[Closed] Real political policies you would vote for?

Can we not up the ante on that one, and have Bono and Sir Bob launched into outer space?

If we can, then you're getting my vote Dragon!

I don't agree with scrapping Successor (the Trident replacement)
I'm not sure we need HS2
Someone needs to grow a pair and address our future airport capacity strategy.
Re-negotiate our relationship with Europe - we can't have the European court stopping us from deporting terrorists.
Review the overseas aid budget - I'm not impressed with us basically funding the Indian space program, while we have people waiting for operations, and queuing up at food banks in the UK.

No new houses to be built on green belt land unless every empty town and city centre property has been renovated to an acceptable standard and offered for sale at a reasonable price.

Where viable, compulsory religious quotas in our new, non religious state schools.
Getting kids to mix at a young age can only be a good thing.

Simplification of the motorcycle licencing system.

Trial of Scottish model open access system.

Dog licences.

And many, many of the above.
😀

This - with a count of the none of the aboves to be published alongside the election results.

Not even that. All you need is Reopen Nominations (aka RON) on there, with a rule that says over a certain percentage causes a new ballot. RON would walk away with most constituencies - can you imagine the upset to the established political parties if you had to keep doing it until someone stood who people actually supported?

freeagent - Member

I don't agree with scrapping Successor (the Trident replacement)

Why?

Their auto-justification is that Trident keeps us safe.

Yet that position isn't even supported by many defence experts themselves.

The former head of the British Armed Forces has described our nuclear weapons as "completely useless" and "virtually irrelevant".

In 2007, Cold War defence and foreign policy leaders Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn and William Perry, argued in the Wall Street Journal that reliance on nuclear weapons for deterrence was “becoming increasingly hazardous and decreasingly effective.”

[url= http://www.carolinelucas.com/latest/people-must-come-before-trident ]People must come before Trident[/url]

I'm not sure we need HS2

It's an interesting one. People keep saying we should improve local rail networks, which would be great, but that'll result in more passengers and the backbones are already at capacity. So we need better backbones. But a lot of our problems are due to Victorian infrastructure so new lines would be good. Isn't that what this is?

It may not be the best route connecting the most needy cities, but it's billions spent on proper modern infrastructure for the first time in well over 100 years. I'm hoping it'll lead to HS3, 4, 5 and more.

Isn't that what this is?

No it's not. People want trains they can afford to use that will get them to where they want to go in a timely and reliable manner in relative comfort. HS2 is a business train which will only by used by the rich or people whose employers are picking up the tab to get them to London and back in a time not much less than the current infrastructure. Oh, and it's going to cost £50 billion quid (at a conservative estimate)!

problem with HS is that they think the solution to all ills is to make it faster to get to London from the north

Liverpool to Hull is 120 Miles and currently [ requires changes as well] is over an hour slower than Liverpool to London

Its just capital centric capital spending.

Trains cost to much anyway if you to take your family [ to that there London or once I looked at Leicester] the train price was dearer than hiring a car never mind taking your own.

Change tax so the rich cant avoid it /make tax avoidance illegal [ Yes I know the court case ninfan]
Compulsory voting - illegal not to with a fine for not bothering
Remove nukes costly and fairly pointless
Perhaps, at a push, have a Nato nuke "defence shield"
Social housing and more council homes
Remove tutition fees from Uni but reduce numbers there as it is a waste of time and money to have 50% graduates

Lifer, the difficulty there is you have to preface any of those comments with 'currently or the near future' whereas with Trident or its successor we are talking about the presence of (short of some massive and unforeseen technological breakthrough) 'the ultimate deterrent' many years into the future in an uncertain world.

For example, Just a couple of years ago, the prospect of a resurgent post soviet Russia invading one of its democratic neighbours and sparking a new Cold War seemed ridiculous...

Compulsory voting - illegal not to with a fine for not bothering

I'd rather that the people voting had thought about it, rather than being forced and so just either voting for the first person on the ballot or spoiling their paper.

Inheritance tax based on the wealth of the recipient, not the value of the deceased's estate.

Ok mike so we need a test as well:wink:
Fair point but given the numbers who died for the right its a shame so few use the right.

I think having to vote would make them actually think ......well I would like to think that anyway

Ban 29er's (can't beleive this has been missed out)

Seriously
I like RoN idea by @molgrips
Earned and taxed in the UK

Re nationalise Energy production - one price per unit nationwide gas and electric.
Add 10p on to fuel duty and allocate all revenues from this into other forms of mass transport.
MP's to have a decent salary (we need clever people in there) but they must be held accountable to their manifesto's and results measured and published every half term and full term. Performance related pay. No other source of income allowed.
Red/Amber/Green headers on newspapers/websites/channels to indicate the veracity of their articles over a 12 month period - min 5 relevant qualified sources per article -otherwise article flagged as "opinion"

MP's to have a decent salary (we need clever people in there) but they must be held accountable to their manifesto's and results measured and published every half term and full term. Performance related pay. No other source of income allowed.

I like the idea of pegging MPs' salaries to some multiple of the national average.

1. A commitment to serve the population not to pretend that you are there to lead or...
2. ...interfere in the majority of our economic or social decisions...leading to...
3. ....significant reduction in the roles of the state with corresponding reductions in [s]enforced slavery[/s] taxation
4.....but with increased devolution of power...combined with...
5...a commitment to the original pillars of the European market - free movement of people, capital, goods and services
6...hands off education with right to have access to religious education (if desired) and commitment to celebrate academic excellence
7. Scrap inheritance tax and consider (progressive form!) of flat rate taxation!!
8. Reduce military and political interventions overseas
9. Replace equality of outcome mantra with equality of opportunity.

So tough to find anyone to vote for!!!

[Scrap HS2 but that is pure NIMBYism !!!]

I like the idea of pegging MPs' salaries to some multiple of the national average.

Problem is the national average can be skewed. National average in London, I hear the MPs scream.

It should be a percentage based on minimum wage. That way, if they want more, they have to help those on minimum wage also.

In b4 "raising minimum wage raises living costs" - there are many studies that have been done that conclude this is not the case.

It's kind of similar to that "top CEO of company earns X% more than the the lowest paid in the company" thing they're doing in Europe.

HS2 isn't about speed, it's about capacity. Want more people to take trains rather than cars? then you want HS2 sorry. (and HS3)

scrap Trident
reduce armed forces to national defence
PR
restrictions on lobbying
elected 2nd chamber
ban on party whips
re-nationalise infrastructure, and a ban on foreign ownership.
Actually have and commit to an energy policy

The idea that higher salaries are the just rewards for clever people is one that was debated in AJS in 1945. Most concluded that there was not a clear link.

Scrap income tax
Scrap VAT
Scrap capital gains tax
Scrap inheritence tax
Scrap benefits
Scrap the NHS
Scrap all the armed forces apart from the nuclear deterrent. Give everyone a gun and 1 bullet each to defend themselves. Would make you think really carefully. The nuclear deterrent is there in case argentina try and mess with the falklands again.
Ban selfies
Ban reality TV
Ban skinny jeans for men
Mandatory beards
Ban caravans
Ban caravanning
Price cap of £2 a pint on all beer

Ooo Religion and Politics in the same day..

There needs to be the Green Democrat Party, without all the tree hugging, nuclear disarmament, 'buy the Queen a Council House', nonsense.

All Transport and Utilities back into Public Ownership and develop Green Industries off the back using our own Universities and manufacturing.

Minimum Wage UP to at least £10.00 per hour.

Introduce a Maximum Wage, certainly in the public sector where it is funded by us tax payers, is one man or woman worth more than ten times the price of another?

Encourage similar restraint in the private sector if only to protect shareholders from Board room wage excess.

Honestly how much money to you really need, being stupidly rich to the point you couldn't possibly spend it all. Anyway not something you could control but philanthropy should be encouraged more wether by tax breaks or name and fame even, who knows..

NHS, everyone gets a card, you use it to pay, reduce health tourism, requires citizenship to use, I'd even go as far as to introduce charges for persistent time wasting, for sniffles and drunk related problems.

Nuclear Power from Thorium.

Wave and Tide Power

Motorways get two tiered with water pipes, power, fibre optic built in, plus roadside fan and solar generation.

Armed forces get merged into one unit encompassing land sea and air weaponry and used as a police force if necessary to 'sort' any tyrannical oppression of human rights, not just oil related.

Depower religion, there's a simple rule. If a religion needs enforcement, it's not a religion it's tyranny, stamp it out.

Cycleways Everywhere.

Halve the number of Politicians and keep them away from the NHS

nickc - Member

HS2 isn't about speed, it's about capacity. Want more people to take trains rather than cars? then you want HS2 sorry. (and HS3)

the problem, that many have pointed out, is not with more train lines, it's with HS2 [i]specifically[/i].

it's expensive, and London-centric, just what the nation needs.

I'm not sure we need HS2

All the northern cities have categorically stated what should be the bleeding obvious. That transport links between the northern cities (road and rail) are a much more pressing issue than getting up here from London. What happens when you arrive up north super-quick from the capital? This... thats what.....

[img] [/img]

But the governments self-interested consultants in London ignored all that, and said we need to spank 7,000 squillion pounds on HS2 instead

So HS2 we're getting

Which raises another issue - stop spending our money on sodding expensive, self-interested consultants and listen to actual people instead. And ban stupid bloody think tanks as wel, while we're at itl! As they appear to exist in a La La Land that doesn't resemble any country I live in! 👿

All cats to be fitted with bells.
I'm sure there are more important issues out there but this is my biggest bugbear, they are murdering rodents that need to be stopped.

Also, national identity card, this is used to record everything from your national insurance number for access to the NHS to your driving license status.

The local trains I use sometimes to get to work and back are generally full, but they can't run them any more frequently because they're on main lines which are full of faster trains that don't stop at the smaller stations. The only way to improve the local services around here would be to move the faster trains onto dedicated lines, which currently don't exist... hence HS2.

double decker trains.. focus on increasing capacity, reliability and cost

change the mechanisms for buying / Selling houses in most of the UK

Build lots of good quality basic housing

Like it or hate it, a lot economic activity involves the south east and London at some point. BUT there's no room, people don't want to or can't afford to live there, hence you need a viable way of getting there and back that preferably doesn't need a journey on the M6 or M1 from the Midlands, where there is room, and it's cheap to live.

People want trains they can afford to use that will get them to where they want to go in a timely and reliable manner in relative comfort. HS2 is a business train which will only by used by the rich or people whose employers are picking up the tab to get them to London and back in a time not much less than the current infrastructure

EDIT

double decker trains..

...people don't want to or can't afford to live (in the SE), hence you need a viable way of getting there and back that preferably doesn't need a journey on the M6 or M1 from the Midlands, where there is room, and it's cheap to live.

so HS2 is a commuter line? - keeping the well-paid jobs in the SE, only now you need to commute for 5 hours/day, how does that help?

phiiiiil - Member

hence HS2.

we're told that HS2 is about extra capacity, if that's true then the fast trains causing your problem will carry on running, your problem won't be fixed by HS2.

really? Says who?
I will be traveling on trains across Italy next month. Cheapest option is InterCity trains, but I will be traveling from Naples to Milan on the FrecciaRossa (Italian High Speed Train). I am not rich and will be paying myself.

italian trains are relevant how?

Nationalise railways.
Multiple of pay so that the CEO earns, say, 30x the wages of the lowest-paid.
More stringent bans on dangerous drivers. Automatic life ban for anyone killing someone through their own incompetence.
National Gay Service.
Scrap HS2 and trident.
Earned in UK, taxed in UK.
Welsh to be made language of commerce.
Ban religious schools - that's for your home, not education.
Proportional representation.
Turn House of Commons/Lords into a museum and set up a nicer chamber with fewer shouty gits.

National Gay Service.

Will we all be servicing the same gay?

HS2 is a business train which will only by used by the rich or people whose employers are picking up the tab to get them to London and back in a time not much less than the current infrastructure

Even if it is (which doesn't seem likely) it's also extra capacity, leaving more trains for more stations on the existing lines.

stop spending our money on sodding expensive, self-interested consultants and listen to actual people instead.

Lol yea.. Mavis from Levenshulme knows EXACTLY the best place to invest money to grow both regional and national economy.. course she does.

National Gay Service

"Gays available to all, free at the point of use"?

Hmm a lot of 'ban the...' how will all these bans be enforced?

Not sure on the whole HS2 debate, apart from the anything that encourages people to move northwards and stops the whole concrete over the SouthEast direction we're going right now.

I would vote to move our infrastructure# away from petrol e.g. power stations that burn our green waste (as happens in Sweden)
we can then leave the Saudi's, Russians, etc... to go swing and reduce our military costs.

Nationalised infrastructure and sensible reforms to the NHS - as no one really wants to pay for a gold plated service (they want to use it) so limits have to be set.

#Yes the greens propose this but they also propose a whole bunch of loony anarchist/communist things as well as things which are non-green e.g. vegetarianism for all (see how much fertiliser would be needed if everyone was veggie).

I need to lie down now before I continue... 😆

The justification for HS2 changes by the minute. Its about capacity. Its about speed. Its about rebalancing the economy. Blah, blah, blah.... Its all bollocks of course.

I suspect all that it'll end up doing is facilitating a load of London tossers buying up second homes in the Peak District given their new ease of access, and sucking yet more jobs to the capital

[i]keeping the well-paid jobs in the SE, how does that help?[/i]

it allows the people who don't live in the SE to have jobs in the SE. and it allows people who do have jobs in the SE to live (and spend money in) places other than the SE.

italian trains are relevant how?

HS2 is a business train which will [b]only by used by the rich or people whose employers are picking up the tab[/b] to get them to London and back in a time not much less than the current infrastructure

Privatise the MOD. Whats good for the NHS and all that . . .

[i]Welsh to be made language of commerce.[/i]

this is genius 😆

as long as the prices are right,

here's a clue, they won't be.

(trains in most of europe are heavily subsidized, ours are run to turn a profit)

question, do you use british trains now? - Hs2 won't be any cheaper, and only a little quicker, if at all.

here's a clue, they won't be.

All HS2 will do is turn the east and west Midlands in to dormitory towns for London, in the same way Peterborough went in the 90s. Just means somewhere else the locals can't afford to live.

The better train links between northern cities does make sense. As does building affordable/socially housing on brown field sites closer to where people work.

@bails

Dagnabit, you found it!

Nah, it is a scheme where everyone is gay for three years. You get allocated a girl/boyfriend and at the end of three years you can choose to split or continue.

In order to reduce homophobia. *obviously* as the one who suggested it I get dibs on the blokes. 😀

BigButSlimmerBloke - Member

What will they be then? And how did you find out, because I'd like to know what the prices will be like?

i can't see any reason why HS2 will be cheaper to use than current trains, if anything, there'll be a premium.

, do you use british trains now?

If HS2 was 2 lines nine north to south (Edinburgh to Dover/chunnel and Glasgow to Southampton, with east to west at 3 or 4 places (Chunnel to Swansea, Hull to Liverpool, Edinburgh to Glasgow. Then I could see it as a real investment in national infrastructure.

As it is, it,s just a waste of cash pandering to the south east and draining investment from the rest of the nation.