Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on Mumsnet for a webchat

[JustineMumsnet]

Do post your advance questions here.

Firstly, I admire the fact that Mr Brown hasnt degraded himself by stooping to the levels of the other main parties.

Secondly, having 3 young children, I would like to know that my childrens nursery places are going to remain free, and a garauntee that their education will not suffer as a result of any cuts that are to be made after the election. I would also like to know if the tax credits system is to remain in place with Labour. Our family would not survive without them at the moment.

I would like to know how you are going to get us out of the debts, Mr Brown, and how you intend to maintain services whilst doing so.

(Please don't give me politician flannel about how you 'have plans' and will 'take steps' - I'd like to know precisely what you are going to do.)

Another one here who would like an honest answer on the measures needed to sort the economy. Higher VAT, cuts here and there, I'd rather prepare for them than be told some fuzzy nonsense designed to make me feel better.

I think you are a man of integrity and depth and I think no worse of you after "Bigotgate"

Oh and I owe you a fiver. Back in 1987 I cleaned your flat in Marchmont and pocketed a fiver I found on the floor, thinking I'd leave it with a note. Needless to say I forgot

Best of luck and I hope you get the chance to lead this country out of the economic meltdown.

in debate you focused on providing education for under 5's. I don't want my 4 month dauhgter educated when I go back to work I want her to stay with my friend who will nurture her but your govt will not allow this -£1000 fine if i go ahead - and we cannot afford a parent at home. You've mentioned your upbringing and mums care of you a lot recently- so ...

how old were you before your mum had to dump you in a state approved nursery as she was forced to go back to work?

Another message of support from me, Mr Brown. I have clear memories of "Milk Snatcher", the poll tax, and the "greed is good" mentality of the last Tory govt. I have benefitted under the Labour administration particularly from tax credits and the minimum wage.

I don't have a question but I wanted to thank you and the Labour party for your hard work on behalf of this country. I hope that you get the opportunity on Thursday to continue.

honeydragon - reciprocal childcare arrangements are now allowed between friends under OFSTED's rules!

here for honeydragon

I would also like to say good luck on Thursday - I will voting for you despite being in a Tory stronghold (it feels like a pointless vote )

I would echo the above points about being completely honest about the cuts coming. As I believe you believe, honesty is the best policy, and you would be utterly respected for this.

Please know that not everybody falls for media spin. You have done a fantastic job for the vulnerable members of our society.

Trust the people who want to vote for you.

When you were asked "Where are all these Eastern Europeans coming from?" Why did you not reply "Eastern Europe"?!

Think I'll vote for you but you need some advisors who'll give it to you straight - think they're generally too nervous of you to tell you the truth.

Dear Mr Brown,

I am the mother of a lovely 4 year old girl, who has a brain malformation called Cortical Dysplasia. She is globally affected, although she can walk and talk. She currently receives High Rate Care of Disability Living Allowance, has a Blue Badge and has 1:1 at preschool. In September she will start at a brilliant Special School, after getting a Statement of SEN.

When Social Services came to assess our need for respite care, we had 3 children under the age of 4, and DD1 was sprinkling sand into the eyes of her then 9 week old baby sister, and was generally very hyperactive (the norm for her). The social services report stated that she was an 'active child who enjoys adult company' and denied us respite care or any access to a named social worker for Support.

We are not alone in experiencing the denial of Social Services assistance for our disabled child. It horrifies me to hear that there may be plans to replace DLA with allocations to Social Services for Direct Care packages. Many of us know already that even the most severely affected disabled children (quadriplegic, visually impaired, etc) get very little support, and every hour of respite is fought for.

PLEASE, PLEASE reassure me, and many others, that you would not strip our children of the only thing that enables us to function as a family?

Hello Gordon, as a cancer patient I'd like to thank you for your manifesto pledges for quick referrals and test results. Also for the fact that I now get my prescriptions free - a great help.

I'd like to ask if you propose to lower the age at which people are screened and tested for example for breast, prostate or bowel cancer, as I feel this would increase survival rates.

Good luck on Thursday.

Good luck Mr Brown, i will be voting for you

Cant think of any questions that haven't already been asked

mr brown ,if you was not a labour leader /suppoter ,who would you vote for

just wanted to say I agree with notyetamum1 above.

hello Gordon

I think the media in general have acted disgracefully in this election and their relentless bullying of you has been disgusting to watch.
And lots of people I know agree with me.

Does this get you down or do you accept it is all part of the game?

Are you and Sarah glad that your boys are still too young to really understand/take notice of the papers/ TV?

last point, please please please can you make the last few days of your campaign more positive - labour have done some great things in 13 years, and perhaps people need reminding.

Good luck on Thursday, I'll be voting LB by the way as safe Tory seat and labour have little chance but I would be happy to see a lab win or lab/lib dem colition

Hello Gordon,

After some careful consideration, my husband and I would like to know who you think would win in a fight: a raccoon or a badger?

I also just wanted to add another voice of support. I wholeheartedly believe that we're at risk of a tory government because people have simply forgotten how bad it was for us in the late 80s/early 90s. I feel sick at the thought of the country going that way again.

I'm a primary school teacher and I'm also worried at the prospect of redundancies in my profession.

Will there be compulsory redundancies for teachers if Labour are re-elected Gordon?

Good luck for Thursday, I hope Labour gets the votes they need.

I want to know how coverage of this election has lost the big story of what it means to be a Labour voter

We do it because we're proud of the ideology

But all we're hearing at the moment is Tory-driven hyperbole about debt and brokenness

So damn much has been achieved since 97

Mr Brown,
What do you think about the fact that the 50% tax rise for high earners means that some successful British businesses (BlueCrest is one I know particularly of) have already opened Swiss offices and moved their high earners there, thereby removing them completely from UK tax system? My husband works for a firm who has said they will move the whole operation to Switzerland (over 300 people) if Labour or a Lib/Lab coalition get in as they think personal taxes will be raised too high for them to be able to compete with European and US firms to get the highest caliber of staff. We don't want to move to Switzerland, so are planning on voting Conservative for the first time.

How do you plan to cut the public sector to a sensible size?

I posted earlier but didn't actually ask a question so here goes (same q I asked last time)

Considering how much debt the country is in, would you consider capping child benefit at a certain income level? I don't mean middle income families who rely heavily on it but families like us who simply pay it straight into a saving account for our three children. This is something that many of our friends do too.

Surely state funded savings accounts for affluent children cannot be the best use of public funds?

Oh and..good luck, again!

Dear Mr Brown

Do you feel secretly releived/pleased that you are going to lose the elecction? It must be a great feeling to walk away from the mess that you have made of the economy, to know that the Tories - instead of Labour - will get the blame for the coming cuts that are necessary to sort out the country's finances.

How many times a day do you wish that you have never invented the 'no more boom and bust' mantra? You must be very embarrassed to have presided over the worst 'bust' since the Great Depression.

Hello Gordon!
Thanks for coming back to mn.
My question is, after 13 years of financial mismanagement that has resulted in an astronomical deficit - why o why should we trust you, the 'prudent' chancellor with our economy when we go to vote on thursday?
Examples of waste/mismanagement - sale of our gold reserves when the market was at the bottom, introduction of gimmicky benefits eg. health in pregnancy grant for every mother when many like myself don't need it, vat cut which did not make a difference to the majority of the population but cumulatively made a further dent to public finances.
I have more questions but don't want to be greedy
PS. aside from your ideology, I think you're ace.

Wow, Gordon you really are brave.

Could you please tell us your plans for special needs education. It all came out in the news this week but seems to have been pushed back by the 'Rochdale Incident'. Will Budget cuts mean that special school places will be cut?

I wanted to wish you good luck, I will be voting for you on Thursday as I believe my family will be better off under a Labour government than a Tory one.

I do agree that you should try and be a bit more positive in the last few days.