We're recruiting for Mumsnet pre-election focus groups: would you like to take part?

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Would you like to be involved in three pre-election Mumsnet focus groups we're co-organising?

We're working with the Times and a polling organisation to find out what issues are important to you, which politicians you like / loathe and how likely you are to actually cast your vote.

We're planning on running three focus groups (one at MNHQ and the other two online) and you would need to be able to take part in all three.

If you're selected and take part in all three groups you will receive £100. Travel expenses will be paid for the London group, (up to £15 for those in London and up to £100 for second-class rail travel for those coming to join in from outside London).

1. The first focus group would involve coming to Mumsnet Towers in Kentish Town, London on Tuesday 23 March between 12.15pm and 2pm. We'll provide a light lunch, but we're really sorry we can't accommodate babies/children as we simply don't have the space or facilities.

2. The second focus group is online - so you would just be logging in from home (we'll send you a link) and will take place on Tues 20 April from 11.30am-1pm.

3. The third focus group is also online and will be on Tues 4 May from 11.30am-1pm.

We're looking for a good cross-section of Mumsnetters. The polling organisation has devised the questions.

The comments made during the focus groups will be used by the Times for articles in the lead-up to the general election - please note your real first name may be used and they will want to use a picture of you.

All data from this survey is confidential - participants will be screened by responses to the questions and your MN or real name will not be linked to your responses.

Sorry, but this project is only open to UK residents who are eligible to vote in the upcoming general election.

So if you're interested, and you can make all three focus groups, please click here.

Thanks,
MNHQ

George Osborne, for example, is a .

• just doesn't work, does it?

I think many people overestimate just how much the ordinary Mumsnetter wants to be courted by the media.

That poor London tonight chap who wanted to film a Mumsnetter talking about the site's current popularity and profile - he only got one taker!

I honestly believe for 90% of us its all a bit meh. And most of us treasure our anonymity. That's almost the whole bloody point of the place!

Hat - see, SEE, you geddit!

I suggested that the emoticon picture could be of a goldfish. I thought it all through very carefully. It was rejected.

come on Justine, reconsider.

HIJACK!

GetOrf, did you ever get out of giving that horrid work colleague a lift to work? If so, how?

As you were, ladies.

Ha! Yes, the bloke who was giving her lifts left. She emailed me to ask and I said no because I left at different times. She said ok, no problem.

Ended as a damp squib really. Very reasonable. I was hoping that she would cry and rant and then I could come on 'ere and moan about her to you lot.

Spoiled all our fun!

Thanks for that, GetOrf. I can now sleep peacefully.

lol expat!

goingpostal.. i agree that not everyone is in the "yummy mummy don't need to work all got nannies" (YMDNTWAGN) bracket ! totally agree.

but i would bet my Boden cashmere dressing gown that if there were 20 MNers at the photo op, and one was a boden wearing, middle class , yummy , nanny blah blah blah .. she'd be the one in the papers..

because 'ordinary' folk don't get in the news, they're not a fulfilment of the stereotype

I so so wish I could go, I would dress up as Jordan and explode the myth.

It had niggled at the back of my mind, GetOrf. Like those threads where you never know what happened in the end.

will echo what others have said - your entry requirements will mean you don't get a cross section of people at your focus groups. I would have liked to have done this but
its very short notice for those of us who work and need to arrange a day off, its the same day 3 times, whilst changing my day off once would be fine 3 times lot harder, its in london. Whats wrong with say Birmingham or Manchester or York?

Why London? Don't the rest of the UK count?

I work, albeit only PT, but don;t finish til lunch time so can't even manage the online times - they span a whole lunch time so affect people who work mornings or afternoons. And I work in schools so days off are not an option.

given mn is internet forum why not host discussion online? posters participate from any location in uk

i want it

lol Lulumaam at cashmere dressing gown ... all I can think of is just how impractical that would be. but perhaps getting the nanny to take ones egg-stained dressing gown to the dry cleaners is just part of the daily grind of being a yummy mummy.

'Why London? Don't the rest of the UK count?'

Has it ever, to any government?

oooooo expat agreed with me online

I feel all valued

I admit I blindly completed the survey believing it was possible to participate in one or two of the three.

But London? On £100?! LOL.

Then again, I have no problems with my children speaking in the accent of their region or using Scottish dialect and words like 'ta' or 'doggy', so I probably wouldn't be a very good representative of anyone in which any politician would likely find anything of interest.

LOL,even better when she disagrees with you i like a good ole blether

weegie, can you imagine the two of us trying to get from Glasgow to London on £200?!

it's be like thelma an' louise an a' .

"I do agree that the system is flawed in terms of representing MN users, but do object to being grouped in some YMDNTWAGN bracket when that's far from the truth."

Me too! I can do it because I go to work for a couple of hours/have uni on Tuesday so DD is in nursery and I work pretty near Kentish Town.

I am a single parent in my early 20s who works part-time and is studying for a degree. I would not be seen dead in Boden. Hardly your typical MNetter, whatever that may be.

Any time/day is going to mean that some people can't make it, just like every single other thing they do. I really liked the sound of the fragrance thing and the white ribbon alliance thing but you know what? I'm at work/busy and thems the blows.

is there typical mn mum?we arent homogenous mass of mammies.we are predominately female with pc and opinion.

I quite agree that his hasn't been well thought-out. But I've signed up and I'm pretty unhappy about some of the rather lazy stereotypes being chucked around here.

I don't live in London or the Home Counties, have never employed a nanny and am a WAHM who possesses not one shred or stitch of Boden clobber.

Our household income is so low we currently qualify for the maximum amount of Tax Credits. The fare allowance will cover the cost of my train tickets though, and frankly, the £100 would be bloody useful to us.

I'm interested in contributing to this survey precisely because our household DOESN'T conform to any "normal" focus group demographic profile.

Come on ladies - instead of kvetching about how un-inclusive it all is, let's have some constructive suggestions as to how best we can SUBVERT this yummy-mummy (repellent phrase ) MN stereotype.

Should all be online

We can send our own pictures in if necessary