I am freelance

Dear politicians…..we, the “ordinary” mums are not a frontier to be conquered.

I for one would not be won over by a postcard if I resided in “the marginals”.

I do not care if Cameron leaves skidmarks in the loo.

I feel NO affinity for SamCam whatsoever. I much prefer and admire the work of Sarah Brown yet cannot frankly bear her husband.

I don’t trust a lot of the old guard. I feel the need for change. I want to work and have a family but I don’t want to choose which one to destroy.

I go on Mumsnet or Babycentre to talk to other mums, not politicians. I read the papers, I listen to the radio, but I am often feeding a baby, sorting out car insurance, doing the Tesco shop or wiping someone’s bottom at the same time so forgive me for missing some of your policy points.

I want fairness. I would prefer it if you paid me or my husband rather than grandparents to stay home with our children.

I am aspirational but also realistic.

I don’t want it all but I want to succeed in the areas I choose to pursue. I don’t want to work badly enough to tread water for 10 years while my kids are young and watch my male counterparts overtake me in every area of the workforce.

I don’t want to live in London but I do want a career.

Most of all, I want to be represented.

All male debates are no more than panto politics to me and do not engage me. “Personality politics” surely disadvantages the majority of politicians….?

I will not be patronised by politicians.

I care about the environment but I care about my children being taught by a teacher, rather than a teaching assistant more.

I care about the treatment of prisoners and the reources for the armed forces but I am more worried about the lack of midwives and the inability of social services to focus on social issues due to the volume of paperwork they seem to have to do.

I think, I write, I campaign, I contribute and I try my best to engage.

And finally, there is NOTHING ordinary about this, or any other, Mum.