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.

Well, I have met several prime ministers, and it was striking how charming and very charismatic both John Major and Gordon Brown are in private, while coming over as duller than dull on TV.

lol - I was waiting for sweded to pop up

SM and i finally agree on something! (now that is worthy of an exclamatory, typing wonk).

the overpowering essence of gordon smoked her out of her hidey hole

I met donald dewar. really nice guy he was, but good looking...?

oh yes, I liked dewar

there are two of us with similar usernames by the way, you might have me confused with the other one lol

Aitch - I've met him. In fact I've cooked lunch for him. I think he's decent but I'd rather snog my left sock. I've met Dewar too. And John Smith.

not good looking, no.

bit of a crush on john smith too, as it happens. also not much of a looker.

oh jeez yes, i see that now smo1. i did think that her posting style had softened somewhat.

har - it's not scottishmummy

are you a cook, swedes? Have you cooked for the dark s ide too?

aitch, now you're just taking the p aren't you!?!

dewar? john smith?

GB yes, them? no way

yep, different SM. Didn't realise there was another one myself til recently.

Is it any man with a scottish accent? lol

Dewar Faginesque.

Swedes do you work in the house of commons canteen?

yes he was faginesque, and not suave at all. i just like their mahoosive brains, i think.

but i knew js's girls, so it was more one of those 'ooooh, i like your dad, he buys beer for us all' things. he was a really nice guy, i thought.

lol boco.

Swedes is Marianne off Masterchef I reckon. She started having kids when she was 4.

faginesque in terms of looks, I take it, not personality?

dewar had fingers like et, i thought.

i love swedes. she's a conviction poster.

I just want our Prime minister to have a vision, and not waver and not pander to what (s)he thinks we would all like him/her to say. I want some one to look up to, who has got to his/her position becuase of their brilliant and innovative ideas of how to make the country better. I though the was at his best when he said about scrapping the mariage allowance.

I want a prime minister who is true to what they believe, amazingly well informed, and /or willing to take advice from their well chosen advisers who are experts in their fields.

all the better for grabbing pieces of bread in a faginesque way

yes, bonjour. shake off the wonks, gordon, and be free. we will like you much more for it.

I thnk GB is as close to those things BI, as any prime minister we have had in the last 20 or so years.