Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on Mumsnet for a webchat

[JustineMumsnet]

Do post your advance questions here.

Mumutd, have you approached your local hospital and asked if you can?

'Overseas aid and development funding appears to have reduced during the time Labour has been in power' - eh? That really doesn't sound right.

Bye Gordon! So long and thanks for all the good stuff you did.

VirtualPA - how on earth can you say that he only answered 'fluffy' questions?!!

Sorry, I mean meg's . Sorry megcleary.

cappster I agree. I reckon the tories will cut loads of TA's jobs to save money.

Thank you Gord

There's no luck involved everyone!! If you want Labour or Lab/Lib then you've got to vote for them and tell everyone else to do the same in Con/Lab marginals. No use crossing our fingers or praying.

Thank you

Good luck!!

Nice one Hunker!

Good chat GB, I particularly liked your answers on the deficit and why we didn't pay down some of the debt in the good years. I personally think you are best equipped to get us out of the 'mess' we are in.

I really hope Labour win on Thurs.

captainnancy I wish

Why have more women featured in the campaign this time when it is meant to be the "Mumsnet election"?

sophable - Labour didn't deregulate the City. He just passed over some functions from BoE to FSA. Which building/organisation the regulators sit in is a red herring! The BoE made big mistakes on monetary policy by not looking at Asset inflation so not sure why you have so much confidence in BoE?!

my mistake, not ONLY fluffy questions. But he opted for some non political questions over political ones.... Thats what we were here for.

Thank you

I think it's hard to come on a thread where there's already 100s of posts and try to answer everyone especially when other people are still posting and repeating their questions

My impression - he answered as many questions as he was able to, and some of the others has offered to follow up. Sense of humour remained intact while received our bombardment! I am impressed on the whole.

I am just so sad about higher ed and the side convo recommending the OU - with current policies the OU will struggle to survive. Many of its part time students fall foul of the equivalent or higher qualification ruling. Fees will therefore have to rise.

should be why haven't more women...

I don't think he picked fluffy questions. As jonicomelately said - Afghanistan, deficit, bank deregulation.

Thought he did really well there. Lots of replies and a nice mix of serious and silly. He seems so much more human than the other two.

This reply just made my jaw drop:
"some years we ran a surplus and repaid debt but the best policy in my view is to allow borrowing for investment, which means we were able to build schools, hospitals and our infrastructure which supports industry and jobs."
(my emphasis)

May I translate? Mr. B believes it's better to spend on our collective credit cards than save up or put money away for a rainy day (for instance paying off all those lovely credit card debts).

I know Capp, but voting Tory is so far out of the question it's almost irrelevant

and I am a bit fed up of Labour representatives using the "But the Tories will do THIS, and THIS!!!" line. I know the Tories are worse. I'm not an idiot. But I expect a bit more, at this stage in the game.

I really would have liked some comment about the grossly unfair and ridiculous situation around statementing, School Action+ (what does that mean? It means you have SN but we're not going to give you anything!" and children in care.

I have voted labour all my adult life, my father is standing for Labour, we are a Labour family. But I am not sure I can vote for this lot. I am considering spoiling my paper or voting Green

I will be interested to see what Labour come up with on breastfeeding support and banning the promotion of infant formulas (including follow-on formula). The Tories were guaranteed not to get my vote once they started going on about volunteering. I bet they won't be continuing paid breastfeeding support if they get in, they'll just bounce it back to the voluntary sector .

hunkermunkey Not yet, I am only on week 2 of a 12 week course but I have spoken to the midwife who is teaching us and she thinks that it would be a great idea.

errr....pulsar...even HE admits that he deregulated them based on their lobbying him in the 90s please don't take my word for it.

cornsilk my school are already cutting TAs jobs as we speak.

Thank you, Neenz! Am looking forward to hearing from Greg.

(And Wonk - LOL, I know, I surprised myself )

Fenouille - Glad to know there is always someone around who can over-simplify an answer.

greensleeves: libdem!!!