Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on Mumsnet for a webchat

[JustineMumsnet]

Do post your advance questions here.

PP, the drop out rate is so enormous that there is no danger of having 40% graduates.

Dear Mr.Brwon,
How can you reassure me that if I need to have a blood transfusion it will not be infected with vCJD prions? I am over 13 years of age.
Thankyou

I believe that CTC should be cut for higher income families. We have an income of £50,000 with 2 dc and one on the way and although we are entitled to claim CTC and WTC I feel that I do not need it and the money would be best distributed to those who do need it.

Why should you keep giving money to people who dont need it?

Good evening Mr Brown.

I've just skimmed through this tread briefly. It appears to me that you've got a lot of support and if this forum is anything to go by are far from beaten!

Keep striving over the next few days for us as we need someone grounded and unaffected to carries us forward.

Best of luck for Thursday!

Trivial question: Marshfield Ice Cream or Ben & Jerrys?

gorden - sorry I may be being a bit sill here but as a lone parent I earn under £20K p.a you're saying i'd pay ZERO NIC. nothing at all saving me £100 odd per month (fab) however - how will you a) pay for this and b) will I have reduced state pensions/entitlement to the NHS if this is the case?

call me skeptic but that doesn't stand in line with the cutting of spending - I'd be happy to pay my NIC & taxes (as I do) if red tape and 'departments' for departments and departments were stopped - why are there so many civil service now when i'm sure we don't need all of the new departments?

liberylashes my question exactly. We are also just outside of qualifying for tax credits. I think if I sat and coldly worked it out then I would be better off to do a few less hours a week at work.

Nursery costs us £6K a year for 3 days a week (almost the same as you), and with a second child on the way, this is disincentive for me to return to work.

Evening Mr Brown

Hope you are enjoying us all throwing these questions at you!!

Mine is quite simple - tell me if I do vote for you on Thursday what is the best improvement you think you will make to our country in the next 12 months?

Thank you!

Neenz - completely disagree - I didn't get those grades due to personal circumstances but have gone on to have 2 degrees

Purplepeony - there is going to be a huge shift in the need for skills in coming years. We will need five million more skilled jobs in the next ten years - and so we will need the graduates to fill them.

Mr. Brown,
You keep repeating "middle income". Tory policy is: Only families on incomes above about £50,000 would stop receiving tax credits.

Is £50,000 really "middle income"? That's what I earn and I consider myself considerably better off than "middle income".

Mr Brown,
What are your views on creating a campus Parliament outside London, where every MP would be provided with rooms when attending Parliament, thus negating the need for a second home? This would surely save the country a fortune in these difficult times.

Gordon invited me to contact him directly to address any concerns, so can someone let me know how I contact him please, I'm sure Riven wants to know as well

Gordon Brown - for me, the Labour administration let us down over 2 key things; the war, and civil liberties. Having said that, it frankly disturbs me how short memories are and how some people think things will improve under the Tories. For me, Labour is the better option, just not the strong preference I once had.

I think you would have strengthened your cause if you had committed to reform of the voting system, and I wonder if you regret that now?

On a personal level, I think 'bigotgate' was a storm in teacup and it was actually a relief that you were revealed as a pretty normal person, far less plastic than the other two leaders

Is having 'more young people at University than ever before' actually a good thing when they leave with debts and cannot get jobs. I remember my brother graduating in the early 1980s and how demoralising it was for him to be unemployed. A better educated population doesn't automatically lead to more employment, does it?

woosam, we really rely on our child benefit. We don't get any other benefits at all. Just because we earn over the threshold set for everything doesn't mean we don't need the benefit.
In reality after tax we earn quite a bit less than the usual benefit cut off point. Maybe I should have had less children but I didn't know then that it would be so hard to get back to work.

what about immigration? slur raised good points that no party seems to be saying that immigration is a good thing, which it clearly is. if labour won't stand up to the right wing rascism, who will?

Woosam - the reason why there is such a huge take up for child benefit is that it is universal. From the 1940s onwards it has been accepted that parents are of course responsible for the upbringing of their children, but society as a whole should take some responsibility too. Child benefit has been successful precisely because it is universal.

I think it should be pointed out that the taxpayer is likely to make a profit from our rescue of RBS and Lloyds. Plus we avoided all the costs of a depression. In time this will be recognised.

Great!

(sorry Gordon)