The other
day before I got all distracted by science, bosons and invisible
spiders I mentioned that I had recently spent some time pondering
exactly what sort of policies I would find more palatable at the
polling station. Anything would be a nice change of pace from the
current debate over exactly what type of knee-pads would be the best
to wear as big-business salty shaft is lolling on our collective
tongue. Well I actually have a fair number of policies I think would
make this country a better place, some might work some ma well be
bollocks but then I'm not actually a politician, I have morals. So
without further ado let's run through them.
Ban
tax-havens. Obviously that's not something you can deal with at a
national level... except of course that it very much is. If any
company wants to do it's business in this country and it's based in a
tax-haven they can either transfer it's base to the UK and pay all
their tax here or pay a flat 40% on all profits made in the UK. Those
are your options, stop being a greedy dick and pay your way or fuck
off and make nothing. On a related note tax evasion would be punished
with each £100 avoided would equal day in prison. These measures
would plug up the gap in funding the UK's welfare state with complete
ease. I'd also cut the amount of money required to run the most of
the countries infrastructure by introducing national service. Not
military national service, unless that's the option you want to
choose. I'd just like to see an extra year added on to the education
system regardless of whether you choose to leave at sixteen,
eighteen. This work-force would be put to work in hospitals, nature
reserves and where-ever charities and the like need man-power but
also to help with science.
Brian Cox
recently pointed out that in one year of economic bail-outs the UK
government gave the banks more money than we've spent on science
since Jesus. I'd want to see that figure increased to approximately
15% of total government spending. This is easily achievable by simply
relinquishing our position as Americas side-kick. If someone else
wants to jump in and make themselves a target for fundamentalist
Muslim terrorists feel free. Britain worked very hard to make sure we
had a dog in every fight for the last thousand years it's about time
we sat a few turns out. I don't want us to rid ourselves of our navy
and he like rather use those resources as tools to further this
nations scientific advancement.
In the
global economy every country needs a niche and I feel that the UK has
an unique place in the history of science and should therefore be
focusing on making ourselves a big part of the future of science. The
benefits to our nation would be immeasurable. We would attract the
brightest minds in science from across the globe resulting in huge
leaps forward in our infrastructure, healthcare, defence and overall
quality of life. The idea would be to spark a new wave of high-tech
manufacturing industry in this country as well, meaning a drop in
unemployment. China is a great place to get you're lead painted toys
made but the UK would be a better place to get your hydrogen fuel
cells. Now onto some other random bits and pieces.
I want
the National Curriculum to include gardening. Seriously everyone
should be able to grow their own fruit and vegetable, it'd be a great
solace in tough economic times to know that you wouldn't be going
hungry. Also give everyone in school the same level of basic medical
training as you give to the army. I want more spending on the
police-force but not on more police I want better training and
equipment. If you're a police constable in the UK I want you to be a
trained MMA fighter, covered with gadgets and constantly plugged into
a central super-computer... basically I want all coppers to be
low-level Batmen. I want a one time huge cash injection into the BBC
for the specific purpose of getting the entire BBC back-catalouge
available on iPlayer, I'm including all news in that, it'd make a
great educational resource. More public artworks. More benches. Allow
people to sell organs, their my organs if I want to sell one to a
rich guy I see no-reason why I shouldn't be allowed to.
Another
thing I'd like to see is a massive reinvestment in libraries. Turn
them into what the fucking well should be. Get rid of all the fusty
quiet rooms and make places that have the books, sell coffee, have
spaces give over to making stuff throw in decent computer labs with a
half sensible porn filter and you have a space that might attract
young people. Hell whack a skate-park on the outside and you've
gotten a massive chunk of 'youths' off the street. How about an
online bill of rights so that I don't have to e-mail my MP once a
year to protest against the latest attempt by the entertainment
industry to destroy the internet to protect their out-dated business
model.
I
genuinely could go on for ages here but it's occurred to me that it
might be worth actually writing up into some sort manifesto for a
genuine alternative to the current system... I might actually
consider making it as a DRM free e-book and attempt to create an
open-source political party. That idea is not as mental as I first
thought actually. This has a real possibility of actually turning
into a genuine thing... hmmmm.
eddie
<providing political ideas without political leadership>
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