Be radical
The Labour party is up to its old tricks again. After 14 years of disastrous Tory rule it won a massive majority but just does not seem to know what to do with it. It is shameless that it came into power without a real plan or even its seems much idea of what it wanted to do but be in power.
Now after just 2 years it is tearing itself apart, and not just over Mandelson. In the mind of voters it is seen far to often as the government of U-turns.
Being forced by your own back benchers to be nicer to the poor is one thing, but to introduce a perfectly fair reform to the inheritance tax system and then give concessions to whinging farmer is another, the same with pubs.
Being kicked by the tabloids is one thing but allowing them to kick you about is another and habit forming. The more concessions and back downs, the more the pressure from every lobby group and dodgy cause grows because they know pressure works.
If Labour and Sir Kier are to turn this around they need to find some radical policies and force them through.
Far to many things are just being kicked down the street when ministers should be forcing them through parliament. Reforming the police for instance, or hiking defence spending now, or regulating the media better. Do it now and don’t back down, ever.
My own personal suggestion would be taking on the trade unions, the middle class trade unions that is, the ones that hike prices for us all, are closed shops and often farcically incompetent and useless.
Dentists, vets, lawyers, chartered surveyors and auditors just for a start. All charge far too much, add to our cost of living, try to ban competition and keep out new entrants.
How about some real competition, and some real capitalism?
Now that is a radical agenda.
From Jonty Bloom Media Ltd
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
No, your losing focus here. I think you should be targetting the underlying problems like private companies appointing new dentists relatively cheaply, pushing up prices, with the profit going to companies not dentists. I understand something similar has happened to many vet practices too. I know you have a dog!
No, push for Lords reform, decent Electoral reform such as PR, stop foreign funding, and quicken the reversal of Brexit.
I’m not going to speculate on the next leader. On big ideas though how about emulating the US in providing educational credits for people who serve in the Armed Forces, do four years and get your tuition fees paid or credit for FE courses? What about people doing public service in exchange for reductions in student debt? And on that note, time to reduce the onerous interest rate on student debt to match the BoE base rate. A move that would be very popular with a section of voters they are losing to the Greens. So many ideas, so little time!!!
My last call would be for a NHS. We have a National Sickness Service at present. If you fall sick or ill the NHS will help you recover. A NHS would have the say on taxation of alcohol, fast food, costs for gyms, keeping playing fields going, a systemic approach to health. Surely with data analytics we can model this to create effective solutions.