If You Were PM What Would You Change?

[ChronicOnVodkaAndTonic]

Just that really. If you had the power to change our country what would you change/do?

And what, in your opinion needs a compete overhaul?

For me it's NHS...

Repeal the GRA.

Make the definition of "woman", "man" and so on crystal clear via an educational campaign.

Remove trans ideology from schools and organizations aimed at children.

Make the NHS a nicer place to work. The issue isn't salaries, it's working conditions and having to pick up the slack from colleagues who are too stressed to work.

Make care homes not for profit.

I would levy huge annual taxes on overseas investors who buy property

I'd introduce a fixed number of licences in each area for AirB&B/holiday homes etc and introduce additional taxes to those that have them

I would make being a landlord regulated with the expectation of being regularly audited (including state of properties) with big fines for failure to meet standards. In return I would make it easier to remove tenants for antisocial behaviour or non payment of rent

I would implement a social housing building programme and ensure that any new housing developments by developers had to properly contribute to both that and local infrastructure (no more building two houses less than the limit to avoid their responsibilities!)

Paying proper child support would no longer be 'optional' and there would be real consequences for not paying it e.g suspend passports /driving licences once arrears reach a certain level, not to be reinstated until arrears are cleared. Having additional children would not reduce financial responsibility to already existing children

I would make fixing the NHS a joint responsibility of all political parties (with a cross party team leading it) so it could no longer be used to score political points

Cap uni fees back at 3/4k per year.
And! Remove the expectation parents pay towards it.
It is the child choice to go and they are 18+
And would help people retraining

Change religious state schooling

Right to have a epidural so they have to have availability overnight

Fix state pension as no higher age than 68!!

Reduce the cost for contracted out poeple to buy back pension (and possibly to go back further).

Agree they need to exclude more kids from school. Being sent to a room on school isnt enough. And exclusion should then speed up any referral.
Increase sen scbool places asd levelss are only increasing. Kids in special unots within a school still have the restricted uniform etc

Encourage people to have dc younger

@Welovecrumpets
I agree. But its a global issue. However it is known that asd increases with increased parental age.
My eldest i cant imagine workong despite being bright as so lacking motivation unless its exactly what her interest is. Then the sensory issues too...
At least 3-4 other asd chiodren i know who all started in a state mainstream who i cant see working.

But in the same way school itself is much more stressful than 30y ago. The work is a lot harder. Classes are crowded, loud and too close together student wise. There was 4 toilets for 60 reception kids and only 2 per 60 in other year groups. Theres no supervision by teachers in playgrounds.
But likewise work is more stressful than my parents generation imo as so mant errors by other people spending all my dag fixing other people screw ups. I think because of cost savings having temps or low paid staff.

A massive overhaul of law/rule enforcement. Massive crackdown needed on anti social behaviour, shoplifting, drug sales, motoring offences, litter, etc. Even maybe to the extent of the 3 strikes and you're out (into prison) regardless of offence. Obviously would need an increase in prisons, police officers and council enforcers. Stop the softly softly approach that's ruined our country over the past few decades.

Massive investment in adult education (back to how it was pre Blair era), along with massive expansion of 16+ education in trades, manual skills, etc., maybe even to the extent of free/subsidised driving lessons for PCV and HGV. Reverse all the spending being on 18-21 university education.

Complete root and branch overhaul of the NHS and schools. Go back to a clean sheet of paper and start from scratch to produce an NHS and school system fit for the 21st Century.

Bring in better laws for empty properties to be compulsory purchased and then rented out as social/council housing. Impose limits/bans on residential homes being rented out as holiday lets/Air BNB etc, particularly in areas where there is a housing shortage, i.e. university/tourist cities.

I understand what you’re saying but older parents only raise the risk by a small amount in the scheme of things. Crowded schools may be stressful but they’re not a reason for a child to have no language at 4 or 5. Something odd is going on but you’re never allowed to say it without being called ableist. The number of children with non verbal or extreme ASD just seems to be skyrocketing, and if we don’t investigate why the need is going to severely impact society in about 15 years.

All new built social housing to be a three bed bungalow with a garden.

Residential property unlived in for 8 years to revert to the state to become social housing

No more Right to Buy

Charge everyone over 21 not on benefits / tax credits £15 for a GP appt and also paid if they don’t show up.

Free prescriptions

Free training available to those on ESA on things like cooking / KP work / painting / sanding / useful things that will help them get practical jobs.

I have dc with asd and one with asd and adhd Arfid and ME. I agree that there’s definitely something going on - and it’s not that we are better at diagnosing I think the actual numbers are higher and as a parent of dc with SEN I would welcome it being investigated as brushing it off saying there’s more access to a diagnosis is worrying when there could be an actual cause for the higher rates

Agree and I’m relieved parents agree and don’t see it as ableist or discriminatory. It’s in the best interests of everyone to discover the source if we can and prepare ahead for their care and how society will manage because as it stands there looks to be a very high % of children who will be unsuited to the workplace in 15 years.

So people who work pay for others to use the service for free but get fined themselves if they do the same? Like that’ll fly!

I'd also look at a windfall tax on the energy companies and, perhaps, the supermarkets who've made so much money on increased prices in recent years. That money to be paid back as allowances back to the consumer in the same way those payments were made a year or so ago. I think Rishi Sunak did levy a windfall tax on the energy companies when he was Chancellor, but it definitely wasn't feel like it was enough. 🌹

1. Introduce Land Value Tax, with a special high rate on hoarded land.
2. Rejoin EU asap.
3. Reform income tax so that everyone on a given income pays the same tax. No more tax fiddles.
4. Written, codified constitution.
5. Elected senate to replace H of L.
6. PR voting at every level
7. Abolish academies and restore control to elected LEAs.
8. (Self-denying ordinance) Pensioners above a certain income to pay a modest amount of NI, ringfenced to the NHS/social care.
9. Build as many social homes as possible for 10 years, in order to reduce excessive rents/house prices.
10. Make corruption by politicians High Treason.

My very first action as PM would be to immediately improve things financially for all unpaid Carers, particularly the often forgotten ones who provide 24/7 care, 365 days a year. A Carer has to be providing a minimum of 35 hours of unpaid care a week to a disabled or severely disabled person to receive Carers Allowance. There is a big difference however between providing 35 hours or near that a week of care and providing 168 hours a week of care, yet all Carers receive the same £81.90 per week. At 35 hours this works out at only £2.34 an hour and at 168 hours this works out at only 48p an hour.

We have had a situation for far too many years in the UK where unpaid Carers are undervalued by the government, DWP, HMRC and society. Many actually feel undervalued too, many are living in poverty and many are frequently at breaking point. Some people will no doubt come along and say 'yes, but there is no money', yet money is miraculously found for or wasted on other things. I would ask those people to also consider whether they would be willing to provide 35 to 168 hours care for between nothing and £2.34 an hour? Unpaid carers provide a service that we simply cannot do without as a society. One factual example I can give is of an unpaid Carer who has been caring selflessly and devotedly 24/7 for her profoundly disabled child, now a young adult, for 20 years. This has been at great cost to her financially and to her mental and physical health. If this young person had gone into residential care, the costs would have been in the region of £5 million so far. Why is it ok to pay usually private care providers such vast sums of money at great cost to us all as taxpayers and to government coffers, while expecting unpaid family carers like this mother to do it for so very little now and for absolutely nothing after state pension age? My first three actions in particular would be easy to do, cost the country very little, but make a significant difference to unpaid Carers:

1. I would immediately stop Carers Allowance being a taxable benefit. Those Carers who can still manage to work or who are older and receive an occupational or private pension lose 20% of Carers Allowance in tax, taking it down to only £65.52 per week for providing at least 35 hours unpaid care. That works out at £1.87 per hour at the most, 39p per hour at the worst.
2. I would immediately end the - quite frankly shocking - rule which says that if you receive the state pension then you can no longer receive Carers Allowance. At the moment this means that pensioners receive the same amount for hopefully relaxing a bit and enjoying their retirement as other pensioners receive for still providing care. It cannot be right that pensioners are expected to provide up to 168 hours of care a week for absolutely nothing.
3. At the moment Carers having to rely on Universal Credit also receive a Carers Element on top of the basic single person's allowance. Much is made of this, however few seem to realise that every penny of their £81.90 Carers Allowance is then deducted from it. I would immediately change this rule to prevent Carers Allowance being deducted from Universal Credit.
4. I would then begin the process to pay Carers Allowance at the Living Wage rate as soon as possible.

Some of the suggestions in this thread simply highlight the profound ignorance and lack of understanding the general public has on so many topics of note.

Everyone has to wear a helmet at all times

The GP thing is to stop time wasters. If you don’t show up to an appt you pay for the appt anyway. Also, many many many people who are in receipt of UC or benefits work!

Simplest to implement would be to have year round BST.

It might be a good idea to ask people to also explain how their suggestions are going to be funded.

Mine costs very little, just needs a period of notice to say when clocks will remain on BST all year round.

Review all non means tested benefits.

InterestQ would you charge everyone? Children, the elderly, those on benefits? Or just the poor sods yet again in the middle?

I would stop the boats enough is enough

Fully funded university places for jobs we need. ie Doctors, Nurses, Dentists.

Close inheritance tax loopholes and up inheritance tax.

Eliminate non dom status.

Build council houses.

Make taxes on assets (capital gains) equal to income tax.

Have capital gains taxes on primary residence.

Ensure that people who are able to pay for care pay for it and do not avoid it.

Remove the cap on council tax charges.

Install more solar power and wind.

Build the Severn tidal barrage and one more nuclear plant (Sizewell C).

Lower corporation taxes like Ireland.

Move cars over to being taxed based on mileage.

Abolish the TV licence and make the BBC a commercial organisation.

More police and make them concentrate on crimes that actually affect peoples lives like burglary.

Make payments such as winter fuel subsidies means tested.

Abolish tax credits and make businesses pay workers a proper wage rather than be government subsidised.

State-owned utilities and transport.
For example.
I feel that the HS2 project for the north should be reinstated and extended to the actual northern region of the UK. The north of England is in need of an interconnected MTS to facilitate efficient transportation of people.
To achieve this goal, it is imperative that NIMBY consultations be curtailed and the project be constructed without further delay. In our country, local groups often consume a considerable portion of the infrastructure budget by engaging in disputes over trivial matters such as trees, plants, and fictitious historical sites.
This also applies to house building and other major UK-wide initiatives such as power stations.
I'm sorry your gnome has got to go.

I also believe that the UK needs to reconsider its approach to social care and explore what more can be done by the state. Instead of relying solely on local authorities, there should be more involvement from families, as the current system places an enormous burden on them. The UK's emphasis on independence from birth to death needs to be re-evaluated.

Exactly. As I said upthread, we all know what needs fixed, it's funding it that's the difficult bit.