Why Justine Roberts should not give in to demanding celebrities

[IwantToRetire]

Please note this post is NOT about the politics of the letter itself but about the ill advised attempt by celebrities to put one woman on the spot in public, and misunderstanding what the power of mumsnet is.

Irrespective of whether anyone does or does not support the letter written by self regarding luvvies https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XJv6qEHsa8XAQHfc_wjzUvNTqI2uCrvU0k45uk8H-UM/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0 they have no right to put one woman in the public spotlight by demanding Justine Roberts works with them.

So this was my first reaction to this situation. It is about as rude and unsisterly as demanding that Starmer's wife joins their campaign. Or like those immature tv presenters who long for a gotcha moment and go on and on asking the same question to try and get some celebrity or politician to make a public statement.

Secondly, with all due respect to Justine Roberts in her skill and willingness to create such an important forum for "mums", what makes mumsnet important is the wide range of contributors who do not look to JR like hive bees do to their queen!

So if these self publicists want mumsnet to get behind them, have the decency to sign up to mumsnet or request a guest post and then be prepared to respond to what will be a wide ranging and no doubt intense debate.

So not only should they not have put JR on the spot in the public domain, if they suceed in getting a "mumsnet" response via MNHQ then it leaves mumsnet open to any number of no doubt sincere campaigners demanding that they to get MN recognition.

So stop the public bullying of JR.

It is not a very nice thing to have done.

(for those who want to discuss the campaign itself there are a number of threads, one on AIBU and one on FWR)

"defending the indefensible"? I mean some might say a better fit for that would be hindering the ability of mothers and children to gain access to life-saving maternity and neonatal care in warzones, rather than writing a letter.

I have said multiple times that I am appalled by what is going on in the middle East and further afield. But this is a thread about the appropriateness of that letter and no amount of emotional manipulation changes the fact that we do not want to live in a country where private individuals can be singled out on any issue in this manner. It's an awful precedent to set.

The reason people object to it is because it puts JR in an impossible position. Either she agrees to support it (but inevitably achieves nothing because mn has no unified view or power here) and is forever inundated with similar requests OR she ignores/refuses and people call her heartless or start attacking her for ‘supporting Israel’.

Justine has been contacted in her capacity as the founder of the largest UK parenting forum, and in acknowledgement that she is already a political figure, having interviewed 4 prime ministers.

It is entirely apposite to write a letter to her, as she is clearly willing to put herself out there, and the well-being of mothers and children is her realm of influence.

She is no shrinking violet, she can make up her own mind about how she responds or not.

That sums things up pretty well.

It would have been entirely appropriate to contact her privately to ask her if this is an issue she would like to engage users of the site on.
But none of the political parties she worked with got her engagement by publishing an open letter in the newspaper. And rightly so.
It's a dreadful precedent to set. And I find it a bit chilling that people can't grasp that.

Exactly this.

I find it chilling that MN is actively aiding the Reform publicity machine but nobody seems particularly bothered about that.

This is part and parcel of the 'job role'. When you start up and continue to run a major parenting forum which also has activist inclinations, and have made your wealth from it, and continue to make your wealth from it, and when you have put yourself out there politically previously, you might expect to get calls upon to support humanitarian efforts to prevent the deaths of women and children. There is nothing unusual about that and she can handle it entirely as she chooses.

Wow I really think people are underestimating JR's ability to handle (possibly) mildly difficult situations.

She is entirely entitled to do nothing - and who exactly is even going to be aware? The only place I've seen or heard of this letter is on this thread. Or if she wants then she can do something. She can always of course put out a statement explaining why she doesn't feel it's appropriate to do anything.

If she has been able to navigate the trans debate situation, I really think she's going to be ok people.

Honestly 🙄.

Have you actually read the thread about reform that mumsnet started? Plenty of us have made some very robust comments on there.

Its absolutely unprecedented for people to use open letters to lobby people who aren't directly responsible for or have direct political influence on a situation. It's a mind boggling and it's not a route we ought to go down as a country.

Hilarious. MN have done no such thing. Labour and their supporters on the other hand - calling people racist for being worried about things, are actively recruiting for reform I’d say. That and the fact they can’t stop mentioning reform. The mind boggles with the mental gymnastics these Labour acolytes put themselves through.

No one is being hyperbolic as you imply. We are saying it is inappropriate. Many people (JR included I’m sure) can cope with inappropriate approaches but that doesn’t make them appropriate.

Exactly- just because somebody is going to be able to cope with something it doesn't make it okay to do it. It's actually quite astonishing anyone would run such a palpably flawed argument.

Of course they have. How else would you categorise recruiting Reform voters on a journalist’s behalf? Why else would said journalist want the stories and images of MN members?

Please link to the thread you refer to in pp, where MN are " signing them [Reform voters] up?"

To report what is happening maybe?
I heard it was still a done thing in the media.

If only the manufacture of outrage could be added to the GDP numbers, that's the only productive industry coming from the Left

Have you never received a letter asking you to help out with a cause of any kind?

Not one that was published rather than addressed to me.

Are you unable to discern the difference between a letter privately posted to someone and a letter published in the press? They are quite clearly fundamentally different things

I think it's fine to ask. These are some of the most oppressed and suffering mums in the world so it makes sense to ask Mumsnet.

OP what are your feelings on the topic?

To me, you're coming across as against helping these women but trying to frame it as defending Justine/MN.

I’m not the leader of the world’s largest parenting website so there would be no reason to post a public letter to me.

That's irrelevant, the principle is the same

I don’t think it’s irrelevant