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.

It was on the Today Programme this morning - Naughtie (I think it was, I was half asleep) said Gordon was asked EIGHT times what his favourite biscuit was, but failed to answer the question.

He went on to say that The Times had picked up on it and contacted Cameron (oatcakes) and Clegg (Rich Tea and Hobnobs) re the biscuit question

Here

It was all a bit surreal first thing in the morning.

Hobbnobbs?

rank.

Fraid only shortcake does it for me, or fig rolls

Oh hang on

oatcakes

oatcakes?

how many teams of pr experts did it take to come up with the blandest answer possible?

'we recommend you head for a choice that is sweet or savoury depending on topping, is affordable by all, popular in middle class households and priginated from within a non- Conservative locality in order to maximise cross border appeal, sir.

And whatever you do, don't say savers rich tea, because benefits claimants eat those you know'

PMSL

(actually I hate biscuits btw, anyone want to report that? No?.....)

Mirror on Biscuitgate

Times article which I think best reflects the real nature of the debate...?

Ah. Only just saw the other thread. Great PR for MN.

Did ya see me, Lenin, did ya see me? {grin]

och i do hate how they've used all the negative quotes, though.
i left halfway through yesterday and i very nearly posted to the watching journos that they shouldn't be twats and dismiss it as a failure because for a webchat it was going fairly well. but then i thought it sounded really pompous so i deleted it. wish i hadn't now.

I hate things like this, he is not brilliant at this kind of thing - well, no he is not but at least he gave it a go, he could quite easily just throw his hands up and say "nah, not my thing so I won't bother" I have much more respect for someone who gives it a go than somone who doesn't. I hate the way the media has such an obsession with being negative about things.

My objection is not based on my politics either, I am totally undecided at this stage where I lie WRT the running of the country but I am clear where I lie WRT the media as an entity.

blimey - I spend ages the night before composing my question about the Human Rights Act (something I actually care about). it got completely ignored (confirming my suspicion that, in fact, no-one cares about it), and then I make a short quip about something I don;t actually care that much about (childcare vouchers - I don't care about them in their form of a tax relief for those people I'm not allowed to call "middle income" -I'd rather see the money spent on teh more needy, as someone else has said), and said quip is flawed anyway (because of the tax credits thing someone pointed out to me) and...I make the Times! funny old world.

Completely agree with you DMNC wrt getting stuck in. The more I think about it, the more I admire him for taking the risk - partic when it was clear from the start that this would b no 'boden-wearing children holding bouquets of sflowers and curtseying' kind of a deal.

Admirable, I think. If a little buttock-clenching at times.

Where is the other thread btw? Can't find it.

Roffle Peachy re 'hard-baked goods: sign and symbol'

this one?

I hope someone else was typing for him, he can't spell, it isn't a great example. Standards are just getting lower and if the PM can't spell what hope is there for the rest of us?

Seperate (sic)

Cortina, I understand that spelling is important but not really top of the list of things I would say were required to be a good PM

Ok, perhaps a bit pedantic? But I think we should expect them to be well educated as a minimum requirement.

Just heard on BBS radio that he has said he likes anything with chocolate on it

BBC

By carriedababi Fri 16-Oct-09 15:13:36

silly women asking the PM about biscuits of something headline!

Ah! just as i predicted.
although the daily mail haven't taken the chance to stick the boot in?
really?
i'm shocked

Cortine - I feel a bit affronted by that attitude [although it was in no way pesonal I do realise that, but I'm hormonal today so bear with me while I have a moody episode]. It's just that not everyone can have access to a brilliant education, mine was provided by the local school and was very good in many ways but I am terrible at spelling. It gets truly terrible on somewhere like mn when I am trying to keep up with my stream of consciousness. I would imagine whoever was typing GB answers had the same occur. I feel a bit that by your post, this one thing means I must have big shiny important doors closed to me in life. Just because I am not 'well educated'.

Gordon Brown did have a great education, I would say, relative to mine at anyrate.
I hear he is a numbers guy, maybe that is his strength. Might be handy in these times.

I would be more worried if he had hired someone and the spelling was bad - after all I would hope they could at least hire someone with the relevant qualifications

he's the PM he doesn't need to spell well.
he' got people to do that for him.

TBH they where probably trying to type as fast as they could too.

too many spelling bossy boots on here IMO

one thing i will give GB he was on time! early in fact