The Bounty Mutiny- The Say No Campaign Makes National Press

Yes, you read that right readers!

Our (and I say our as there are some fantastic ladies who are fighting against the big boys of Mumsnet and the NCT) campaign has reached the eyes and ears of not just those we disagree with, but Bounty themselves (who are absolutely lovely and shocked at the sudden bad feeling being directed at them), and The Daily Telegraph newspaper too.

It's also great to see that 86 people have now signed the petition, and some of the reasons they give are amazing. Stories which far outweigh the negatives. People who argue that you can say no, no one makes you sign anything.

The thing is, and I've held back on saying this until now, but I studied Government and Politics for A'Level. I found it a bit boring, but I take my hat off to one of my tutors who taught us something which immediately springs to mind regards this campaign.

Have you noticed how the Tory party is on the back foot? Its not likely that they'll get back in at the next election. They made some big promises in the run up to landing joint power with the Lib Dems. 

Promises you don't need me to tell you they have barely kept. The country is still in crisis. There are still British Service people in foreign climes fighting the same wars they classed as "phoney" when arguing with the previous government.

The NHS, that they promised to protect, has gotten worse. As I've said before, Queens has a ridiculous history of child birth related deaths, Stafford, Medway (my own local hospital for many years) and 6 others are being investigated due to their unexplained high death rates. The CQC is being investigated for covering up the deaths of children, and we all saw the shocking footage of patients being abused by staff at Winterbourne View.

I know of bloggers and their families where the treatment they receive is appalling. Some have even had their much needed help revoked. As a family, we have been let down time and time again, and are now simply left to fend for ourselves when it comes to Littlest's illnesses.

So, what does that matter?

A smokescreen.

If you watch old footage of Maggie Thatcher, when times got tough she would bring up the victory in the Falklands. When President Obama had some tough questions from Mitt Romney during his campaign, he mentioned Osama Bin Laden's death.

It's what politicians do. When something gets a bit tough, when they may have to answer to their failures, they bring up things to create a smokescreen, to take attention away.

In the case of the Bounty Mutiny, and the knee jerk Early Day Motion, these Mumsnetters and supporters have played an own goal. 

Both the NHS and the Government are desperate to hide the mistakes, the broken promises. By jumping in with this Mutiny, by agreeing with it and helping it get publicity, they get to skirt the real issue, hide the appalling stats on patient care and move on to something which has been ramped to a major issue, when it clearly boils down to a few women being a bit pissed off they were disturbed.

Has anyone asked Bounty what changes it's willing to make? 

Bounty has admitted, freely, that some times, yes, their representatives do go a bit OTT on the sales angle. However, they have never said that they don't and wont deal with those who do. They are willing to follow whatever the NHS directs. They want to continue to provide a valuable service to the NHS, to new Mums and to the HMRC. 

Who wants to go to their local Jobcentre Plus or Post Office for Child Benefit forms with a new born in a push chair? The Mutineers say they should be left alone to enjoy their baby- can't really do that if having to trundle back and forth to the High Street for forms. Its easier to have them in the packs.

Do we really want to say that, after a baby, we are suddenly too dumbstruck to say no? To suddenly decide to stick with the brands in our packs rather than use the freebies, spend the vouchers and then find a cheaper brand? To not be able to read a form before we fill it out?

This campaign is a joke. The mutineers don't even know what the hell they are fighting for anymore.

First, it was to ban Bounty from hospital wards, their packs, the whole lot. The only time the NHS was mentioned was to badger them via Twitter to remove Bounty. It was all about the negative experiences of a few Mumsnetters.

Next, when a few of us start suggesting that, actually, Bounty is the least of the NHS' problems, suddenly, they did want NHS change as part of a wider part of the Bounty Mutiny. It was about the data protection too. 

Now, it's not a Mumsnet campaign (even though the majority of tweets are from Mumsnetters and Mumsnet HQ), and they first said Bounty should be in a side room for those who want it, the bags on the bed when we book in.

Make your minds up ladies and gents, please!

It's like half of them have read a different brief from the rest!

Unlike our campaign which simply says Bounty give funds which are needed to hospitals. They deserve the chance to make changes to something which has been as much a part of giving birth as booties and stitches where we don't want them. The governments time should not be taken up by a Mumsnet vanity project and an NCT attempt to usurp Bounty in hospitals. Our voices should be used to force change where change is needed, not make a group of people, doing a job which the majority of women appreciate redundant.

The message is clear- we don't go changing it.

Want to help give the government and the NHS trusts something to hide behind? Support the Mutiny.

Want to bring a voice to the silent majority who are sick of the poor treatment when they need it most? Sign the petition.

Thanks for reading.

Reflections of The Pebble Dash Woman

Yes, I have made my gran proud of me.

I have been featured, along with some of my other Mummy Bloggers at large, in an article for the Independent on Sunday. And yes, I will happily be signing autographs at London Zoo next week!

There I was yesterday, buying some very nice ankle boots from Clarks when I decided to check my email on my phone. I've had to do this since last Sunday as my net was off again (look out for my review of 3 on my dedicated page, http://20somethingmumreviews.blogspot.com ).

In my inbox, along with the usual spam about having won gazillions of pounds and sex drugs for sale was an "Urgent Media Request" message.

Now, being an up and coming (tee hee) Blogger, I don't generally get messages of this nature. I get messages from PR companies offering me their wares (and my friends are doing rather well out of that now too), but never a media request, much less an urgent one. So I thought it was spam.

I have a bit of a confession to make at this point.

When I get those spam messages I mentioned above, about how I just have to lend them my bank details and they'll trust me to keep a great wodge of cash safe for them (yeah right!), I actually send a message back. It was Ed the Ex who originally started this. I like to think of these linked-to-terrorists-crims sitting in their lair (I take it they have these? They do in James Bond films) when a reply message pops up from me, and them stroking a cat in a big chair (Yep, James Bond again with a bit of Inspector Gadget there) thinking "ha ha (In evil laugh fashion), another gullible one of the English for me to rob so she can't spend her money on shoes and Heat magazine".

When they open my message I tell them exactly where they can shove their "money", and that I'm not a silly, gullible old lady doing knitting on my draylon sofa, so bog off.

So, it was probably a good thing I actually read the email first!

I got home and gave the guy a call, feeling very important as they'd picked me for my political knowledge. It should really have struck me that my political knowledge, despite studying A Level Politics for a year, is not what it once was. I do watch the news but either have to listen over Mini moaning for kids programmes, or Edward moaning because his teeth. Or I'm half asleep when its on in the evening. I do know that David Cameron was a Heat Torso of the week a few weeks back, and that Boris Johnson, who I thought was a politician send up comedian, actually is a politician, and the Mayor of London now too!

So, I gave my honest opinion, that I had voted Labour, because I was 19 and it was trendy, a fate worse than death to vote Tory, and my parents voted Lib Dem, so I didn't want to do copy them. When my Mum asked me who I'd voted for, she made me promise not to tell my Nan, who had canvassed support for Maggie Thatcher before she became the PM, so she would not be happy with me!

I am now, however, looking more favourably towards the Torys.

I did say that I felt quite sorry for poor Gordon. He kind of looks like Sad Sack from the Raggy Dolls (you'll know what I mean if you're an 80s child), and I do think that when he took over from Tony Blair he was spectacularly scape goated to take the blame for mistakes made prior to him taking up his position.

However, he slowly looks to be losing the will to live, when compared with Charismatic Mr Cameron. I did also say I felt that no politicians could ever be trusted, but that at least when he had been wrong about a policy David does seem to apologise and admit it.

I added that the main thing I thought the parties needed to act on was the scraping of the Child Care voucher scheme, in light of the recession and the knock on effect of more couples having to work and place the kids with a child minder.

I also said that I felt a big vote winner would be tackling the unfair immigration system we have. I feel that to get the country back on track we need to stop money being taken out of the country. We can do this by regulating the number of foreign workers our companies employ, as they then spend their wages abroad. If we employ mainly British workers, firstly the financial climate will be given a leg up, by this workforce spending their income in businesses on our shores, and secondly it will help turn the tide on the Unemployment figures, which continue to rise.I said that I felt most politicians are afraid to voice this, for fear of sounding like Nick Griffin, and being accused of racism. Another point was that if we look at Ireland, and Australia they have a booming economy, and are doing very well indeed compared to us.  They also operate a system for immigration whereby you must contribute a skill and have a minimum amount in the bank before you can claim citizenship. A marked difference to us who allow people to come over and sit on the dole, when schools and hospitals are desperate for cash.

So, my few lines are a little bit less then what I said on the phone, but it was nice to see Mini and I in the paper. She is baffled. Why is she suddenly in a paper, and sitting on the sofa too?

I have to say I'm not too keen on the term Pebble Dash Woman, as this is a slang term for having the runs where I'm from and missing the loo! Sorry if you're having your lunch!

*PS Thanks to Sandy for letting me steal the shot of the paper for my blog post!