Manifesto

Here's the basic manifesto:

Like many people we chew over the problems of everyday life and are often amazed that sometimes simple answers appear to have been overlooked. The following is based on 6 months of ruminating and is intended as a starting point for discussion.

Ideas for a manifesto

Respect
Respect for other people
Respect for other people’s property
Respect for authority

Rights
The right to live our lives as we see fit as long as we do not harm others, their property or the environment.

Responsibilities
The responsibility to uphold the law and to make the country a better place for all to live in. To take responsibility for our own actions and the actions of those we are responsible for. A truly caring society recognises the principle of from each according to their ability to each according to their need (just because something is old-fashioned or associated with a different ideology doesn’t make it wrong).

1 Health
The National Health Service is a national responsibility both in terms of payment and delivery. We want to see it protected, improved and valued by the community. To remove inequality and bad practice through national initiatives and the involvement of staff in decision making.

Problem
1.1 The NHS crumbles while private health care grows.

Solution
Tax private healthcare to push prices up.
Private healthcare organisations to pay a supplement to cover the cost of training for any newly qualified (within 5 years) staff.
Pay nurses more money and recognise the knowledge, skills and experience they have by giving them greater authority.
More nursing assistants to be trained in and responsible for personal care.
Consultants to work for 1 organisation only.
Private clinics forced to pay a commercial rate for all NHS services used.

Benefits/commentary
Extra tax used to support NHS.
Training costs recovered.
Better use of nurse resources – taking some of the load off newly qualified, junior doctors and recognising nursing as a profession not a service.
Better personal care for patients; more actual care jobs created.
Removal of two tier activities and subsidised private services.

Problem
1.2 NHS Management lacking understanding of care operations

Solution
New managers to have a care qualification and five years care experience. Offer appropriate management training to those care staff who are considering management.

Benefits/commentary
Managers of any organisation can only be truly effective if they understand the nature of the work place. This ensures that they will.


2 Education & Employment

Education is the most important aspect of national government because it is the foundation upon which the bricks of social cohesion are placed. Educators are our most important contributors and children our most important asset if we are to build a society that everyone can be proud to live in. We want to see greater respect for the education system, more resources, particularly at primary level and more support from all those involved, especially parents.

Problem
2.1 Primary learning – lack of funding, resources and focus.

Solution
Emphasis needs to be placed on primary learning, therefore double the investment and halve class sizes. Stream for major subjects.

Benefits/commentary
Children are programmed to learn between the ages of 3 and 13 (anyone with a knowledge of language acquisition will acknowledge this). Pupils will get more, and more appropriate, input at the most important time for supported learning.

Problem
2.2 Working parents/Healthy eating/exercise

Solution
School days to run from 9 to 5 with supervised study periods removing the need for home work. Also breakfast clubs (paid for by parents except those whose children would qualify for free meals) and after school clubs to give parents commuting time and assist in ensuring children receive a good balanced diet. Re-introduce one hour a day of physical exercise. The extra hours and supervised activities do not need to be supervised by teachers but could be covered by teaching assistants or some newly created position.

Benefits/commentary
Will allow more parents to work. Can help generate money for schools (through meals) whilst assisting in ensuring children eat more healthily. Longer days will also allow the introduction of one hour a day of exercise, which will help reinforce the importance of regular exercise and address issues of children’s health. Supervised study instead of homework will allow for more effective study time and mean that out of school will provide for genuine leisure time. It will also take pressure off parents, so providing a less stressful home life.


Problem
2.3 Falling standards in education

Solution
Pay teachers more. Focus on pupil learning rather than bureaucratic paperwork. Offer regular professional development opportunities.

Benefits/commentary
If children are our future then the guardians of those children should be amongst the most respected and dedicated members of society. Better pay will encourage more (better qualified) people into the profession. The focus on paperwork is harming pupils – focusing on learning as the only really important criteria will make sure that we move away from the rote learning for tests that we have at the moment, where understanding seems to be being lost. Regular opportunities for professional development will encourage teachers to continually improve the quality of their knowledge and skills.

Problem
2.4 Assisting individual pupils to get the best out of a national secondary education

Solution
All schools from 11-16 to be single sex with the opportunity for mixed sex sixth forms.
Streaming according to ability for all students in all major subjects, allowing for advancement from one streaming level to another as abilities improve.
Allow for the study of vocational subjects as well as academic ones.

Benefits/commentary
11-16 is an extremely difficult time for children passing through puberty and the associated hormonal changes and emotional upheaval. Single sex schools will minimise the impact of these changes on education. This also acknowledges that the sexes learn in different ways.
Streaming students allows the brighter ones to be stretched and the weaker ones to have greater support. Doing this across all major subjects allows for pupils who may excel only in one or two areas.
Vocational subjects will allow those who are not academically minded to still develop useful skills, especially given the lack of apprenticeship schemes and the need for more crafts people (such as plumbers).

Problem
2.5 Post-16 school-leavers having no opportunities

Solution
Pupils leaving school at 16 who do not find a job within 3 months and any others aged 16 to 18 without employment should undertake 2 years of paid national service. This could be with either a voluntary or community organisation, in the UK or overseas, or with one of the armed forces.

Benefits/commentary
Pupils who leave school before 18 often do so with no direction. Paid national service will ensure that they do not simply drift around getting into trouble and will instead learn a trade, provide a valuable service for those in need and attain an employment reference. Also they will have the opportunity to experience activities that could lead to full employment.

Problem
2.6 Higher education

Solution
All higher education should be free. If finance were the only issue then all graduates/diplomates should pay 1% above the basic rate of tax once their salary is over a certain threshold(since for most a qualification should lead to a better paid job) until such time as the cost of their education is paid for.

Benefits/commentary
Higher education is a basic human right and offers enormous opportunities and benefits beyond simply an improved education. The right to free education carries the responsibility to pay back for the better opportunities provided.

Problem
2.7 Schools are subject to arson causing disruption and financial cost.

Solution
All schools to be fitted with sprinkler systems and direct alarm links to the emergency services.
Benefits
Less disruption and costs.

Problem
2.8 Bullying

Solution
Stop calling it bullying when most of the acts committed are definable as violence and abuse. This makes them criminal offences, and they should be treated as such. CCTV should be fitted in all schools and community police officers should patrol at entry and exit times. Those committing offences should be referred for counselling and their parents made to attend parenting classes. A designated care officer should be appointed in the school to act on behalf of the victim and would be available for pupils to email, speak, ring or write to in strictest confidence. This officer would have direct links with staff, the community officers and social services.

Benefits
Schools become better by being safer places. It will encourage all pupils to see that this behaviour is unacceptable at an early stage by reinforcing the seriousness of such offences.


3 Politics
Politics has become cynical and jaded to the point where politicians seem more interested in doing what is popular and will keep them in power rather than having a vision of collective, social responsibility that can be backed up through logical argument. We want to see a fairer more positive process that genuinely engages the population.

Problem
3.1 Lack of democratic participation

Solution
Voting is compulsory, but all ballot papers to contain a box indicating “none of the above”.
Investigate a range of electronic voting systems, web-based, inter-active TV etc.

Benefits/commentary
Increased participation and therefore interest. Emphasis on social responsibility of individuals.

Problem
3.2 Biased voting system

Solution
Proportional representation based on a national list of candidates.

Benefits/commentary
National government is about governing nationally. Local government is already covered by local councils. Proportional representation will allow for fairer representation.

Problem
3.3 National identities within the UK

Solution
Independence for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England (in the same way that Canada and Australia are so that the Queen remains Head of State).

Benefits/commentary
This recognises the importance of self-government for independent nations. A sense of ‘national’ pride and identity can be seen when the ‘home nations’ participate in sport, so why not acknowledge this through political autonomy. It would also alleviate the criticisms relating to an English parliament interfering in Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish decisions.

Problem
3.4 Imbalance in political campaign funding.

Solution
Cap spending on political campaigning.

Benefits/commentary
Level the playing fields between the major parties and reduce the influence of rich individuals and organisations.

Problem
3.5 Negative politics leading to cynicism and disinterest amongst voters.

Solution
Election material may not make reference to what other parties have/have not done, may/may not do. Material may only say what that party would do.

Benefits/commentary
Currently, actual policy gets lost in unnecessary point scoring; it stops voters from knowing what each party stands for and therefore making an informed decision. This system would ensure that voters could make an informed choice in the same way they do about any other product that they may wish to invest in.

Problem
3.6 Ministers lacking knowledge or experience in the areas they control.

Solution
In order to become a minister for state an MP must have some relevant qualifications or experience. Must have an advisory group made up of 3 seconded members from industry including at least 1 from the basic grade (i.e., teacher, nurse etc.). Ministerial positions to last for the term of the parliament, unless the minister is sacked for incompetence/misconduct.

Benefits/commentary
There is no other job that seems to require so little in terms of qualifications and experience. This will ensure a better understanding of the implications of policy decisions, and greater empathy with those affected. No minister can be expected to grasp the requirements of the job and to implement the necessary policies without adequate time in the post.

Problem
3.7 Politicians not doing the job.

Solution
Politicians should not be allowed to work as anything else while being an MP.

Benefits/commentary
A decent level of pay for a decent job should ensure that the job in question is done to the best of that person’s ability without hindrance or interference from outside. Why is it accepted that Directors of commercial companies (even ones whose companies are not performing well) should receive vast remunerations and yet those in charge of our country should not?

Problem
3.8 Manifesto pledges

Solution
Must be kept or if factors change which make this impossible they should have to be explained in detail, with an independent group punishing any party which has been proved to have been negligent in its proposals or to have mislead the electorate about its intentions.

Benefits/commentary
Promises are made to be kept, not broken. Otherwise the public will lose faith in what politicians say. We would not accept it from a business; it is not acceptable from an organisation that asks for our vote.

Problem
3.9 The civil service

Solution
Government to put own senior civil servants in place.
Senior civil servants sacked if they fail to put a manifesto promise into place.
Senior civil servants recruited from all areas of society.

Benefits/commentary
The civil service needs to be seen to be more accountable.

4 Law & Order
The basis of all law and order initiatives should be: prevention; detection; rehabilitation; punishment. We want to see more social support to help stop crime. We want to see more police to help detect crime. We want to see more constructive responses so that there is less re-offending and more contribution made by criminals. We want to see those who are not prepared to value the sanctity of the person removed from our streets permanently.

Problem
4.1 Gun Crime

Solution
The carrying of an unlicensed gun is punishable by a mandatory life sentence.

Benefits/commentary
A clear message that guns simply will not be tolerated. Some may argue that this will encourage usage, but as many guns will be detected before they are used it will ensure that those carrying, who may subsequently have used, will be removed from the streets

Problem
4.2 Alcohol related crime

Solution
A national ID card must be presented in order to buy alcohol. If a person is convicted of a violent offence whilst drunk their ID will be tagged so that they cannot buy alcohol again.

Benefits/commentary
National ID cards will allow information to be transferred quickly onto data-bases and therefore criminal histories to be more quickly and completely accessed.

Problem
4.3 Trial jury inconsistencies

Solution
Professional jurors, selected and trained in the required aspects of law with regular opportunities to up-date knowledge and assess suitability.

Benefits/commentary
This would allow more suitable people to be called to undertake what is a very important job, they could be properly checked, trained, assessed, up-dated and monitored.

Problem
4.4 Inconsistent sentencing

Solution
Set up a professional, independent committee to produce a list of fixed penalties for each and every offence, starting with the most serious and working down. Where possible a distinction should be made between violent crimes (violence against the person or property) and non-violent crimes. Non-violent crimes where possible should be dealt with using non-custodial methods; fines; community service orders etc.

Benefits/commentary
No more reliance on the decision of individual judges. The opportunity to give careful consideration to ensuring that the punishment adequately fits the crime based on a whole history of cases rather than as a knee jerk reaction to one current case.

Problem
4.5 Violent crime

Solution
Murder = life, means life.
Violent crime always to carry a custodial sentence.

Benefits/commentary
Violence cannot be tolerated in any way shape or form. It is an abhorrent deviation from what is acceptable. It shows no respect for others and therefore demands that offenders are kept away from the rest of society.

Problem
4.6 Overcrowding in prisons/drugs/guns/violence

Solution
Where possible prisoners must be rehabilitated, which should include psychological assessment and support as well as educational and vocational support.
Prison must be a punishment and prisoners must earn everything above and beyond the most basic requirements (food, clothes, a toilet, a bed, the opportunity for exercise and the opportunity for rehabilitative support).
No physical contact allowed between prisoners and the outside world. All letters, parcels to be x-rayed and checked using a drug-sniffer dog.
Violent offenders must be kept in separate prisons from non-violent offenders.

Benefits/commentary
There is little point in simply locking people up and then wondering why they re-offend. The point of prison should be to try and ensure that people do not re-offend.
Prisoners must show that they are making an effort to participate in rehabilitation – some will not want to change and those are the ones who either must not be released or must be released in a way that stops them from re-offending (such as electronic tagging and mandatory life for 3 offences).
Drugs/guns can only come from outside prison, unless brought in by staff. A physical barrier (as they have in America) between inmates and visitors should reduce the opportunities for drug smuggling.
Non-violent offenders should not be expected to have to put up with violence and so should not be housed in the same prisons.

5 Transport
Transport in the UK is a disastrous mix of private selfishness and public chaos. We want an integrated public transport system that offers the public a fast and efficient service whilst getting private users to take greater responsibility for their actions.

Problem
5.1 Speeding

Solution
More cameras; hidden. Increased fines. All profit to go into improving public transport.

Benefits/commentary
There is no grey area, if you break the law you should expect to pay. The government should be proud of the fact that motorists who break the law are helping to fund improvements to public transport.

Problem
5.2 Poor driving

Solution
All motorists to resit driving test every 10 years.

Benefits/commentary
Better awareness of road laws (particularly any changes). More employment for driving instructors/examiners. More revenue for the government, which can also be used to improve public transport.

Problem
5.3 Driving whilst disqualified or without insurance.

Solution
Mandatory custodial sentence from 1 year to 5 years, depending on number of offences.

Benefits/commentary
Driving a car means being in control of an object that can cause devastating damage to property and people and drivers need to take their responsibility to drive safely, more seriously.

Problem
5.4 Causing death by dangerous driving, such as attempting to evade the police.

Solution
Mandatory life sentence.

Benefits/commentary
In the wrong hands a car is a deadly weapon and should be treated as such. We take cars for granted until it is too late, we must learn to be more responsible. Why should someone who is drunk and waves a gun be considered any more dangerous than someone who is drunk and drives ton of metal anywhere near pedestrians.

6 Pensions, Wages, Benefits & Taxes
From each according to their ability, to each according to their need. We want to see a working, welfare and taxation system that sustains each member of society whilst providing a transparency that enables them to see their social responsibility.

Problem
6.1 Inequality in tax

Solution
Earnings below £10,000 do not pay tax. Earnings above £100, 000 pay 50% tax.

Benefits/commentary
Low earners simply do not earn enough and should not pay income tax. Fairer taxes are those that target what money is spent on. However, anyone earning more than £100, 000 will lead a privileged lifestyle and should be prepared to pay more to assist those who do not have the opportunity to reach that level.

7 Media, Culture, Art & Sport
The media of this country is amongst the finest in the world and as long as it is still able to operate freely, to criticise and be criticised, it will remain so. Culture is an important issue but one that is too deep rooted whilst at the same time perceptually peripheral to be addressed as a single issue here. Art and sport equally occupy positions that move beyond the political focus of government and as such need to be addressed separately.

Problem
7.1 Attacks on the BBC

Solution
Enshrine the license fee in law along with an increase based on inflation.
Allow the BBC to develop more digital channels aimed at minority or specialist groups.

Benefits/commentary
The BBC is important because of its efforts in political even-handedness. It is the only broadcaster that is not subject to the pressures brought by commercial sponsors. It must be protected and allowed to fulfil its role as a public service broadcaster.

8 Energy & The Environment
If you are not part of the solution then you’re part of the problem. We must take positive steps now to change the way we generate energy in order to protect the environment and our future.

Problem
8.1 Depleting energy reserves

Solution
Fund long-term replacement of all energy needs with sustainable energy resources.

Benefits/commentary
To help achieve the necessary funding we would not replace this countries current nuclear weapons capability. We would also cap the profits of energy suppliers so that excess profits could be used. It is false economy and gross negligence to argue that the cost of alternative fuels makes them prohibitive. Nuclear fuel is only acceptable because of huge subsidies and the long-term effect of the continual burning of fossil fuels will far outweigh the short-term cost of developing viable alternative solutions.

Problem
8.2 Fox hunting

Solution
Ban it

Benefits/Commentary
No other ‘pest’ is controlled in such a barbaric manner. Taking delight in the torture and death of animals is seen as a trait of potential psychopaths; fox hunting is no different.

9 Civil Liberties
Rights bring responsibilities. Anyone committing a criminal act is abdicating their responsibilities and as such must accept that they forfeit their rights. The introduction of a national identity card would allow numerous benefits. It would need to be phased in over time, but the cost would not be prohibitive as most of the technology is currently available and people already accept that they have to pay for various forms of identification, such as passports and marriage licenses. An identification card would then allow certain controls to be introduced, such as the purchase of alcohol and fireworks. It could be used by the police to check immediately if a person had been convicted of a crime, or if they were wanted for a crime. The rights of the individual can still be protected by regulating on what occasions a card could be requested or demanded. We already carry numerous forms of ID (driving license, credit card, loyalty card, library card, bus pass, work ID), containing large amounts of information stored on various databases. ID theft will always occur but is not a reason to not have an ID card.

10 Europe & Foreign Policy
We must be at the heart of Europe, helping to shape it. We must remember that our first responsibility is to the people of this island. Any actions in other parts of the world must have a clear, positive impact on the population of the UK otherwise they will unnecessarily divert attention away from the one place where real, positive changes can be made.