MNHQ might want to call Radio 4...

[NetworkGuy]

Michael Portillo (at approx 20:15) on R4 "Any Questions" was dismissing the number of complaints to the BBC and suggested Mumsnet (because of having a lot of e-mail addresses) might have 'suggested' members complain to the BBC.

I for one had no such e-mail from Mumsnet, and I suspect there is never any suggestion of sending requests to members to act in a co-ordinated way, while there may be information about campaigns (distinct difference) and why MNHQ suggests a specific campaign is worth supporting.

I feel it would be worth someone high profile at MN listen to the piece (on the East Enders storyline) and consider whether it would be worth commenting about this specific suggestion made on national radio and implying that if Mumsnet doesn't like something it would 'organise' thousands of 'individual' complaints.

I think you really ought to set the record straight, that MNHQ picks up on views and may sometimes consider a campaign but does not 'muster support' with a secretive mass e-mail to do such things as individually complain to push up numbers.

Rather long passage read out from the Bible so plenty of time to have had MNHQ call, had one been made.

Hey Helen, are MN happy to allow this to go by, so others will think twice about doing something in case they get not ~6,000 complaints, but 60,000 or 600,000 complaints (enough to crash many e-mail systems!) ?

:) :) :)

Could not resist. Guess everyone at MNHQ out shopping today. Nice and sunny here.

NetworkGuy: It was definitely our plan to call. Calling Any Answers is not the same as getting through live on air, though...

An e-mail from a Mumsnet.com mail address with an office or mobile number might have had some joy. Could have been sent at 23:30 yesterday to have had chance to catch their attention!

Sorry, just hearing nothing, seeing nothing added to thread in 12+ hours, you can see how it looked...

I sent an e-mail to the BBC, since the "Chairman" usually invites calls from bodies or individuals as a "right of reply" and suggested he seemed to have missed this "nasty accusation" and that Mumsnet should have had a right of reply.

My e-mail was sent only after the Bible lesson was on the radio wasting lots of air time.

Hi all,
Thanks for raising this - was obviously equally irritated when I listened to it on Sat am and really wanted to go on to Any Answers to correct Michael Portillo's hypothesis but had a house full of kids (who hadn't seen me all week) and people round for lunch and no food in the house etc and I just couldn't manage it I'm afraid. We don't have lots of folks on at weekends I'm afraid, so it was one that got away...

Michael Portillo, for example...

I was tempted to PM yourself, Justine, but felt it might be better coming from Helen... [as someone at MNHQ might know who was available and prompt them to send an e-mail] ...

... so a 'real' e-mail or SMS to someone could bring them up to speed and they'd send an e-mail to the BBC by 10:00 on Saturday, in ample time to be seen by a researcher and passed up the chain to a producer.

Given the accusation, it would have been nice to have a timely and flat-out rebuttal for those listening to the Saturday repeat.

It seemed a bit too "chummy" that MP and MP (who are both broadcasting on Radio 4) were on this programme, and for them to get away with suggestions that complaints can be a mountain out of a molehill and safely ignored.

Many in the BBC are arrogant enough, without this type of comment to encourage them...