To increase all benefits for those in and out of work. - have you considered the universal basic income idea?
Certainly the benefits system needs a major overhaul.
1 no matter what one may read in the the red tops or by following certain people on SM they are NOT enough to live on!
I am deep in debt just to live, I am not profligate or irresponsible, my energy use and other expenditure is very low but I still cannot live on benefits alone. I'm LUCKY that decades of being sensible means I can access a good deal of credit but it's stressing me out big time.
The budget yesterday did NOTHING for the majority of recipients.
2 it's ridiculously punitive and inflexible!
It's called the benefits trap for a reason! It's damn near impossible to get out of. Those who are able to and find work face huge obstacles insofar as they need to basically find full time work that pays enough to not need benefits at all (try that after a career gap of any length!) there's no real support to get back to work, there used to be grace periods and various grants they've all been cut. Then if for whatever reason (inc ill health or caring responsibilities - which save the state a FORTUNE) you are unable to maintain working it takes MONTHS to reinstate a claim - what are people supposed to live on in the meantime?
Throw money at the NHS
As a former hcp I can assure you it's far more complex than this. There are huge issues with incompetency and corruption particularly in the area of procurement but also in terms of it being damn near impossible to sack incompetent staff.
The GP situation needs overhauled big time too. GP's were never part of the nhs they refused to be. They are private practitioners who subcontract to the nhs under certain conditions. This added to the gate keeping responsibility they have for access to specialists has long been a ludicrous situation. They are reluctant to refer to specialists as this affects profits but also if they are perceived to do so "too easily@ they are reprimanded and even sanctioned by health boards. None of which actually serves patients but is a short sighted, short term approach intended to save money which actually costs more in the long term.
The nhs also needs to be a preventive rather than a reactive service. We are behind many other countries in terms of how often and how we screen for certain issues, we don't do annual health checks, we have piss poor programmes for changing unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, and overeating (something I struggle with admittedly). Screening for children's health issues are pretty non existent these days! I'm old enough to remember in-school regular eye, dental and overall health checks.
Pay nHS staff a one off 30% pay rise and a rise of inflation plus 6% for the next five years
Partly see above, but also it's just more complicated.
Worst thing that ever happened to the nhs in recent years was the abolishment of the bursary for nurse trainees. It's majorly affected the quantity and quality of recruits. A friend of mine who remains in nursing and is now a trainee mentor despairs at the quality of trainees coming through. Far too many turn their noses up at certain tasks and think they're better than the job.
Get more police officers
Again needs to be handled carefully, Wayne couzens ring any bells? Yes we need more officers but we need GOOD officers and the culture needs a serious overhaul. As with hcps being able to get rid of bad seeds needs to be much easier.
Increase teachers pay
As per previous public servant comments.
Increase defence spending
As an army brat I would agree, but spending on what? The world of defence is constantly changing, it's at the forefront of technological advances for example, but again there is widespread incompetency and corruption in procurement, training and the culture is way out of date still!
Stop the boats within 48 hours
This is something where it's really a case of you need to address the causes which is hugely complex.
Tax cuts for all earning less that 500k a year - so you'd be funding all your wizard ideas how?
Raise IHT to 2.7 million
I think where you need to start with IHT is closing the loopholes! That's how the very rich avoid/reduce how much they pay.
Help first-time buyers
Why is home ownership the gold standard? I rent I've always rented. It's not a right or a need. Other countries and cultures do not view this as the be all and end all us brits seem to. It's not necessary. I'm not saying not to do this, but I think a greater priority is to make things much more stable, affordable and secure for renters.
Licensed landlords, capped rents, capped rent increases, legislation included in the licensing to cover health and safety and environmental problems. And build a LOT MORE social housing - get back to councils running this not for profit companies, let them build to replace the ones thatcher sold off!
Reduce stamp duty on first homes
As above
Retain the stamp duty on second homes etc
Second homes wow! They should not be allowed to remain empty more than 6 months a year they must genuinely be a second home not some investment stack. Implement residency requirements to stop oligarchs etc
NHS dentist for all within 3 months and Free at the point of provision for no cosmetic work, essential work
Nhs dentistry has been a MESS for ages. Training and employing actual nhs dentists would be a good start not subcontracting private dentists who see nhs patients as inferior.
50% discount on all EV vehicles
Funded how?
Reduce road tax
Given the state of our roads this seems short sighted and uninformed. Yet you also say...
Spen 3 billion on our crumbling roads
Funded how given what you say above?!
Train more doctors and other NHS staff
Agree - but must be implemented carefully. Good quality training and trainees.
I'd also like to see training changed to address the institutional racial and misogynistic current training programmes, texts, research etc. though not just a uk problem - we COULD be a world leader on this which could attract funding and talented people from other countries.
The issue of the nhs paying to train hcps and associated professionals only for those people to quickly move into private practice also needs to be tackled. I think a period of time of service provided to the nhs first before they become private OR they buy their way out.
Increase defence spending to 3% of GDP
Why this figure?
Improve social housing
I've already commented a bit on this, but also social housing needs to come with appropriate surroundings and infrastructure
Free university education for all
Again funded how? I do think the means testing needs to be much better I would prefer grants were reinstated
No tv licence of all
Agreed but then I cancelled mine a year ago as there's nothing worth watching on live tv. It's bloody expensive now too!
No one should work more than 30 hours a week if they do not want to
Agreed the current working model is outdated and ineffective.
Reducing the full time week would free up jobs so more people could be employed.
We also need employers to get with the times! So many now insisting on workers who worked perfectly well at home during the pandemic return to work.
FLEXIBLE WORKING MUST be available to all who need it too.
Many jobs can be done at different hours, in different places. Yes the needs of the business need to be accounted for but currently far too many employers simply refuse to consider any change of this kind as it's just not how they worked.
People need to be able to work to live not forced to live to work.
This would massively reduce absenteeism and sickness through work stress etc.
I would add :
MAKE FATHERS/2ND PARENTS TAKE PARENTAL LEAVE EQUIVALENT TO THEIR PARTNERS MAT LEAVE.
This would serve to level the playing field in terms of the maternity penalty. Not because I think parents need to be forced but because I think employers need to start seeing 2nd parents as equally responsible for their children as the 1st parent. That way mum/1st parent isn't default for child is sick, school events etc
Speed up the judicial system
Resulting in what? False convictions? More failures to convict? - given the appallingly poor rape conviction rate it's the last thing we need there!!
More rights for all British citizens
Such as?
Reduce the number of MP's to 69.
Why this number?
Shut down the House of Lords
Far as I can see recently they've been reining in the dafter attempts by this govt to erode our basic rights among other things!
Free school meals for all children
I'm in Scotland where we already have this to an extent and it seems to be showing true benefits.
A free laptop for all schoolchildren
Funded how? Not cheap. Plus - physically writing things we are learning down actually helps us to remember and therefore learn. Our brain processes what we hand write in a different way to what we have typed. This is an evolutionary factor we haven't had keyboards long enough yet for our brains to adjust that takes millennia!
Ensure all gun and knife crime criminals are locked up for 36 months minimum caught the first time with a weapon and left on the second
Again you may want to look at Scotlands handling of knife crime. Not perfect but a different approach than a punitive one seems to be being more effective in reducing knife crime significantly.
Make Britain a world leader and regain our first world status and have the best NHS in the world and the best country to live in the world.
Which would be achieved if all the sensible ideas were affordable and adopted.
I would add
Ban MP's from having second jobs, seats on boards of private companies or charities, shares in private companies - yes even charities because it is a conflict of interest. They are there to serve their constituents not the companies or charities they are also working for.
Abolish MP's expenses except true essentials (this one people may recognise I've said many times on here!) :
Anyone super at maths I'd LOVE to know how much this would save the country?
A Mps who live within reasonable daily commuting distance from London DO NOT need travel expenses they CERTAINLY don't need 2nd bloody homes!! Those who live further afield can either drive in and get a reasonable mileage OR use public transport like the rest of us (maybe then that'd be improved too!).
B they don't need us paying for their regular household expenses! That's what their salary is for! Bills, groceries... yep the rest of us pay that out of our regular income not paid for by the rest of us!
C instead of second homes in London (which they profit from!) have a purpose built/designated building containing living accommodation, conference rooms, dining rooms etc that is owned by the state and they only have the right to occupy while they are sitting MPs
Do away with the bar in the Hoc (I mean Wtf!!) and the subsidised food and drink too - again ping up your own salary or do a packed lunch like the rest of us!
Make anyone who wants to be an MP live in social housing on the lowest amount that benefit recipients get for a period of 6 months.
Raise the age at which someone can be an MP - hopefully get rid of career politicians and have MPs that have worked a real job for several years first, by which I include not working for councils/local govt. personally I think the Labour Party needs to implement this policy asap there are precious few working class people in the party these days!
MAKE CHILD MAINTENANCE DEDUCTED AT SOURCE FOR ALL
This whole system is in dire need of reform! It's now overseen by the tax dept they can damn well treat it like a tax! Deducted like PAYE would make a huge difference. For self employed payees make it part of their tax declarations. I'd also give the dept overseeing far more teeth! Deadbeats don't pay (yes I am including non resident mothers in that as I have friends who have experienced issues with this) then massive fines initially building to prison sentences - no more pussy footing around!
LAW AND ORDER
For starters life should mean life! I am against the death penalty for unusual reasons but when it was abolished the British public was promised that a life sentence would mean life! Now it's a miracle if it's more than about 8 years!! Rapists, murderers, paedos - life sentence EVERY time - yes even the paedoa that "only" looked at/had pictures/video of child abuse - they must be cracked down on!
Controversial maybe but...
Drug addicts committing crimes - I am not sympathetic but in several countries it has been shown that taking a medical rather than a criminal approach is more successful in reducing these crimes. We need to tackle the root causes of addiction and treat addicts rather than simply criminalising them.
That said - drug lords - again life sentence. Heinous people!
Ditto wife/child bashers!
We have many difficult to access islands these should be where possible made into prison islands. The accessibility issues would mean more security and lower staffing costs for such.
Non violent crimes - I think should not get a custodial sentence therefore leaving space and funding to lock up the violent ones. BUT they're not getting off with it! Huge fines paid over many years and even taken from what the criminal leaves when they die if necessary especially for financial crimes. Home arrest technology used more, community service that fits the crime - eg make drunk drivers work in morgues or where suitable with those left disabled by drunk drivers. Slumlords made to live in the relevant properties for as long as they refused to improve them. Creative sentencing - let judges choose this.
That said - make it easier for ordinary people to become judges! We need judges that understand real life and aren't from ivory towers. Currently the only way to become a judge is a combo of being very wealthy and very well connected!
Personally I would tax vapes and vaping equipment the same as tobacco. I don't believe they are healthier we haven't nearly enough evidence for the long term effects yet. I would say ban them but I think this would just add to drug culture.
Agree we should rejoin EU and ideally Schengen too
Remove VAT from sanitary products, contraception, otc medicines and other clear necessities.
Renationalise utilities and public transport and telecoms inc nationalise broadband to an extent - it's a necessity these days and should be free to those on lowest incomes. A national broadband service would also be accessible for use to those that are homeless etc. as a geographically small country this is entirely possible.
Ladeode
Love your comment re bringing back non academic subjects to school properly.
Life skills are desperately needed in schools, not only for children's benefit but we have a serious lack of skilled trades and vocational people in this country!
Personally I seriously think we need genuine home economics back in schools! We have now 2 generations who don't know how to cook from scratch, create a budget etc.
Martin Lewis has been doing a lot re financial education in schools but so much more needs to be done.
The issues with cyclists especially those working for takeaway apps definitely need addressed! They're a liability!
On a very personal note I would say please massively improve mental healthcare both adult and child inc those for people with neurodivergence .