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If you ruled the country

184 replies

abacucat · 04/01/2019 10:55

If you were suddenly made a benign dictator of your country, what rules would you bring in?

OP posts:
TowerRingInferno · 05/01/2019 12:37

No flashing outside Christmas lights in residential areas
No blue Christmas lights (because I dont like them)
Ban on the sort of headlights Audi cars have
No chewing gum
No eating of apples or crisps or popcorn in public places
Slow and fast lanes for pedestrians in urban areas
Slow and fast checkouts (and self-checkouts) in supermarkets
No music in gardens ever
No music over a certain volume in houses before 8 or after 11 if there are neighbours within a certain (big) distance

I’d love to be a dictator!

abacucat · 05/01/2019 12:42

All chocolate has to met a certain standard. Cadbury's chocolate as it is would not meet it, so can not be sold.

OP posts:
abacucat · 05/01/2019 12:43

It would be illegal to say - "We can't even celebrate Christmas anymore."

OP posts:
ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:24

Towering I'm very glad you're NOT a dictator Grin

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:26

I agree about banning cheap over advertised shxx like most (pretend) chocolate and alcohol and gambling TV adverts.though.

Myotherhusbandisgaryoldman · 05/01/2019 13:30

Footballers to paid an average wage.
It really enraged me how much money they have chucked at them

umpteenpinecones · 05/01/2019 13:45

Thought of a few more:

I'd sort out the ridiculous anomalies in the VAT system, so things like veterinary treatment would be exempt from VAT.

Bring back bobbies on the beat.

Force councils to have a workforce in small roadmenders trucks permanently driving round the county filling in all the small potholes and worn areas of tarmac before they get so large that they have to close the road for a week to resurface it. A stitch in time and all that. I'd get them to clean all the road signs as well. Loads round here are practially illegible with years of gunge on them.

I'd rewrite the national curriculum to include everyday general knowledge.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/01/2019 13:50

I'd make Coldplay illegal.

And people who throw litter out of cars will be shot.

Coconut would be made an illegal substance. As would marzipan

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:53

I'd think about ONLY having VAT, not on healthy food though and make it especially high on unnecesary luxuries to hit the richest, and no other taxes. think of the saving on bureaucracy.

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:56

OMG I HATE coconut and cashew nuts they're in EVERYTHING. Ban them, and factory manufactured, highly sweetened marzipan Grin not homemade.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/01/2019 14:13

ppeatfruit we can rule as a duarchy

AndromedaPerseus · 05/01/2019 17:05

I’d make everyone receive training on how to use public toilets and leave them clean and tidy for the next person.

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 17:06

Ok, I hate Oasis and ColdPlay though Grin

BitOutOfPractice · 05/01/2019 17:47

@ppeatfruit my very first dictat was to outlaw Coldplay. Oasis can do one too as far as I'm concerned. So we are as one and peace rules on BitofFruitLand

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 18:44

Cancel Brexit. Obvs.

Extend help with housing costs under UC to include help with mortgage interest immediately. This would not be a loan. Ridiculous to make people sell their houses, move into rented and then pay a landlord's mortgage instead!

Get rid of sanctions on benefits.

Nationalise the railways. Make travel on public transport free or v low cost so it's cheaper to travel that way than by car.

Ban diesel and petrol cars. Heavily subsidise electric cars and also all other green initiatives such as putting solar panels on your house.

Sort out the NHS. Look at bringing in one of the European schemes that are still free (or very low cost). Sadly something needs to be done as NHS is collapsing.

Improve treatment of staff within NHS

Sort out the issues with our legal system - has anyone read Secret Barrister. Fuck me, I hope I never have to deal with that system either as a defendant or victim.

Stop selling social housing off. Build more council houses. Rent caps and ensure that housing costs help matches market rents.

Strict laws for landlords who leave their tenant' homes in disrepair.

People receiving £73.10pw should not have to pay £5 of that towards their council tax.

Improve the assessment process for PIP and ESA - I could go on for ever here about how these could be improved!

Ban smoking outdoors. Ban bonfires (except on Nov 5th as a little treat) and wood burners and open fires. Terrible for environment/pollution and for people with respiratory diseases.

Change our planning system. Building hundreds of houses without proper infrastructure in place should be illegal.

Heavily tax anyone with an empty property. Bring in rules to allow the state to commandeer an empty property and use it to house someone if the property has been empty for a period of time such as 12 months.

Ban speed cameras. Especially those fucking mobile ones. I've never had a speeding ticket btw they just make me feel stressed the entire time I am driving.

Make mindfulness compulsory in schools. Along with life skills such as money management, DIY and cooking. Right through school.

Compulsory parenting lessons for new or prospective parents.

Limit in the wage differential between the highest and lowest paid in an organisation.

Married couples to be able to share their tax allowances so each couple will be able to decide themselves how to split their working pattern. Currently, SAHPs and people with ill health/disability are penalised.

Child Benefit income rules are also very unfair. The limit should be on household income, not based on one persons earning alone.

Everyone who wants to learn to drive has to spend at least a month getting around by bike to give car drivers a better understanding of cycling and cyclists incl how vulnerable they are on the road. Subject of course to disabilities preventing that.

UC. Ummm where do I start! Unlike other ex I don't think it's inherently awful but there are many things that are unfair about it that need to be changed such as having to wait 5-6 weeks for the first payment that's made in arrears (often putting people into debt straight away). Changing the way it is calculated so that people who are paid more frequently than monthly or who get paid early due Christmas aren't penalised. Make it less onerous and work better and more fairly for self-employed people. Bring back premiums for severely disabled people.

Bring back phone applications for ESA.

Numerous governments but try to streamline and improve efficiency of public services. I work closely with a lot of public services and there seem to be lots of people who have fuck all to do and/or who do the absolute minimum they can get away with. Lots of people who are shit at their jobs but nothing is done to manage them out. Still lots of red tape and inefficiencies. All costing taxpayers money of course. Not sure what the answer is but surely we can run things better than this.

Make it compulsory that everyone has the tools they need to do their job!

Cap parking charges. They are getting ridiculous in some area. Make parking in hospitals free.

Bring in more shared spaces.

People who display signs with spelling and grammatical errors should be publicly flogged 😉

I thought I only had a couple but once you get on a roll....

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 19:04

Oh yes, and do something drastic to remove the disparities between men and women which still exist.

Get rid of the "old boy's network". Require positive discrimination to bring in greater amounts of women and BME it's horrendous that so many board rooms and senior management teams (and even middle management) are still full of white, middle-class men. Even in sectors such as retail which are predominantly female.

Make flexible working compulsory to be offered to all staff in some form. and make it illegal to discriminate against someone because they work flexibly. All jobs at any level should be able to be done part-time/job share/flexitime/home-working. We need to improve work/life balance in this country.

Make unpaid overtime illegal. And bring in a limit of hours you can work to 40 a week. Employers should pay for time worked. If the job can't be done in the time, they need to employ more staff.

Require any firms reporting a wage gap between make and female employees take immediate action to rectify this with financial penalties if it's not done within a reasonable time period. Bring in a nationalised system for "grading" different job roles so equal pay for equal work is actually a thing. Make it compulsory to implement.

Extend paid paternity leave to one month. Extend paid parental leave to one year full pay.

Bring in rules to try to reduce the move towards presenteeism.

Increase paid holiday to 8 weeks a year.

Compulsory one hour lunch breaks (for staff and employers). Larger employers should also have to provide mindfulness spaces for her staff and access to WiFi/phone signal/suitable tea room space. To allow for staff to make calls and do household jobs in their breaks. And have a suitable space away from their desk to take breaks.

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 19:11

Legalise drugs. Use money for better support for addiction.

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 19:13

Dog free vets. Or separate, silent, dog free entrances and waiting rooms for cats.

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 19:14

No VAT on sanitary protection! Luxury product my arse!

Mamimawr · 05/01/2019 19:15

Cancel Brexit.

MiniMum97 · 05/01/2019 19:17

High speed broadband to be available to WHOlE of UK. Plus like idea of previous nationalised WiFi system!

AlwaysSomethingThere · 05/01/2019 19:21

Anyone who spits on the ground because they think it makes them look hard gets charged £1,000,000,000,000.

Per month.

With interest.

Forever.

Cunts.

Justheretogiveaviewfrommyworld · 05/01/2019 19:36

I would

Ban zero hours contracts. I'd also abolish Tax credits being exploited by big business to allow them to pay low wages. Minimum wage must enable everyone to adequately feed, clothe and house themselves and their dependents, to persue leisure activities and to save after tax.

Although TC's and enhanced welfare for those who cannot work.

50% income tax adjusted to income for all, no legal avenue of avoidance and jail and assets stripped for those who try.

No benefit reviews needed for those with congenital, terminal or long term conditions. Increases of 25% given every 25 years to accomodate for changing needs.

Those unable to work but who wish to contribute in another way to recieve all support needed to do so. E.g transport to conpanions for elderly, assistance dog trainers, meals on wheels and charity voluteers

Fully funded bar completely cosmetic healthcare for all

All mobility equipment etc, provided free or at cost price dependent on income if in income is > £50,000 after tax.

All Public Transport to be accessible for all, with minimal assistance needed, no more booking 24hrs in advance!

All service providers including shops ect. dealing with customers would be funded to learn Makaton, BSL and DB signing and SSE. As well as state funded access to language line.

No strip lighting

Life studies added to NC:

All children would learn how to budget and meal plan, indepth knowledge of savings and pensions, first aid, car maintainance, painting and decorating, how to change a plug, basic self defence. How to vote and why it matters, how to write to/speak to your MP. Human rights and tolerance, real useful cooking. How to deal with and be a landlord, how to save for a house.

Schools would value and celebrate vocational and academic talents equally.

Free cooked from scratch school meals for all until 18yrs

Familys, not including independent adult members not living at home can only own one dwelling at a time. Unless providing supported housing.

Free respite care for families who needed of a minimum total of 5 weeks a year.

High prices paid by government for arrable land and farming recognised as a key occupation, teaching also.

A good news program broadcast weekly, to celebrate kindness to each other.

Racism and bigotry punishable with hard labour.

anti vaxing made illegal as neglect, unless a medical justification from a state employed doctor.

Free elderly care

Abolish the royal family and all assets bar Sandringham, Balmoral and the private residences and personal liquid assets up to 20 mil, returned to the nation and the 50% tax must be paid by every member.

So not much....Wink

Theunsungsong · 05/01/2019 19:44

Boy/girl bands would have to disband after 3 years and would be prohibited from reforming or having solo careers.

Novacancy3 · 05/01/2019 19:57

Ban fireworks in residential areas.

Life skills of first aid, cooking and money management to be taught in schools.

National / community service for any teenagers not in education, training or work.

Cancel Brexit.

Massive increase in funding for mental health.

Legalise cannabis so we can control the levels of thc and use the tax raised to fund addiction services for all types of addiction (I'm not saying cannabis is addictive).

Building regulations to improve soundproofing in homes and flats.

A noise limit on lawn mowers and other power and gardening equipment.

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