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.

Ashamed to say I voted Labour last time. This web chat has not made me vote for someone else, the fact he brought in the home education review at all in the first place lost him MY vote

Onebat, we'd have to get the Wonk and BIWI to make sure it isn't a Wankers Day Out though?

I'll still vote for him (maybe), because the alternative makes me shudder and while I'd like to vote for the LibDems, I know that it will dilute the vote.

Rock and hard place...

Too late to get on and ask a question, as have been volunteering at the local Womens Aid refuge - where funding cuts mean that the children's room is only open for one session a week, and the rest of the time the kids have to look at the toys and books through the window.

Anyway.

Assuming that GB's people will be looking at this thread later - can you please de-select Charles Clarke? As I'd love to be able to vote for Labour again, but cannot and will not endorse this man.

Thank you.

They have done some good things, you're right bumbling. But I really do think this webchat was a huge opportunity missed, to address some of the issues that really matter to us, rather than to do a couple of jokey personal posts and then a couple of soundbite posts and thena cut and paste at the end.

Politics short term Lenin? What an outrageous suggestion. Can't think of a place where they aren't short term though because otherwise you get people in for a longer term who can't be got out.

Would PR help do you think?

"By LeninGhoul on Fri 16-Oct-09 14:19:31
The whole thing needs reforming po, party politics are too polarising and the policies are too short-term."

So... we need a one party state... and an end to fixed term elections... that sounds dangerously like an argument for benign dictatorship

youngvisitor - thanks - I hadn't realised that.

Paolas, yes he did, said they are not scrapping them just withdrawing the tax relief and those using them now will not be affected.

Press CTRL and F then type in GordonBrown you can work through all his posts.

I think PR is part of the problem isn't it? Focussing on how you want to appear to people stops you actually listening. It all becomes too artful. And how many PR companies really 'get' the honest, searingly intelligent and compassionate character of MN?

if he actually answered some of the questions, he may have been able to sway a few people.
now all his achieved is p'ing alot of us off.

Agree totally. Thing is there were so many different subject areas, maybe with something that high profile MN need to agree a few question areas first/in advance with all of us so we at least get some of the answers we want. In a democratic stylee. Think he was trying to do Mumsy things, mixed with electioneering but trying to avoid the lighter stuff. Bit like everything else he does; he wasn't sure where to pitch it once he was stuck in the middle of it. So ended up bodging it and annoying lots of us.

Cut and paste was verging onthe comical I though. If it wasn't so depressing that is.

I'm assuming bumbling meant proportional representation by PR?

Agree that Public Relations is most definitey part of the problem! You end up trying to offend nobody, rather than actually occupying a platform.

worst web chat ever.
bit like been talked at really.

Sorry pofaced. I meant Proportional Representation. But agree your points about Public Relations!

bumble "My biggest concern about voting Lib Dem is that it might let the Tories get in... and I think Labour are probably counting on that, the sad thing is for someone like me they're probably right ... it's all so depressing really. Specially when you think how bad things are lkely to be economically in the next few years... "

the only way we can change anything is to vote properly.

if even half of the people who didn't vote last time voted libdem instead of alloweing labour to get back in, then we'd have a libdem government.
(provided they were in the right seats, don'tcha just love the stupid and crap voting system we have?! )

if people don't vote they're just saying they're happy with the way it is, which really does effectively count as a vote for the current government

With regard to my last post I think that labour really want is for our children to become institutionalised this is why......

They are making childminders do more paperwork

They are offering free nursery hours to 2 yr olds

They are trying to get schools to offer after school care

They are making it harder for parents to HE

They think we are stupid and can't make our own choices!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It must be incredibly hard to do, there were so many questions and he didn't have much time. But I'm just so sure it could have been handled better than this - why not have some of the questions looked at in advance, be briefed on the character of MN, listen when the same questions are asked repeatedly and meet them head on, not ignored? even if you don't agree with the answer, I'd have more respect if difficult questions were answered rather than ignored.

Yes LibDem struggle with the fact that everyone thinks it is a wasted vote.

oh yes I see Bumbling! I don't know about Proportional Rep, I used to be for it, now I wonder how well it would work.

Absolutely PoFaced.

Devil - Agree absolutley not voting is arguably the most dreadful and unempowering response. to any disillusionment Tactical voting just strikes me as a reality under the current system.

Have to go now, just wish I had something ready & prepared for cut and pasting.

I thought he was fab until he did that silly Vote For Labour posting at the end... What a daft thing to do and completely offputting.

bit of a disappointment