[Politics] Suggestions for what an incoming Labour government should do, once it has blagged its way in

[Sid and the Sharknados]

really? i thought lists were pretty normal in PR systems across Europe. used in EU elections, and Wales, where they had Neil Hamilton (yes that one) represent somewhere for UKIP.

With regards to the Electoral Reform Society in particular, no they don't argue for list PR.

Electoral Reform in Westminster

The way we elect MPs to Westminster means that our parliament doesn’t represent Britain.The link between how popular a party is at the polling booth and how many seats they get i

www.electoral-reform.org.uk

"We want to see the Single Transferable Vote, a fairer, more proportional voting system that makes seats match votes"

 

[WATFORD zero]

Okay.

If PR existed in the 2005 election, UKIP would’ve won approximately 80 seats - possibly more if voters knew that voting for their outsider had a chance of representation in government.

Do you think this is a good or bad thing?

Sorry, but under what sort of PR would 2.2% of the vote equate to 80 seats ?

*edit* see it's already been asked

2015 was where UKIP forced the Conservative party to adopt their only policy, so I'm not clear what would have been different

 

[jcdenton08]

Sorry, but under what sort of PR would 2.2% of the vote equate to 80 seats ?

View attachment 171202

*edit* see it's aready been asked

Asked and answered.

 

[mikeyjh]

Housing

• End the rental sector by requiring all second home owners (who own to rent) to sell. There, a bit of hard leftism for you

Genuine question - What is the improvement you're expecting out of this?

 

[stewart12]

-Nationalise water and trains. Both are absolute dogshit systems that help no one other than company shareholders. They're supposed to be public services. I don't care how much it costs it'll be worth it in the long run.
-Bin off the current set up of the House of Lords. It's absolutely ludicrous that a PM can fill our second chamber with their mates/illegitimate children/people they owe favours to. It's suppose to be a legitimate component of our law making system not some "reward". Don't care what replaces it as long as it's accountable to the public
-Stop MP's from having second jobs. It's too messy and DEFINITELY stop them from having their own f***ing chat shows on national tv ffs
-For the NHS, Mental Health provision needs to be urgently addressed as our failures in that area since 2010 have had so many knock on effects
-Address the recruitment issue that the NHS has by making it a vaguely attractive industry for people to go into. Bin off that stupid £38k threshold for immigration immediately.
-Use a bit of actual diplomacy with the French to address the channel crossings issue rather than stupid gimmicky grandstanding policies that don't actually address the issue. Implement a proper asylum system, a well funded border agency would be a good start.
-Re-ignite diplomatic ties with the EU. Aim to at least re-join the customs union
-Stop running a country via constantly trolling the public. Actually try and communicate ideas properly rather than just pointing at various groups of people and telling them that they're the problem.

There's so much more as they really are inheriting a bin fire. One thing about Starmer though is that he also inherited an abysmal situation within his own party when he took over as leader and fairly quickly set about sorting it. He may be dull as dishwater and he really could do with sorting his voice out but he does seem to be good at working out what the pressing issues are.

 

[jcdenton08]

@ManOfSussex

But what is the “burning issue”? Get elected or you’ll be “fired”…

 

[vegster]

They need to find a way to give the majority of us some kind of hope.

 

[jcdenton08]

They need to find a way to give the majority of us some kind of hope.

Excellent point. So much of discussion is (fairly) centred around policy, but a big thing has to be hope. Some kind of optimism for improvements in quality of life for the average person.

In short, how the message is delivered in hustings and Starmer’s campaign performance.

He’s never going to have Blair’s charisma, but I think there is fire in the belly deep down.

 

[vegster]

-Nationalise water and trains. Both are absolute dogshit systems that help no one other than company shareholders. They're supposed to be public services. I don't care how much it costs it'll be worth it in the long run.
-Bin off the current set up of the House of Lords. It's absolutely ludicrous that a PM can fill our second chamber with their mates/illegitimate children/people they owe favours to. It's suppose to be a legitimate component of our law making system not some "reward". Don't care what replaces it as long as it's accountable to the public
-Stop MP's from having second jobs. It's too messy and DEFINITELY stop them from having their own f***ing chat shows on national tv ffs
-For the NHS, Mental Health provision needs to be urgently addressed as our failures in that area since 2010 have had so many knock on effects
-Address the recruitment issue that the NHS has by making it a vaguely attractive industry for people to go into. Bin off that stupid £38k threshold for immigration immediately.
-Use a bit of actual diplomacy with the French to address the channel crossings issue rather than stupid gimmicky grandstanding policies that don't actually address the issue. Implement a proper asylum system, a well funded border agency would be a good start.
-Re-ignite diplomatic ties with the EU. Aim to at least re-join the customs union
-Stop running a country via constantly trolling the public. Actually try and communicate ideas properly rather than just pointing at various groups of people and telling them that they're the problem.

There's so much more as they really are inheriting a bin fire. One thing about Starmer though is that he also inherited an abysmal situation within his own party when he took over as leader and fairly quickly set about sorting it. He may be dull as dishwater and he really could do with sorting his voice out but he does seem to be good at working out what the pressing issues are.

Re-nationalisation of any sold off amenity will be very difficult though. Going to cost a fortune to pay of all the foreign companies that make good profits here for their shareholders abroad. I agree it is the right thing to do as I think not one privatised utility is cheaper or more effective since being privatised. but....

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Can't be arsed to list every policy, but ....

Govern in the medium or long term interests (ie looking at 5 to 10 years timeframe) rather than chasing every quick newspaper headline.

Act like quiet competent, professional adults. Good governments, are like good referees, you kind of forget they are there. Just get on with the job we're paying you to do without endlessly provoking us with crass stupidity

 

[stewart12]

Re-nationalisation of any sold off amenity will be very difficult though. Going to cost a fortune to pay of all the foreign companies that make good profits here for their shareholders abroad. I agree it is the right thing to do as I think not one privatised utility is cheaper or more effective since being privatised. but....

I agree, unfortunately it'll be extremely expensive

 

[Thunder Bolt]

It will take at least two years trying to stop the scorched earth results from the present.

 

[Weststander]

End National Insurance, increasing Income Tax to cover the yield. Would greatly simplify taxation. Income tax record would then form the new record for accruing state pension.

A higher personal allowance.

I agree with @HWT about a single income tax rate. At a stroke it would end most of the tax planning that goes on in and around thresholds.

Build far more new homes, starting almost immediately, not boxes without proper gardens.

A vast funding increase to CAMHS and Wellbeing, with 1,000’s more psychologists, initially through overseas recruitment if needs be.

Fix our road from potholes, they’re incredibly dangerous for anyone on two wheels.

Greater ties and cooperation with the EU. Explore going further in the medium to long term.

End the House of Lords, including all political privileges to CoE officials, the ‘great and good’. If a second chamber is a must due the volume of legislation, make it 100% elected.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Have normal people in the cabinet....not a bunch of nutters and freaks.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Have normal people in the cabinet....not a bunch of nutters and freaks.

Do normal people become politicians?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

On your tax suggestion, I assume you are referring to income tax?

One flat rate would be unfair on the low income earners. If the treasury are to obtain a similar yield through a single flat rate, the rate would probably need to be around 30%

So unless the taxable income threshold rises significantly would this not make the many labour-voting low income folk somewhat disaffected?

Yes.

Regarding the threshold I am in favour of everyone playing income tax, rather than creating a massive cliff at £15K, £20K, £30K or whatever.

To make that work the lower paid would need to be paid more. Now, there's a thought.

I was listing things that I would like to see done, rather than what Labour should put in a manifesto to get elected. Hence the title of the thread.

In my haste I forgot to mention transport.

• Railways, water, electricity and gas - renationalize.

People will object to the renationalization on two grounds. One, that it will be incredibly expensive (because these are really successful companies that will be incredibly expensive to buy) and two that it will be incredibly expensive (because these are extremely badly run companies that are making an absolute mess, soaking the customer and not investing in infrastructure). Well.....it isn't acceptable.

When we think about all these big things, then it puts culture war nonsense like defunding the BBC and sending immigrants to Rwanda into perspective. And it makes me hate the tories even more. Every day I hate them more.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Do normal people become politicians?

I do feel some people get into politics for the right reasons. We have to believe this!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Offshore business tax - Any company not resident but trading in UK has to pay an annual levy (based on a percentage of it's turnover) if it wants to legally trade in the UK

Renationalisation - It sounds great. But the sums are astronomical. Instead regulate all these private companies up the arse

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I do feel some people get into politics for the right reasons. We have to believe this!

They do. But spending years on end in a bad workplace culture drags good people down. See expenses scandal.

Good workplace culture comes from the top down. It needs inspirational leaders to put in place the appropriate sticks and carrots to move away from the current toxic lardfest we have in parliament today

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Genuine question - What is the improvement you're expecting out of this?

I don't think that soaking people who can't afford to buy their own home, as a business, is morally acceptable. Some years ago I met a bloke in Macclesfield who owned a house someone I knew was renting. He had crossed an event horizon whereby he was earning so much money from his rentals he was buying more and more new properties, with no end to this in sight. He was buying houses in new 'estates' of the sort we see springing up everywhere. It strikes me that this is a lovely self-sustaining racket, enabled by the fact that house prices are out of the reach of so many. It is a reversal of the gains working people made after the war up to the late 1970s, when people like my dad, a humble GPO engineer, was able to buy a bungalow in Rottingdean, and eventually scale up to a 3 bed semi in Portslade. A house that I could afford to buy only after working 30 years as a university lecturer.

If there is a housing 'crisis' in this country, then rather than it being due to illegal immigrants, it is due to this little racket.

I could be persuaded to think again, however. Do you think the rental sector is working well, and providing a satisfactory outcome? I suppose it could be argued that people who can't afford to buy a property and have to sink £1000 a month in rent are simply getting what they deserve, for not being smart enough to get the sort of job that would put them in bricks and mortar. And at least they have somewhere nice to rent, and I should probably just jog on and forget all about it. If, on the other hand, you think the rental sector does not work well, how can it be fixed?