To ask if you have an idea you believe would significantly improve life in the UK?

[ConfusedmumUC]

I’ll go first.

I can’t help but think making someone’s rent payments eligible to prove you can pay a mortgage would go a long way to housing security for so many people. And limiting the amount of properties owned by one landlord / amount a landlord can charge in rent, would also go a long way. I can’t help but think profiteering massively off of a basic need and right such as housing is really not ok.

Im sure there’s a reason why my idea wouldn’t work, feel free to put me right 😂

What’s your idea?

You pay above NMW.

Oh sorry, I wasn't making a serious proposal in which the costings have been worked out to the last figure. I thought this was just a thread about what one thing do we think would improve society. There have been a lot of interesting points made, and I have only skim read the thread, but not seen a post about improving things for the elderly in a way that would also benefit all of society.

I know this is easier said than done, and it probably wouldn't/couldn't happen in practical terms, but I keep thinking if we could somehow divide the UK into two sections (or even create two new countries), and have one section rejoin the EU and have a governnment that goes along with that and has the sort of policies which pro-EU people seem to favour (which seems to be socialist, big-state, big public sector, high taxes etc), and the other section be full-on Brexit (and have a generally free-market, small-state, low tax sort of government typically favoured by Brexiters), and everybody gets government funding to move into the sector they wish to live in. That way everyone (or most people) get to live in the sort of UK they want, instead of all this divide-and-rule, divisions that we have right now. And then after say 25 years they could compare the economies etc and say for sure which sector was the best to live in.

Aye, the current situation where house prices have massively outstripped wage inflation is so much better.

There is a middle ground between the current shit situation and the ridiculous one you describe, you realise. Other countries manage it.

Let me guess though, you've personally benefited enormously from house price increases, haven't you?

It wasn't pointless and trite.

I was replying to a comment saying there is no room to build enough houses.

There is. Clearly. Only about 10% of land in the uk is actually built upon.

Maybe try reading next time and putting stuff into context.

Something is wrong here - teaching must be really poor or material must be out of date or timing must be wrong - maybe a mixture of all three because the kids I have come across have picked up none of that. The quality of cvs is appalling. One of dd’s friends asked me to look over his cv because he worried it was awful - teacher said it was fine but he wasn’t convinced. He was right - it was awful…so much for careers advice at schools. They focus on UCAS applications because that’s what matters.

Legalise all drugs and make them free on NHS prescription.
crime, gun crime, prostitution, would all be radically reduced over night.
Death from overdoses and contaminated drugs would decrease.
Drugs use would decline as drug pushers would would stop hanging around schools and have their living taken from them as all their customers would start using the free safe service.
Then I’d make online gambling illegal, ban all gambling advertising and limit the number of casinos .
users of prostitutes would be heavily fined and jailed, prostitutes would be offered refuges and help.
A lot of human woes would be got rid of with those actions.

I’m so glad some posters on this thread are not in government!!

Reduce wage inequality - set a maximum multiple of lowest paid to highest paid per hour.
Restrict zero-hour or unfixed hour contracts to those that want them only (I work one to fit around my own business, but they don't suit most people). People need to know when they'll be working.
Restrict house ownership to citizens, those working here and those with right to remain.
Restrict house ownership to a maximum of 3 properties, ensure higher taxation on the second and third properties.
Build/buy more social and genuinely affordable housing. Ensure its in a variety of sizes.
Increase house building standards so all new homes are solidly built and energy efficient.
Introduce government backed mortgages for those that prove they have paid equivalent rent long-term. Or increase opportunities for lifetime tenancies.
Re-nationalise utilities and public transport.
Ensure low-cost childcare from birth to 11.
Introduce common-law marriages so co-habiting partners cannot be left with nothing, especially if children are involved.
Minimum child support payment expected and enforced.
Free education to degree level for all, including adult evening classes as necessary.
Increase benefits to at least minimum wage for those genuinely unable to work - full-time carers, disabled, elderly, etc.
Everyone on same benefit level regardless of age.

There's lots else I'd do in time, but I feel a lot of the problems the UK faces are due to inequality. If we had a more equally paid workforce, in safe secure housing and with opportunities to educate themselves further - then we'd end up with a happier, healthier and more productive society. There is an enormous wealth gap in the UK, which seems to be growing. We need our currently low-paid workers for a functioning society. Carers, TAs, fruit pickers..., we can't survive without their roles being filled. Nobody working full-time or their dependents should be living in poverty.

All of this ^

A Tory govt is only ever interested in protecting the wealth of the v rich, so they need to be voted out. The 1000 richest people in the U.K. have increased their wealth by £500 billion since 2009 and more people became billionaires during covid (quantative easing enriches the wealthy, it might have been necessary but then introduce a wealth tax to redistribute some of the money the richest have made) than any other period. Inequality is getting bigger all the time.

Starmer’s Labour is not pledging enough changes to a fairer economic system but I will still vote for Labour as there is zero chance Tories will make any changes.

And we need to rejoin the single market.

I totally agree with @Frabbits - we desperately need to build more housing in this country. We are short to the tune of something like 3 million homes. The reason house prices continue to rise, and rents are sky-rocketing is because of a fundamental lack of supply of housing. And if rents and mortgages were more affordable then people would have more money to spend on other necessities like childcare and other living costs.

Further to my comment above, I am not sure I would support 100% inheritance tax but definitely higher levels than present and close loopholes for trusts.

Also - scrap stamp duty which is a tax on house transfer. House sales soared when the duty was suspended early in the pandemic and then slumped again. Stamp duty is off putting to those considering downsizing and prevents retired people from swapping homes with families.

Abolish food banks and make the Government accountable for feeding it's starving people rather than rely on charity

Properly funded mental health care, and not just for those in immediate crisis.

So in theory you could be a permanent student just studying taxpayer funded degree after degree?

I often wonder if mental health issues are so widespread now that this is unattainable - not just in terms of funding but in terms of recruiting enough suitably qualified staff.

No, why should somebody inherit their parents £1 million house without making any contribution to society?

I think things like art or religious education; they should be options for GCSE but not studied before year 10. Until then I think concentrate on maths, science, English and life skills - health and nutrition, exercise, finances, safety etc.

You mean ‘good’ or ‘competent’? Different can mean worse, god forbid

You don’t pay stamp duty when you inherit a house or sell one you’ve inherited.

Tories in jail.

I think you have misunderstood what stamp duty is @Cuppasoupmonster

Set a reasonable wage before tax has to be paid eg £15k per year and from then up everyone pays 20% flat rate. I think if tax rates were lower for higher earners people would be a lot more willing to pay it rather than employ all sorts of elaborate schemes to pay less or no tax.

You'd make all drugs legal and free?

Crack? Heroin? PCP/Angel Dust? Crystal Meth?

Would anyone be able to a get prescription for whatever they wanted, in whatever quantity they wanted?

I do not think this would work at all.

I would legalise cannabis and and allow it to be sold and used with the same restrictions that tobacco has.

But not the harder drugs.