MNHQ calling: we want to know what would be on your policy wishlist

[RowanMumsnet]

Over the years, when MNers have got stuck into issues they particularly care about, we've often seen agreement (or something approaching agreement ) around particular policy ideas.

As the May 2015 general election approaches (ish), we’d like to find out what you think about what the next government should do - parenting-related or otherwise. Which commitments would you like to see in the parties’ manifestos? What would make you consider switching your vote (or voting at all, if you don’t currently intend to)? Which issues do you think deserve to be top priority for incoming ministers?

We’ve collectively campaigned on or added our support to others' campaigns around a number of issues, such as:

affordable, available childcare;
better provision of education, health and social services for children with additional needs;
better miscarriage care;
more and better sex and relationships education in schools;
the availability and variety of contraception;
getting sales reps off maternity wards;
flexible working; and
tackling FGM.

Other issues that seem to crop up regularly are bringing down the cost of some school uniforms; and more and/or better-paid parental leave, including paternity leave and bereavement/adjustment leave.

Are there other things Mumsnetters collectively agree on? Are those on the above list still as important to you as they have been? We’d thought we'd throw out this entirely unscientific starter for 10 with a view to informing a more nuanced analysis of each issue and a fuller survey of Mumsnet users in time for, no doubt, the string of ministers and ministerial hopefuls headed our way come early next year when the election campaign gets into full swing.

So please do let us know what you think.

Thanks
MNHQ

Close down fucking Bounty. Or at least prevent them from accessing the postnatal ward.

Everything that tempe said.

I wish we could abandon this dogmatic attachment to the principle that running everything like the private sector makes it more efficient. It doesn't. It just makes business come in, cut corners and run off with a profit leaving a mess behind.

End creeping NHS privatisation, and reverse what has already been privatised.

Bring state schools back under LEA control.

Reverse the cuts in legal aid.

Re-nationalise the railways and utilities.

Re-introduce rent control & build state owned social housing.

Re-introduce the dog licence and make it eye-wateringly expensive to own multiple dogs.

Make apprenticeships really viable so that the proper training is given - and actually build/make things so that real jobs are available on completion, such as in the re-nationalised railways and utilities. In other words, invest in training and infrastructure instead of enriching shareholders.

Deport convicted criminals to their country of origin if they are not British citizens thus saving money to invest in more effective education and training in prisons - which should also be re-nationalised.

Manage the housing, health and education infrastructure so that immigration is beneficial to our economy instead of creating friction with too many people chasing too few homes and school places.

More incentives for people to use public transport
Scrap the bedroom tax
More money into education post 16

Flat tax
Much smaller state
Abolishing stamp duty, inheritance tax and capital gains tax
Abolishing many more of the regulations which affect and strange small and large businesses.
Fighting attempts to control through the law women's bodies such as what they drink and eat in pregnancy
A free internet with much less regulation.
Lowering the age of consent to 14.
Abolition of the US and EU extradition arrangements.

Mine would be a campaign to stop the ridiculous level of pressure put on primary aged children to perform at SATS and introduce teacher assessment as the alternative.
I would also be looking to introduce a school starting age of 7 and support for parents to stay at home with their children until this age if they wish to.
If neither of these are doable I would pump every spare £ into CAMHS provision so that children have some decent mental health support.

JaneParker
What do you mean by "A free Internet with much less regulation"?
Which regulations don't you like?

Loads of them which Labour brought in and the Tories promised to deregulate and yet the Tories let us down and have gone with the stupid herd in "thinking about the children" and other silly arguments which are used as a cloak to curtail free speech.

Jane - Which law controls what women eat and drink in pregnancy?

Loads of them
That's no answer at all!

Which regulations of the internet did Labour bring in?

Quotations/links please.

Sadly the case going through at the moment which we have been trying to stop on the feminism threads... that a woman could be sued for harm she might allegedly have done to the child in utero whereas under current law you can abort/kill it and eat and drink as you like and sky dive etc. It is a civil damages action and a trend I hope the law does not take.

We need much much better mental health services. they are a joke.
We need to catch people before they fall and not wait for a crisis before finally offering them some minimal intervention.
I am in awe of the mums who post on mumsnet who describe their very difficult journeys with mental health issues, how they struggle on and on towards a better life.
please help them and their families.

Better access to primary health out of normal working hours and at weekends.
Hospital services to run at weekends on same staffing as weekdays.
Big companies to pay fair taxes eg amazon starbucks barclays
Better workers rights eg for amazon employees and others eg zero hours
Rich UK residents to pay fair taxes.
More help and respite for carers

properly fund the NHS - raise the money by cutting out tax evasion.

tax all capital gains on land/housing regardless of where the owner claims to live - so no offfshore funds to protect gains.

tax all income produced in this country regardless of where the company headquarters is (so Amazon etc pay proper tax). If Amazon cease to operate other suppliers will take over.

increase council tax for expensive homes by introducing an extra band

stop giving honours to politicians and sportspeople and reserve them for those who have contributed to the public good

educate on responsibilities as well as rights - and that includes the responsibiity of those in Eton to the less fortunate

revise the bedroom tax so that people can not be penalised unless they have refused a move to another home in the same area

raise a tax on residential property empty for longer than a year and on second homes that are not let for part of the year. Spend it on new council housing.

reintroduce generous grants for energy efficiency. Don't use a single contractor for any work done for poor people - let them shop around for the best value - and give a grant to anyone improving energy efficiency.

allow the development of new grammar schools.

Mps salaries to rise only in line with average public sector pay and pensions to be on a similar basis. They are public servants.

I am ashamed to live in a country where children go hungry and sick people die because benefits are withdrawn. While I approve of some of the ideas behind benefit reform everyone - up to and including Cameron - involved in the implementation should be sacked.

No second homes for MPs.
They should all live in hall of residence type accommodation when they need to be in London.
There is ample office space at Westminster as well as entertainment facilities. Plenty of people work away from home for extended periods.

Holiday provision for secondary school children so they are not roaming the streets while parents are at work. Parents will work much more effectively if they are not stressing about what their DC are up to.

Yay to headlesslambrini for getting my top priority policy on the first page!! If anyone has read this far I'd also like to say..

IMPARTIAL CAREERS GUIDANCE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE

I'm shouting because nobody else has shouted loud enough and Gove has absolutely no regard for how important this is within education. It's pretty much disappeared because schools can't afford/won't fund it and Gove has no concern for whether young people are obtaining advice and support from qualified careers advisers.

This needs to be properly funded in order to enable young people to make informed decisions about their future. The cost is too high for them to get it wrong. Labour need to be pushing for this - am very disappointed in their actions so far though.

Stop all religious schools. Do what they do in France and separate religion from education.
Teach responsibilities to others as well as rights.
All drugs to be available on the NHS on prescription. This would stop most drug related crime.drug pushers would find their income stream was short lived. Also health and child services could be mobilised early if there are problems.

Proper vocational training.

Replace GCSE maths with arithmatic for vocational students
Create more jobs in manufacturing, and then train students to fill the posts
And agree with headless proper career education. Not a simple target of shovelling everyone of to uni to keep the jobless numbers down

Tax evaders and shameless tax avoiders. To be stripped of public honours. If you don't pay all your tax in this country you don't to decide what happens.

Sort out the NHS. Provide high quality care without making people wait months for it. This is the single most important issue for me, access to good healthcare is vital for everyone, even if they have insurance to cover their own needs.

Stop paying people to have children they can't afford. The child maintenance service needs to become drastically more aggressive to prevent non resident parents from failing to pay for children they have created, and childcare should be fully subsidised for those on the lowest wages so that they can financially provide for their own children instead of relying on the state for their income. Scrap child tax credits and raise working tax credits and disability related benefits.

Money should be spent on services rather than cash handouts.

Insist on education for would be separating parents so that one cannot manipulate the other by refusing access. Point out that both parents being involved in the upbringing is the best situation. Inform parents that both need to contribute to the upbringing. Bring in an advice/ assistance counselor at the beginning before it gets to court and inform both parents that both must contribute and share the upbringing of the children

Look on any stepparenting thread for the conflict which must often affect the DCs in divorce situations.

All schools back to LEA control- education should not be in private hands.
GP access out of hours
Postal deliveries in the evenings when people are actually in!
Rent control/caps
Cycle lanes- proper ones, like abroad
Tax the rich more

And insist on counseling for the DCs of parents separating so that they have independent help to deal with any issues.

For Sir Paul Coleridge to speak out as he did in favour of marriage (and due to his experience) there is a huge amount of hurt and heartache and unreasonable behaviour which is brushed under the carpet and denied at the moment.

Earlier, better and compulsory sex ed starting in yr 1.