I have maintained for a little while a
list of things that I would like to change in the UK, if I ever had the
chance. Here it is, and it should give you some idea of my politics.
- Write a constitution which guarantees everyone on British soil:
- the right to protest
- the right to fair trial
- the right to no detention without charge
- the right for government not to hold centralised or unnecessary
data on individuals
- the right to be tried within one's own country (e.g. no
deportations to the US just on their say-so)
- the right to not be tortured
- Outlaw extraordinary rendition flights from landing in the UK.
- Get rid of tax breaks for the rich.
- Abolish inheritance tax.
- Buy back utility companies, or find some other way to make them
act in the public, not the private, interest.
- Reform the House of Lords:
- turn hereditary and Spiritual peers into life peers
- lower the average age of peers with a retirement package
- allow peerages to be removed from those guilty of serious offences
on the same basis as the Commons
- Make the oath that MPs swear promise to serve their constituents and
country, not the Queen.
- Split the Church of England away from the government.
- Decriminalise and regulate drugs.
- Reform the voting system such that tactical voting is unnecessary,
and people can vote for the candidate they want
- End the reliance on government targets in most places, and in
others, make sure the targets represent the public rather than
governmental interests (see 1)
- Decriminalise incest and prostitution.
- Abolish tuition fees, and find a more sustainable and less
crippling way to fund higher education.
- Do not allow MPs to take money from special-interest groups.
- Adapt policies from Germany about restricting fascism.
- Reform copyright to last for life plus ten years.
- Abolish state recognition of marriage.
I also have a bunch of even less concrete ideas, which I intend to
research at some point:
- Prison issues:
- Prison should be a place of last resort.
- Increase funding for in-prison courses (educational and reformational).
- Work out some way of making fewer crimes prison-worthy
(regulating drugs would probably go a long way towards this)
- Increase ability of parents to see their children when they're inside
- Make life better for transgender people:
- Legislate for a "non-gender-specific" tickbox.
- Paternity leave of two weeks is not acceptable.