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.

All parties should be obliged to put their policies on all of these topics and more on their websites. All parties should be obliged to have forums for question and answer available to the public in general on their websites. I realise that some policies are "fluid" and so politicians would be wary of being too prescriptive on some things but I think part of the problem with politics today is the sense of powerlessness and the feeling that casting your vote will make no difference.
If there could be much more interaction (and I mean beyond just Question Time on a Thursday night) then many more people might vote and more importantly many more people might have some faith in politicians (or at least believe that they are doing their best). So I think there needs to be much much more of an opportunity for the general public to see in black and white and question all of the parties policies in a way which reflects IT and technology available in 2009. Regaining the faith of the public in politicians requires transparency way beyond just trying to fix the expenses scandal.

And that was the leader of our country!

All pre-composed spin, reciting facts and figures, hoping we wouldn't really understand them. Patronising He avoided any subject he was uncomfortable with, HE etc. Not impressed.

I see Leningoul, I believe you [strokes chin]

[whispers] come the revolution, can I please have a grace and favour apartment in Hampton Court? I've always been a big fan of yours. I'm assuming you'll spare regular mumsnetters from the firing squad.

Shortbread, actually

What pisses me off is that this will be reported on and the reporters will bang on about the biscuit questions and will fail to mention the very relevant questions that he was asked - and failed to answer. Because we're a parenting forum, that's all we're supposed to do according to the media at large - ask about biscuits.

very diplomatic!!!!!!!!!!!

Lovely woman, I know why he married her

There were some major issues on the economy and taxation and education that weren't answered. Not to mention the biscuit question.

I'm not sure that webchat is a good forum for questioning a politician. If the art of the politician lies in not answering difficult questions, then surely a webchat just makes that easier?

did you seriously expect beter from a serving politician?

i know the bloke that writes Dave Camerons twitter (part of a team) and it always evident that when we experienc politicians via the mdia - however informal the setting - we will still hear a polished message decided on by comittee.

(desert island discs with servign politicans being a case in point - though i believe sue lawley back years go, asked GB if he was gay..)

the biscuit question has been answered............

did you really expect he would give each and every one of us a thought out and detailed reply? C'mon, he popped in and popped out. It changes nothing.

That's why I think a top ten questions to start off would be a good idea for v popular chats. I really wish we could do a pre-chat thread and vote for the best questions.

It's so annoying when there's one or two questions everyone wants to hear answered, and they're just ignored. Not just on this chat but on others too.

If the person didn't want to answer a pre-selected question then fair enough - but they'd have to acknowledge that they weren't answering it, rather than just skating over the issue.

well i would have been happy if he had answered just a couple of the questions properly.
instead of skimming them

even if my question didn't get answered as usual!

A vote for the top ten from here.

oh good idea, young visitor.
we vote for the questions WE want answered.

i love that idea.

yeah you've got my vote too young visitor NOT GB

Will it be known as Biscuit-gate?

Was that really Sarah Brown?

Good idea youngvisitor

But then it wouldn't really be a chat, would it, because of pre-prepared stuff.

Difficult

At least nobody asked him what is his favourite antidepressant.

I so hope it was her

i would have like the uni fee question answered too.

why do scottish kids not have to pay the fees but the english do?
how the hell is that fair.

i didn't know about his eye though, did you?
wonder when that happened ?

Shortbread is kind of believable isn't it?

I think it's my fave too. Proper home-made shortbread.

I hate downmarket biscuits.

Vile McVities stuff. What's the point?

well my idea would be to kick off with an answer to the 10 (or 5 or 3) pre-selected questions, and that would be the person's first post.

But you'd still spend the hour in live questions and debate, just like now.

It might be more beneficial to the chatt-ee as well, because they could find out information on the key questions beforehand iyswim, to help them give a more comprehensive answer.

But I can see the arguments for a totally live chat too. It's more dynamic and informal, for sure.