I've been meaning to start this blog for ages. A chap on a forum I frequent asked posters to contribute a personal manifesto for the forthcoming election- and having written mine, I thought that it'd be a good way to start this blog and set out my stall. This will probably the first and only post that contains no swearing, so, erm, enjoy:
1) Immediate moves to decriminalise all recreational drugs. Heroin, Crack etc. available on prescription to minimise the harm associated with criminal activity; Cannabis, Ecstasy, Mushies etc. taxed and sold through licenced outlets to over 18s.
2) Prisons to become centres of rehabilitation rather than punishment. Early release to be conditional upon completing a course in basic literacy; for longer sentences, vocational job-skills courses to be mandatory. Releasing prisoners without first equipping them to 'go straight' is a waste of everyone's time and money.
3) All Local Education Authorities to reintroduce Grammar Schools and Secondary Moderns; streaming to be compulsory. HOWEVER- Grammar schools to get 15% less resources per pupil and teachers to be paid 10% less- they will thus have the choice between teaching 'smart' kids, or earning more working with more 'challenging' pupils. Pupils to be given annual or biannual opportunities to move schools so that 'failing the 11 plus' is not a life sentence. Secondary Moderns to focus heavily on skills based jobs training so that pupils leave equipped to make good money as builders/plumbers/mechanics etc. rather than a McJob being their only opportunity.
4) ID cards and the National Identity Register scrapped immediately. All those responsible for introducing them in the first place to be tried for Crimes Against Democracy*.
*Optional.
5) Existing planning regulations to be chucked in the bin wholesale. A massive program of investment in new housing to begin immediately. Anyone talking about 'Affordable Housing' to be put in the stocks and slapped about the face with a wet fish- ALL HOUSING SHOULD BE AFFORDABLE FFS. The current unaffordability of housing is IMO at the root of most of this country's problems. It reinforces class divides and makes our workforce uncompetitive in the worldwide market. We have the smallest newbuild houses in Europe, and yet as a proportion of our landmass Great Britain is 89% undeveloped- the highest proportion in Europe. This is complete stupidity, and it must be corrected.
6) In conjunction with the above- strict control of the banks. The housing bubble and subsequent catastrophic bust (which is just getting started, by the way) was caused by a complete failure to prevent banks from printing money and giving it to anyone and everyone, thus bidding up the price of a basic human right- a home- to stupid levels. This could and should have been prevented, and must be in future.
7) Massive investment in renewable energy- and most importantly large scale energy storage systems. We could power this country through wind and wave power alone- but only if we (say) build another 20 Dinorwigs. Even if this costs £100bn over 10 years it would be money well spent.
8) Complete renationalisation of the railways; all local bus services to be, at the very least, regulated by local transport authorities in a similar way to how London bus services are tendered.
9) Inheritance Tax threshold to be reduced back to its previous level of £375k or less. I would be personally 'disadvantaged' by this in the event of the death of either of my parents. I inherited a brain, a good education, and a good upbringing from my parents. I shouldn't need their money too. Large inheritances simply perpetuate ongoing class divides and inequality.
10) Tax System to be massively simplified. For a start- 'tax credits' will be abolished immediately, as paying one set of civil servants to collect tax, and then another set to pay it back out again is complete stupidity. Instead, your tax code will reflect your circumstances- single people will pay no tax on the first £6k-ish of their earnings as now, people with 1 child will pay no tax on first £10k etc. etc. Result should be considerable efficiency savings without noticeably altering anyone's overall taxation/benefit level.
