for a live webchat on Tuesday 3rd March between 1 and 2pm. Her book The Secret World of the Working Mother: Juggling Work, Kids and Sanity will be out on Thursday 5th March. Fiona is a well-known journalist, educational campaigner and mother of three. If you can't join us on Tuesday, post your questions in advance on this thread.

[morningpaper]

Why don't YOU write the frigging books if the current market is lacking your niche?

Do you basically just hate women who work?

[BoffinMum]

Um
I do write books!

[moondog]

MP...does this ring a bell????

'the whole point of the parenting experience is that is teaches you that there is nothing new, there is just this muddling through, and that's okay.'

So........ if this is how you feel,you tell me why we need yet another smug tome????

[morningpaper]

Because there is a VAST MARKET of people needing reassurance?

[moondog]

Ah, so hang on.
We don't need it.
But if we do, we've got thousands of women who MN who can offer us support and advice for nowt.

But just in case that isn't enough, we've got FM who will reveal the secrets of the universe to us for £12:99!!!!

Nah.
Makes no sense.

(And FM has a bog standard degree that in no way equips her for holding forth with any authority on educational methods and theories.)

[moondog]

And, in answer to your earleir question, I am an academic involved in educational research so yes,I do indeed speak with a soupcon of authority.

[morningpaper]

What's your objection Moondog?

[morningpaper]

ok moondog let's go through those one by one:

1. Perhaps you should start a separate thread asking MNHQ to clarify their policy on that?

1. OK you just randomly hate journalists. Not I lot I can do about that.

1. Could you just clarify who think is entitled to talk about education? What sort of background do you think is a basic minimum? I assume that all us thick mums should STFU to start with and have no right to an opinion on our children's education?

You are right about not fucking with food Moondog but I don't get your EXCITEMENT about this

[moondog]

1. Why should I start a separate thread? It's directly related to FM and her annoying book, hence me putting it in here.

1. Randomly hate journalists? Eh? Some of my best fr......and so on and so on. I have no time for privileged women in extra-ordinary circumstances holding forth on how everyone else should 'juggle'.

1. She has every right in the world to have views on education. Heavens, it may be valuable and interesting. However she isn't here to do that, she is here to flog her book. You might labour under the delusin tthat Fiona is undertaking a philanthropic act but I sure as hell don't.

Additionally.....

anyone who has so little imagination as to use the term 'juggle' needs shooting.

why do you care so much? Did you book her?

[morningpaper]

Ok so

1. so you hate her particularly because she is too priviliged for you? OK perhaps she will address that. And I shall look forward to the Karen Matthew's Guide To Raising Kids to balance the current marketplace weighting towards women who can read and write.

1. OK I've lost your point here. Yes it says she is here because she's got a book out. I think this is your point 1. just said with the words all different like.

I care because it is CRINGINGLY embarassing when people are rude on these threads.

[moondog]

Too privileged for me?
No,not at all.
I'm a very privileged and well off privately educated torygraph reader. No loonie leftie class activist, me.

I don't see the need for this stuff at all.To me the essence of MN is that we can help each other for free and circumvent the leaches that grow fact on our fears and insecurities.

You're the one that brought in the whole educational guru stuff with your comment that

'Fiona Millar is hardly 'some journalist' - she's done loads to contribute to the debate about state education, in a really positive way'

It wasn't mentioned in the OP.Only the book wwas. So, I assumed she was hear to talk about her book. Am I missing some subliminal message?

Embarrassing?
For who?
You?
Me?
FM?

You are acting like an over excited suburban housewife, worried that the Smiths at No. 32 will hear your domestics.

I'm sure that if FM is tough enough to tackle and single handedly turn around rough inner city comprehensives rife with drugs and guns, she can take a mildly critical comment or two from a blameless Welsh speech and language therapist from the sticks.

[BoffinMum]

Go Moondog!

Stand up for those people who spend years developing professional expertise only to have it ignored in favour of people like FM and their amateurish pontifications.

Stand up for the common woman preached at by the smug.

Stand up for the patronised and the voiceless.

Because many of us are sick to the back teeth of self-professed 'experts' earning disporportionate influence through their previous university friendships and who they bed, rather than their wisdom.

[moondog]

Y'see, BoffinMum gets it.

I'm really surprised you don't MP.
I thought you were smarter than this.

[ahundredtimes]

Oh this is unfair. She can write a book, she can contribute to the discussion on working mothers without being called smug and preachy I think. None of us have read the book, it's wrong to make assumptions about it until we've read it. This is an on-going discussion amongst women, it exists on MN and there is no reason why it shouldn't exist in print too. It's an important discussion for society to be having with itself imo. She isn't the first, she won't be the last. To write and publish a book does take a certain amount of audacity, but someone has to be audacious.

I think the problem does lie in the fact none of us will have read it, so it's a little previous to have a 'conversation'. It makes it one-sided which opens her out to accusations of 'preaching' which for all we know her book may not do, and that one sidedness riles people because it gives the appearance of her appearing to bestow her wisdom. Perhaps all she is doing is sharing her experience? Nothing wrong with that is there? She can probably write and communicate her ideas more effectively than lots of people, that's why she's written a book.

But the timing of her book - to advertise it - also means we won't have read it, which means we can only ask her about a) being married to A (boring for her and everyone else I should think) b) education because she's written about it c) Cherie Blair and it seems d) swimming.

Not great for either side really.

[morningpaper]

Jeeez is Tim Dowling writing this thread?

I am an overexcited surburban housewife

I found your OP embarassing Moondog:

"Oh FFS.
Who gives a shit about another smug tome by some journalist??
It's Frogspawngate all over again.
Fiona, I don't care what you think about anything..
And call you tell your ubiquitous 'partner' that we have heard more than enough about his depression, jogging and drinking.
Do us all a favour and pipe down, the both of you."

But if you and Boffinmum think this is the way to impress us all with your "wisdom" and "expertise" then go right ahead

[MaryQueenofArkansas]

Thanks BoffinMum, I agree with every word of your last post

[morningpaper]

I just don't get this at all.

Fhis is just a thread of insults towards a woman with a fascinating career and a voice in the debate, who brings something to the table. She is not expressing bafflement about why geese have gone out of fashion.

I'm obviously thick

[BoffinMum]

This thread kicking off is really about concerns to do with policy, publishing and intellectual life in this country being effectively stifled by a highly incestuous media and political class, acting as a kind of social oligarchy.

It's not inclusive or representative at all, and should be challenged IMO.

[morningpaper]

what a ginormous lot of WANK

it is cos she is thin?

[BoffinMum]

eh?

[morningpaper]

look like this

[BoffinMum]

I am well aware what wank means and also what thin means but I am not sure how this moves the debate on. It's a bit of a non-sequitur.

[BoffinMum]

RU pissed??

[ahundredtimes]

I think with the greatest respect BM, that is bullshit. FM will probably be writing to her constituency, yes. She shouldn't need to pretend that she's not either. Why are people more likely to buy FM's book?

1. because they know her - why? Because perhaps she's had a successful career, is bright and has worked hard? Perhaps she deserves that? Perhaps some people are going to rise to the top? Is that so v. hard to handle?
   
2. because she can write and will communicate well - not many people can do this, and it is wrong to assume they can. They can't, though lots of people think they can.
   
3. Because she actually put her bum on her chair and wrote the bloody book in the first place. Respeck
   
   I think the taking pot-shots at people that goes on here is a kind of inverted snobbery. It's all 'who do you think you are?' posturing. It's like the little guy who has been given a big gun. You think you're so smart because you are journalist? Because you were part of an inner political circle? Because you are clever and you worked hard? Well let me tell you this - I'm just as important as you and I don't need to listen to you, you are smug and preachy because you've published a book and I know your name, and I've got an opportunity here to try and cut you down to size, but god knows why I feel the need to do that. I could listen and read your book, and consider it as part of the larger picture. If I think the book is not written for my constituency, if I think there's a gap in the market - well perhaps I'll try and write that book.
   
   It's a stoopid position to take, it's ignorant and unhelpful and unsophisticated and envious. I'm always annoyed by it.