what are the top 3 things that you think the government should be tackling?

[MentholLoad]

after reading various headlines related to the Tory Party Conference and also not related to the conference, I am interested to hear what people think the priorities should be for the government?

because to me they are just mincing around the edges, HS2, smoking bans, so much emphasis on stopping immigrants, post 16 qualifications....huh?

for me, these are the 3 top priorities (subject to change, as I read other people's!)

1. the NHS
2. social housing (need more) and rental properties (the STATE that landlords are providing and controlling the cost
3. poverty....cost of living/wages
4. the environment....water pollution (water companies discharging sewage to rivers etc) and air pollution

1. Defence spending and R&D to be increased significantly.
2. Diplomatic and industrial investment in Africa and the Far East.
3. AI especially on vertical and hydroponic farming.

Climate change is my absolute first priority over anything that's happening around us right now.

Border issues

Oh, and benefit system - seeing genuine cases getting more and others only getting support under certain conditions. I agree with the example of the Mum who has six children, doesn't work. My cousin was that Mum, had four DC - a couple with her DH even though they were separated. When DC rearched adulthood, she didn't see why she should work as she said she couldn't offer any skills so couldn't work. Ended up being a cleaner for a hospital, didn't last long as she supposedly had a bad back and never worked again. She's retirement age and bad back didn't continue for long!

1. Grow the economy
2. Crack down hard on anyone who can work but won't
3. Improve the nhs

Environment, in particular energy supplies
Housing
Food security

I know that most people on benefits work some hours, and actual fraudulent claims are rare, but it’s the principle of it. Everyone who doesn’t have a genuine disability that prevents them from working should be working as much as they can to provide for themselves and not rely on the state to fund them. It’s not good enough to just work 16 hours because working more hours will mean only another £200 a month or whatever, or that after school clubs will have to be used. People over the benefits threshold don’t get this option. I want to see the whole system overhauled so things like this aren’t an option, and then the money will be freed up to give those who genuinely can’t work at all or can’t work more hours a decent amount of money to live on, so that they can have some luxuries in life too.

But AI is not supposed to "plug" any vacancies in social care. Your issue is lack of lateral thinking.

The work market will be impacted on the whole and many vacancies redistributed. Fewer jobs in your industry? Jobs in social care? There is your answer.

1. Affordable housing and private rental
2. Cost of living
3. NHS

I feel that it would take a cross party agreement to sort out the NHS over a prolonged period of time with all sides agreeing a commitment to measures to improve it. I really think the NHS should be taken off the political table so to speak so that targets and the like aren’t brought out to score political points due to the fact that targets can be moved in order to forsee political point scoring for elections and the like.

A large proportion of benefits paid are to people who ARE working. Maybe the tax payer could be saved some money or this could be diverted to other areas in need, by not subsiding employers and forcing them to actually pay their staff a wage they can live on?

Climate change
Council housing
Community care to free NHS and improve mental health

1. Affordable housing with restrictions on private landlords.
2. Education, including special schools, adult education, and more doctor training courses at universities.
3. Massive investment in public transport, so the rest of the country can have the cheap and reliable transport that London has.

Environment
NHS
Social care

Climate change
Social care
NHS

Inflation, immigration and growth in the economy.

so AI takes over jobs in supermarkets and factories for example. and then those workers, ggp and work in social care...is that what you are saying?

my experience of people seems to be at odds with other posters on here.

I know very few people who should/could work but don't, and claim benefits. but I know a lot of people who really are so sick that they SHOULD stop working, but keep going so that they can keep a house/have electricity etc.

I know a plumber who was in his 70s, he had 2 knee replacements and had a stroke. I know someone with end stage kidney failure still working. I know someone who cares for their disabled husband, looks after kids and still works zero hours contracts

my experience of people seems to be at odds with other posters on here.

That is exactly how the world is.

Climate change.

Stop throwing farmers under the bus!

Benefits paid to those who are working are largely to help with the costs of bringing up children. It's also not the case that someone working up to 16 hours can continue to do so indefinitely. I don't think concentrating on this aspect of social costs is helpful - there are far bigger fish to fry.

Yes, some of those and many others.

Driverless trains. Call centres. Admin. Customer services. Receptionists.

There are much bigger fish to fry, but I do think it’s important. When everyone’s getting more stretched financially, and there’s a whole group in the middle getting more and more annoyed at the situation (and rightly so), and people with genuine disabilities that mean they can’t work not getting enough money for a decent life, I do think it’s important that the benefits system is overhauled and works for everyone. I do acknowledge that childcare also needs to be sorted out alongside this though as it’s often a huge barrier to working.

Scotland brought their knife crime under control by introducing automatic jail time for anyone caught carrying a knife in a stop and search.

Re investment in NHS, social housing, benefits these are all outputs from a healthy economy and there being sufficient money is derived from improving the economy through infrastructure and investment not ignoring that and putting all money into outputs until there is none left.

but but....we can't expect these people to be forced into caring, low paid, demanding jobs. Train drivers and care assistant do not require the same skills/characteristics

Christ, I just want to run away. it's awful isn't it

Oh, so is there a particular group of people who are expected to do it then?

But we can expect someone to do these low paid, demanding jobs?
That's half the problem really, someone else is expected to do the low paid, demanding and necessary jobs that benefit society.
I get what you mean about the skill set and I agree, we shouldn't be pushing people into care because it's all that's left and it's a job, that's not the only consideration when you're talking about vulnerable people, but it's a poorly paid and poorly regarded job, with very little reward and a wage you can't live on without support for a lot of responsibility, a lot of blame when things go wrong because of systematic failures and the attitude that you're lacking in aspirations for doing the job in the first place.
It makes a huge difference to society, so many people would not be able to go and do their better jobs and be aspirational if their vulnerable relatives weren't being cared for by someone else on minimum wage, because they'd have to be caring for them instead, but it's not valued for that at all.