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.

Dear Gordon

Firstly I love labour and I can tell you genuinely care about this country and you talk a lot of sense. You get my vote well done on the minimum wage, smoking ban etc

my question: up here in scotland, we can get free nursery places for 3 and 4 year olds. Will anything like this be offered to younger age groups to aid more parents back into work? the cost of childcare is ridiculous

Dear Gordon,
I think it should be possible for all women to choose which NHS hospital / birthing unit they have their baby regardless of what NHS catchment area they are living in. It is not fair or equitable that those living in wealthier boroughs have exclusive access to better NHS services.

What steps will the Government take to create an open-choice policy for birthing services and when will this take effect?

Many thanks,
Corinna

I am self-employed and currently on Maternity leave and receiving Maternity Allowance.

If I return to work before the end of 39 weeks (quite likely!) I will stop receiving MA; however an employed person receiving SMP is able to set up as self-employed in this time and continue to receive both SMP as well as self-employed income.

I feel this is unfair and works against self-employed parents.

I would like the government to reconsider its support to self employed parents and to make more effort in understanding the fundamental differences and challenges of being a self employed parent when deciding policies.

I would like to ask;Given todays reports that the average bankers wages and bonuses are 46% higher this year than last year, and that the banks have made huge profits (if these reports are accurate),what exactly has changed between the time the taxpayer 'bailed out' the banks and now? As whilst the rest of us are in recession and employment continues to rise (even though Im aware its a lagging indicator), doesnt it seem slightly obscene?

I heard on the news today a report that illustrated how the regulatory system for the banks has not been changed at all since the banking crisis.The same bodies are still in charge and are still practising 'light touch' regulation.Can this possible be true?And if it is, does he plan to change the situation any time soon as its not really working as it is, given the above?

And also to say to him please dont scrap the childcare vouchers if you win next time.I work very hard in social care, and it is already demoralising that nearly two thirds of my wages go on child care (but we need the other third to live on so I cannot give up work as I would like to).If the child care voucher scheme is scrapped we will be stimied.

And does he regret saying he had Arctic Monkeys on his Ipod (as it was a bit of a 'baseball cap moment'), as that surely cant be true?And what does he really have on it?

Cheers!

I would like to ask why the Goverment allowed the Monopolies Commission to okay the merger of the big four Tour Operators (Airtours & Thomas Cook and First Choice and Thomson) leaving the public to pay a ridiculously inflated price for taking a family holiday during the school holidays?

Wow, I thought this was a joke at first! What a coup - MN, you are a POWERHOUSE!! Sadly I won't be here but please answer my question!

Okay, here goes. It's long, and please be assured that I am an ordinary Radio 4 listening MNer who is genuinely concerned by what I see your government doing, not a lobbyist or such like.

Since the Labour government came to power a significant number of laws have been passed which have dramatically increased the power that various authorities can wield over the average person. I am thinking of initiatives such as the 28 day pre-charge detention period; increased police stop and search powers; the English and Welsh police taking and keeping DNA samples of every person that is arrested, whether charged or not (note: Scotland has a more sensible approach to this); the introduction of biometric ID cards, etc etc.

There are far too many examples to list, and on an individual level one could say that the goal is to protect the country from terrorism. However, every time I hear of yet another one of these laws and the impact it is having on ordinary people, I see a whole landscape of increasing state control and can't help thinking that you've turned our country into more of a Police State than it's ever been before. It's quite something for a level-headed person to reach that conclusion, and I do not feel safe or happy about living here under those conditions.

I feel that our freedoms have been significantly eroded and ordinary people are being governed by the lowest common denominator - i.e. we're all like the 99.9% of good children in school assembly who get held in detention because one child farted and didn't own up. Oh, and AFAIK our anti-terrorism laws are more extensive and heavy-handed than other European countries', yet apart from ETA, AFAIK no terrorist attacks have taken place in Western Europe since the London July bombings, so one can reasonably question the validity of the Labour government's approach.

So here's the question: Do you think that's an acceptable way for people in a country to be managed - by the lowest common denominator? If not, what do you propose to do about it?

Oops! Just seen qu's are meant to be brief! Hope my question is considered, despite that.

Dear Gordon

If Labour win the next election are you going to copy the Tories and bring back married couple's tax allowance and if not, why not?

Oh hello, Gordon.

Goodbye, Gordon.

Thanks for coming on here, Prime Minister.

I think the work of the Department for International Development (DFID) must be one of Labour's greatest achievement and from what I read, you've been personally involved in leading the agenda on trade and poverty issues there.

My question is:
Can you give us a commitment to maintain (or increase) levels of spending on international development over the next few years? And related to this - when you stop being Prime Minister (whenever that may be), would you like to work more on international development issues? I think you'd be great at the UN, IMF or World Bank (beat that, Tony).

Prime Minister.
Given the ongoing expenses scandal and the likelihood of Tory MPs in safe seats being forced out at or before the election, what strategies are you putting in place to scoop up these votes for Labour, and avoid splitting them with the LibDems? As an aggrieved Spelthorne constituent, I do not want to waste my vote.
Thank you

Dear Mr Brown

I know that the running of the NHS is political and that is not going to change. There has been huge investment in the NHS which was definitely needed, however there are huge inefficiencies in the system due to the mix of private / public sector. All the constant change is very demoralising for staff with the goal posts changing constantly.

Do Labour have any plans to limit the amount of political interference in the NHS if they were to get in to power at the next election? This may have come out in the Darzi review (which by the way was so off the mark politically it was scary - why get a surgeon to tell primary care what to do?)

And by the way, you have earned my respect by showing your face on Mumsnet.

Dear Gordon

What frightens you most about the (pretty likely) prospect of us having a Tory government next year?

coming late to this so no time to read. I would like to ask:

Is there an alternative to the system of debt-fuelled capitalism Britain that led us to the crisis, and which is showing every sign of creeping up again?

Sorry

The bold looks worse in real life than it did on preview. I'm not shouting really

I was making the assumption that his minions would be skim reading this tomorrow morning.

Please could we ensure that Mr Brown answers questions that aren't just about children/childcare? Not that those aren't important, obviously, but there are some serious political issues being reflected in the questions on this thread.

Agree mostly with Goppingotter!

Follow up - just read that Wilshire is going (good riddance). Gordon - will you come and campaign in Spelthorne please, with a decent candidate? I'll give you a nice cup of tea and a chocolate hobnob

Student Finance - what are you going to do to ensure the disaster of this year (and of last year) won't happen again? I applied for my son's finance in February, included all relevant paperwork, it was eventually approved in August, he's been at uni for almost a month and still has no money. Today SLC weren't answering their phones again (due to technical difficulties). We are just about able to help him keep his head above water but other students don't have help and it's very stressful.

Would also welcome answers to Peachy's question regarding DLA being administered by social services. they can't cope with the work they have at the moment. This would be a disaster and the families in most need will once again get the shitty (sorry) end of the stick.

Childcare is a very important political issue. Will I go to work tomorrow or not? (does it make economic sense or not?).

Gordon, what were you thinking of axing childcare vouchers? Have you properly considered the enormous kick which this gives, not to the rich, but to those who are right on the edge?

I said it was! Just pointed out that there are a lot of other important subjects that have been raised here.

Thank you Prime Minister for taking the time to speak to us all.

Can I ask why the government thinks it is acceptable to aim for a 30% pass mark at GCSE level. (5 and above, not including the important subjects)
That means that 70% of our children are being failed by a system which is heralded as opening up higher education for all.

Well no, only 30% in reality.

I really do want to know this as I have asked David Cameron and Ed Balls. Thanks MN as I would never have had these chances otherwise.

Mr Brown, I would greatly appreciate some insight into your future plans to help support mums back into work. I am a working single parent - struggling financially!
My children don't have any treats, or holidays, yet I know of single parnets getting grants & loans for being on IS. They get half price travel fare, they don't pay to send their kids to half term clubs etc. Yet I, struggling have too!! My eldest son has suggested that I give up work and join the quite comfortably well off benefit families.
What are your plans to help people like me?
Truth only - no spin please. I voted you in the first time you won all those years back, have not done so since....give me a good reason to change my mind

kcartyparty

I want to know why it's so easy for the children of affluent-but-divorced parents to get EMA, maximum student loan, & often grants as well, purely because they live with their mothers who don't have paid jobs.