Gordon Brown on Mumsnet this Friday (16th October) lunchtime between 1-2 pm

[JustineMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will be logging on to Mumsnet for a live webchat on Friday (tomorrow) lunchtime from 1 to 2. The PM is ready to answer Mumsnetters' questions on a wide-range of policy issues from the economy to education and from childcare to climate change.

As you know we're not great ones for rule books here at MNHQ, but we'd like this to be as useful and enlightening an event as it can be, for all involved. We aren't going to pre-moderate or pre-select questions - the format will be as per usual - but given the likely popularity of this webchat, the sheer number of you all and our past experience of trying to fit everything in, we've come up with a few ground rules which we'd be very grateful if you'd follow.

Guidelines for MN webchat with PM

1. To allow as many folks as possible to be involved, please restrict your questions to one per member plus a follow up question if appropriate, i.e. once you've had a response. (NB don't even think about name changing to ask another, we'll be watching!).

1. Please keep your question reasonably brief (we'll not doing a word count but it will increase your chance of getting an answer, we suspect, if you don't bang on for paragraphs)

1. It's highly unlikely he'll be able to answer everyone's question but we'll make every effort to bring common themes to his attention. Please don't be too disappointed if your specific question doesn't get answered and do try not to keep posting "What about me?". He can't answer them all and he is the PM after all - so has a quite few time constraints.

1. Obviously you're free to voice your opinion but do be civil/polite - the PM is our guest on Mumsnet so, whatever your politics, please afford him the same cordiality you would if he stopped by your own house.

Many thanks - feel free to put your question up in advance if you can't make the live chat on Friday lunchtime.

Actually, NewShoesonMonday, I was told something similar by someone on MN (it was a sandwich not a burger iirc) and it worked a treat. I never looked back and bf until ds2 was nearly 2. So perhaps not all that barking.

Michkit and Wini - I once had a "friend" go on at me about "these immigrants blah blah blah", and I went "er herm." "oh, not you". Thanks.

Gordon, what are your views on tax relief for stay at home parents?
ie, taxing the working parent less?

Hi Gordon, (im asking this on behalf of my mum)

Can I ask why if your a carer to somebody who is seriously ill, you get hardly any help, I get carers allowence which is £40 a week and thats all we are entitled too, I have recently lost my job and now have been told i loose my tax credits and dont get any other help.

I have paid my stamp for years and feel like im not getting any help now when I most need it.

Looking forward to your reply

Following that - what position did you play, PM?

Perhaps Mr Brown would like to comment on hospital charges more generally. Parking charges for ongoing outpatient appointments can be very expensive - for those of us who have ongoing medical issues that don't require inpatient treatment, I believe these are remaining.

CorinnaLouisa,

We introduced the new choice guarantee for women as part of Maternity Matters which amongst other things included the choice of place of birth. We?re working hard with Strategic Health Authorities to make sure this happens.

Hello Prime Minister

What do you consider to be your single greatest achievement as prime minister?

Thank you

I'd very much like to hear your opinion on the various contributions by home educating families to the Badman report, which directly contradict the supposedly sound statistical findings of Graham Badman stating that home educated children are at higher risk than that of the general population. How can this judgement be made when no one knows how many home educated children there are?

Gordon,

Whilst understanding the reasoning behind restricting bonuses etc at Banks, it seems unreasonable to single out Banks. Can the same analysis and restrictions be extended to other industries/sectors- in particular public sector/former public sector monopolies where executives are rewarded despite failures? and if not why not?

Mr Brown - Sorry I just can't resist making this point since there's a chance to talk to you directly - which I appreciate.

Why do you persist in saying the crash and credit crunch etc stemmed from the US and no one knew it would/could happen. The risk community has know for years and years that the murky world of credit derivatives and banks inadequate capital reserves were an accident waiting to happen. It's just lucky it started in the US but it COULD have started here. I just hope Mervyn King or someone similar writes their memoirs one day and finally feel able to reveal and admit that you all knew a total OTC deriviatves crisis was looming but just didn't want to face up to it.

Good answer on Married Couples Tax Allowance

Carriedababi - agree this needs to be addressed per my earlier question. We have covered self employed im-balance so what about stay at home im-balance? Do we only value working parents now in this country?

I would just like to say that I am pleased to see the PM getting though plent of questions (and starting early no less).

I also want to echo the request earlier - please can the Labour Party sit down, sort it out and stop making it so damn difficult for us to vote for them. The alternative is terrifying.

Dear Gordon,

I'm sitting writing this as a visitor to a development project in the exceptionally poor "Barrios" (Shanty towns) in Caracas, Venezuela. Can you categorically confirm that you will ring fence (or even increase) the aid budget - at a minimum of 0.7%GDP, and do more to make sure the budget does not go to bilateral trade deals but more to the poorest of the poor?

Thankyou.

Excellent point bumbling.

Dear PM,
I'd like to say that I think you have done a very good job of re-directing money towards children and the less well off. Please, please stick to your guns on this and DON'T take away the Childcare Vouchers!

Mr Brown, as so many workers have been made redundant, or like mine, have had to take a pay cut and the government are talking about pay freezes. Would it not be a considerate example for Members of Parliament to also stop paying themselves bonuses and agree to a pay freeze.

Because I don't think you can claim to be truly in touch with the public unless the ludicrous expense claims stop and you show, as a government, willing to take your share of responsibility for this recession.

For all the joking about a MN focus group, you really could (and can) do a lot worse than listening to MN. You can't tell, but you've been talking to women of all colours, ages (you can't tell who is a teen mum, and who had their first at 40+), with disabilities, visual impairments, of many or no religion, and all socio-economic groups.

And, we're always here, and always ready with some opinions

And if you could acknowledge that cancer care was about an awful lot more than nurses and doctors, that would be nice. Especially as there are about 60% of the radiotherapy physicists in the UK that there should be, and some centres only manage by getting overseas trainees on short contracts. Stopping them implementing new technology that saves more lives and massively reduces side effects. But no one seems to care about that..

jollydiane well said, the government appears to be burying their head in the sand about the FS pensions issue in the public sector and all other public sector inefficiencies for that matter (enhanced redundancy terms, no means of sacking people for under performance etc etc).

If I were prime minister I'd want to be seen to be channeling at least the same amount of time and resources into human wellbeing as the economy. What sort of message does it give to bail out the banks, whilst devoting less effort to sorting out Haringey social services.. for example

Hello and welcome Mr Brown

I just wanted to say thankyou for trying, our country will never be perfect whoever is in charge but at least you can say you are trying your best .

Hello PM. I agree with you about the married couples tax allowance. The new system is much fairer. I suspect you will not answer my question, but how do you justify the huge expenditure on wars and banks whilst public services and ordinary folk are the ones who are going to suffer from the recession? I nearly hit the roof when I heard George Osbourne suggest "we're all in this together", I have done nothing to bring on this recession but I will be suffereing the effects.