Urgent Manifesto for the 1970s!

It hasn't happened for quite a while now. I might almost have thought of it as a figment of a former life- something of the past. Clearly not!

Just the other day I got into an argument! Or was it more of a 'disagreement?' Either way, voices were raised!

I doubt that it played out quite as I would have hoped yet this much I know, my side of the argument was easily the better informed. There were those moments when I was faced with either biting my tongue or else taking up the challenge and I've never really been one for a great deal of tongue biting. Still, how is one supposed to argue the point with someone who it appears has never bothered to properly identify and locate that same point in the first place?

There was red wine of the Malbec variety, food and an element of reminiscence, not of the film variety. The rain held off, affording others the chance to weave their ponderous pathways through the gardens.

Perhaps reflecting more the red wine, I cannot now recall exactly what it was that sparked the exchange. Likely it was something quite innocuous, something hidden within the broader topics of conversation. Definitely adding fuel to the embers there were years of simmering containment, scores of unspoken thoughts.

As already stated, the precise moment when the strained, polite (my take) conversation undertook its metamorphosis is now lost to memory. It really matters not because this is not the purpose of this posting... although, as ever, the two are closer than distant cousins. So, broadly speaking, the theme is really more about individual personal responsibilities in the context of a planet in crisis, a light topic, or so one might have been forgiven for thinking if one had happened to spy the vacuous receptacle, the impenetrable smirk, that was my opponent's face. Maybe it was the look of incomprehension? Suffice to report, and no further, that he (of course it was!) had/has pretty much given up upon the planet, except for those dwindling resources that he clearly intended/intends to continue to burn, consume, dispose of, or otherwise exploit to the full, as if current neoliberal governments hadn't already fully torched that corpse!

So, in looking pleadingly to an uncertain future... I offer an aspirational and long-overdue, manifesto for a possible future.

It should be understood that (some) economists cannot continue to pretend that the neoliberal nightmare has ever been sustainable. The UK must take up reins that have for far too long remained unmanned (unwomanned), regardless of the actions of other governments:
* so, full throttle into a new and a progressive green economy- all the while hoping it's not too late
* fully funded switch to alternative green energy- sever all reliance upon fossil fuels within the next five/nine years
* national (and all company) projections of economic growth to be discontinued and replaced with ecological sustainability projections
* fossil fuel corporations (including lobbyists) removed from 'all' parliamentary decision making
* all natural environments (including those reclaimed [rewilding] as such) to be fully protected from future 'development' and 'developers'
* all UK waters to be protected from overfishing and from the depletion of habitat caused through any ongoing over-zealous fishing practices
* all natural fish species to be protected from overfishing thus, and through necessity, shrinking the current fishing industry
* where industries are necessarily adversely affected by UK's ecological switch widescale retraining and relocation programs, such that communities are not to be abandoned as with previous generations
* commitment to rejoining the EU at soonest opportunity- commitment to wholesale changes in the EU, away from neoliberal economy, towards sustainability without economic growth, ultimately towards economic reductions
* a national debate upon the means to successfully shrink the economy
* shareholder dividends to be dependent upon a company's commitments to its workforce, environmental and ecological concerns, to be independently verified
* commitment to 'unhooking' UK companies from economic comparison measures such as the stock exchange in its current form
* a new raft of progressive income tax bands to be implemented at the soonest opportunity
* fix the 'upper income' glitch to the current National Insurance system
* revamped (progressive) banded National Insurance to be increased, adjusted to reflect a commitment towards combating economic inequality, to (averaging) 1% increase at the lower threshold- to be further reviewed via open national debate within 5 years
* introduce a Wealth Tax whereby future national expectation becomes, 'assets (wealth) to be taxed ahead of income' - suggested 1% tax on millionaires
* increased corporation tax to 40%, in line with former UK commitments
* educate the nation's populace upon the countless benefits of a (justly/fairly administered) high tax society- tackle current peddled misconceptions as sponsored via corporate interests
* the triple-lock on state pensions to be immediately reinstated and retained for future generations
* VAT to exclude most/all essential items sought/needed by lower paid citizens in order to attain reasonable standards of living, alcohol at 20% as at present, 'luxury' items taxed at 40%, wholesale revamp of the tax 'bands'
* debate upon the means to most efficiently tackling and stamping out the use of off-shore tax havens (most of these are anyway British dependencies)
* thorough appraisal of all UK 'taxes,' with aim of necessary modifications to ensure that all will in future operate progressively


The environment is the only one we have! It must be recognised that the continued burning of fossil fuels is known, and universally accepted, to be threatening this global environment and consequently driving racing depletion of many vital habitats around our planet. In an interconnected world a lost habitat in any continent is a loss to every continent:
* retail to phase out 'all' plastic use within ten years- notable exceptions might include provisions for the NHS- regularly reviewed via open national debate, all current treatments/procedures to be safeguarded
* an urgent international means sought, upon methods of 'collecting' the 'continental' rafts of plastic waste that are blighting our oceans and poisoning our planet
* national search for alternative to current 'landfill' approach to waste- export of the UK's waste to poorer nations to cease with immediate effect
* UK's recycling program to be fully updated and funded, publicly operated, modernised- prohibitive measures to be employed in order to ensure that retail hastens to comply with nation's recycling program/aims
* bottle returns program to be universally rolled out with immediate effect
* 'all' use of fossil fuels in provision of transport to be phased out within the next five/nine years
* absolutely no 'new' fossil fuel fields or mines to be opened (or current ones to be extended)
* all currently operational fossil fuel mines/fields to be phased out within five years- affected communities to be properly safeguarded (not abandoned as previously)
* all political funding via fossil fuel companies to cease with immediate effect
* all rivers to be pollution free within one year- enforced via fully publicly funded Environment Agency
* tightening of all environmental controls at all sewage works, enforceable through prohibitive sanctions via a publicly funded Environment Agency
* clean air act universal rollout- enforced via fully publicly funded Environment Agency
* all farm soils to be toxin free within one/two/three years- enforced via fully publicly funded Environment Agency
* pesticide use to be universally phased out within one/two years
* import of palm oils to be phased out over two years, investigate means to help reclaim (overseas) lands lost to palm oil plantations, on behalf of the former populations (peoples and creatures)
* single use plastics phased out within one/two years- with few notable exceptions (ie. NHS)
* creation of a national furniture recycling program- to operate 'alongside' council tips, whereby no viable furniture to be disposed of, instead recycled into the local communities at minimal cost (under remit of local councils)
* built in obsolescence identified (notably within the IT industry) and eliminated- the right/means to repair rolled out across the industry
* a recognition that undue/excessive lighting also acts as a form of pollution (more so to nature), in addition to also being yet another energy consumer- all public lighting to be considered in this context and discontinued/reduced where deemed unnecessary/possible


A parliament that has permitted dishonesty to flourish on such a scale is not fit for purpose. The UK should aim to create a country in which the vast majority of its citizens engages with its parliament, understands how it operates and values its honesty:
* parliament to operate 'entirely' free from lobbyists, although not free from welcomed expertise
* fullest sanctions brought in immediately for cases of proven lying in/to parliament
* inquiry into quickest means to abolish the House of Lords- possibly to be replaced with democratic second House- removing a serious obstacle (ie. an ex cricketer with a penchant for killing rare species) to achieving an 'aspiring towards democratic' status
* the current honours system is recognised as a serious hurdle to democratic due process- if an honours system is to survive it must be given a thorough overhaul in order to ensure that the current dangerous chumocracy is not permitted to perpetuate. All such former appointees should be openly debated and removed at the soonest opportunity. Any future honours not to include elevations to any second House
* public register of all foreign lobbyists working in the UK
* prohibitive financial and other sanctions for governments who misrepresent commitments via party election manifestos- not to be financially redeemable via the public purse
* all political manifestos (viably electable) to be independently costed
* an urgent rebuild of the Labour Party, from the membership upwards, to be safeguarded from any future top (National Executive Committee) down effective 'coup' arrangements- to restore the vital missing element required within an aspiring-democracy
* democracy in Labour Party to be increased- 'one member one vote' must stay- threshold for leadership elections safeguarded at 10%
* independent inquiry into certain 'influencers' who have operated inside (and against) the true Labour Party


The nation's MSM needs to be an honest one that operates in the interests of its citizens and is not beholden to hidden corporate interests. Journalists should be unbound by editorial restraints. Without honest reporting of current events how can an aspiring democracy be expected to progress? Those consistently found to be in breach of these basic expectations should be curtailed or, in the eventuality of repeated offences, closed down!:
* editorial independence of all MSM journalists that they should remain unbeholden to corporate interests and/or their editors
* a fully resourced (how?) and 'independent' MSM, in order to protect the truth from corporate and other disingenuous interests
* re-adoption of formerly applied codes of reporting at all national news outlets (ie at least two supporting independent sources cited)- retweeting misinformation and then deleting it is not journalism, instead it is pandering to/feeding a corporate MSM who already has an agreed agenda
* a journalist's full legal protection, and that of their source, in cases of news leaks that are clearly in the national interest
* IPSO recognised as unfit for purpose, to be terminated with immediate effect
* new press and media regulation body fully independently resourced and given greater powers to impose prohibitive sanctions proportionate to an outlet's funds
* it should be universally understood/publicly-registered where political 'gatekeepers' (ie. Matthew Pariss, [also formerly] Andrew Neil, Gyles Brandreth) operate in the MSM guise of unaligned presenters (register of political activities) and are thus able to maintain the not so subtle slant away from honest/balanced dispersal of information/news
* highly/regularly publicised register of all media transgressions, notably within MSM (ie: Sun, Express, Mail, Jewish Chronicle and other frequent transgressors) such that the general public are to be(come) reliably and properly informed
* a fully publicly funded BBC
* a guarantee that Channel 4 remain in public hands
* 2017 General Election 'claims' to be openly and independently fact checked, transgressions made fully public (rectified) at the soonest opportunity
. home fixtures of all national sports events to be available on free to air TV and radio stations
* no gambling sites to be advertised during any televised sports events
* a new raft of sanctions to tackle misinformation shared upon all social media sites, with the ultimate sanction of closing down sites- to be independently funded and policed


It should be a celebrated expectation that those appointed to all public roles will operate always in the wider interests of those they are required to 'serve.' Where this can be proven not to be the case measures should be put in place to ensure that those individuals can be removed with immediate effect. The Royal Estate is currently an immense/expensive untapped national resource, the nation should view all such resources with an eye to the future betterment of all of its citizens:
* termination of 'all' politicised appointments currently in public roles (BBC, Channel 4, police commissioner, education, NHS, utilities), where appointment deemed to be not in best interests of the general public or the institution in its role of public provider
* Prince Andrew to stand trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, as required of international law, further charges to be investigated and pursued where appropriate
* national protection measures from politicised actions 'deemed' not to be in the wider public interest- with public consultation where appropriate- for education, NHS, public transport, housing, police force, utilities, military
* a full and open national consultation on the true value/costs to the nation of the British Royal Family
* fully dependent upon the above, plans drawn up on the public acquisition of all lands and properties currently in the Royal Estate
* art galleries to safeguard 'all' the nation's artworks from wealthy/Sotheby's acquisition and thus potential loss to the nation/world- where possible 'lost' artworks to be brought back into the public realm
* overdue open debate to be had on the continued 'ownership' of Britain's museums' colonial acquisitions and artefacts- where appropriate artefacts to be repatriated
* target of making all of Britain's galleries and museums free to the general public within five years
* further powers to councils to best operate with authority in the best interests of local people- decentralise
* funding to councils to best reflect the requirements of individual councils- more funding for the less affluent- shared authority with central government


The NHS is still the envy of much of the globe, despite many years of covert attack from disingenuous sources. It should be recognised that the vast majority of the UK population remains heavily dependent upon the NHS's continued existence. All those former services that have since been 'allowed' to fall outside of its umbrella of protection should be reclaimed at the soonest opportunity:
* a fully publicly funded NHS to cover all requirements/procedures deemed necessary/viable via independent inquiry (reviewed biannually)
* dentistry to be brought back fully under NHS provision, range of treatments made free at source
* nation's ophthalmology requirements to be brought back properly under the umbrella of NHS provision
* proper full public funding for provision of all mental wellbeing services, goal of seriously getting to grips with a spiralling national mental health crisis
* all PFI in the NHS to be phased out within one/two years
* a highly-publicised register of all ministers who have operated in parliament, or outside, as lobbyists (ie. Owen Smith, Sajid Javid [Health Secretary], Priti Patel) for private healthcare providers- a guarantee that such individuals not be involved in any consultation regarding the NHS
* the nation's social care to be brought 'in house,' thus ensuring that those who work in the sector are properly remunerated and that private equity is not permitted to siphon off much needed funds
* UNISON's 'demand' of an immediate £2,000 uplift for all NHS workers to be fully met, urgent review of system for proper future funding of all staff- recognition that surreal nationwide images of PM and Health secretary etc banging pans do not reflect the nation's feelings/gratitude/debt


It should be acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic has been further fuelled, amongst other factors, care (also) of the continued international travel of many individuals from more affluent countries. Also, that the vaccine rollout has inhumanly favoured those same affluent countries. This pandemic will continue to reap a greater number of lives from poorer nations until vaccine rollout properly reflects the international nature of the pandemic:
* waiver of all Covid-19 vaccine copyrights wherever possible
* urgent debate on the best/most direct means to a termination of unilateral vaccine rollout program- replaced with commencement of a new multilateral vaccine rollout program
* all reasonable mitigating measures, such as the wearing of masks inside of most public spaces, to be reintroduced at the soonest opportunity
* a two-pronged national inquiry into the (real) handling of the pandemic- 1. handing out of contracts and funds, to whom? 2. recognising the true number of pandemic deaths- where deaths, especially in care homes, could reasonably have been avoided?- current '28 day' subterfuge to be disposed of


It should be recognised that good education is a root/route to a (more) successful life, thus the best universal education system begets the best (whole) nation. There is an urgent need to re-establish the proper respect that is long overdue to those in the teaching profession, and to guard against a dishonourable MSM too often making them the scapegoat for the failings of others. Those who have studied and worked in the profession must be those best placed to define, better hone, and teach to an ever-evolving national curriculum:
* tax relief on all private education to end within one year
* Ofsted terminated and replaced with fully publicly funded unit charged with supporting provision of universal education to the nation's youth and beyond
. ultimate goal of 'all' education becoming publicly funded and 'free' to access
* essential within a wide curriculum, honesty must always be sought- students should celebrate also Britain's and its citizens' real gains, but also learn from historical mistakes and wrongs/crimes (including against humanity and other nations). If this is not done then how is the nation to properly own its past and build its future- issues/topics such as 'Britain's colonial past,' 'Britain's past role in the international slavery trade,' 'Britain's military overseas interventions,' 'Israel's oppression of Palestine,' should be embraced
* schools, universities and colleges should learn to 'look' at the UK's international military interventions objectively, instead of too often defaulting to unquestioning 'idolisation'- it is immoral and dishonest for the armed forces to 'recruit' from the nation's school children
* awkward questions should be encouraged, notably on historical, geographical and religious areas of study- teaching of, and around, the subject of British Empire requires serious modification to reflect also the international harms that have been wrought through British overseas rule
* students should be taught to engage in fierce/passionate debate whilst retaining respect in areas of genuine conflict
* universities strongly encouraged to discontinue adherence to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, replaced, where a replacement sought, by the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism- open and free debate upon the subject encouraged- funding absolutely not to be conditional
* reintroduction of further education grants
* independent inquiry into university education in its current format, in the context of reintroduction of further education grants
* where departments (notably science) are to be 'sponsored' by private interests the 'expectation' must always be that there will be no influence brought to bear
* Urgent and full de-marketisation of further education- seek immediate re-entry into the Erasmus (EU) Program
* immediate 10% pay award to teachers, begin process of restoring pay levels in both real and comparative terms


All life should be valued and respected, except where it unjustly impinges upon other lives:
* a human right to shelter, sustenance, healthcare, association, work and education
* homelessness universally addressed with an aim of full elimination within one/two years
* re-adoption/recognition of the European Court of Human Rights
* increased legal aid to be made available
* unemployment, disability and all other benefits to be independently assessed and increased in accordance with the provision of 'reasonable' living standards
* a universal goal to insure that working will 'always' benefit an individual
* reduce levels of absolute poverty to zero within one/two years
* DWP unfit for purpose, thorough restructuring required, respect for the individual as the central ethos
* re-establish the social/financial 'safety net' that was formerly accepted as the role of the state
* scrap the failed 'Universal Credit' experiment- ensure that those in need receive what they require
* a universal basic income to be trialled
* an urgent national inquiry into domestic abuse in the UK- whole raft of severest sanctions to be drawn up and implemented into the legal system as soon as is practicably possible
* most social care to be provided by the state- 'one' home and savings up to (suggested?) £100,000 protected
* the state also to pay the hidden cost of any 'reasonable' accommodation, costs that might otherwise quickly deplete all of the above- those with private resources beyond £750,000 not covered
* state pension (available) for 'all' citizens at 65/66- serious consideration given to earlier retirement age for particularly physically demanding/stressful jobs (construction work, teaching, social work, ambulance/fire service and other areas)
* Shamima Begum's citizenship restored, repatriated and tried under the British legal system- potential future role in combating 'grooming' of minors


All citizens to have a human right to shelter. All future homes to be subject to independent inspection with the aim of guaranteeing comfortable/affordable/safe living standards for all:
* a fully publicly funded social housing program to be independently devised and rolled out within the year
* all new housing to be fully protected against investment purchase, with the ultimate target of terminating all future investment procurement of any future housing stock
*all future homes to be designed to socially 'acceptable' and regulated size, insulation, heating, storage requirements- no unviable 'bedrooms,' adequate cupboard space, outdoor space or viable alternatives
* all future mortgages limited to 3.5 x one stakeholder's salary
* all future homes to be fitted with solar panels and (where feasible) other means of green energy use and savings
* program of strict building regulations- reinstatement of many of the 'corner-cutting' changes to regulations in recent years, to ensure all new homes are fit for habitation
* all private landlord rents to be registered- rents limited by law
* all unsafe/unsound social housing to be made fit for purpose within two years, at cost to the original developer wherever feasible- full access to culpable individuals' private funds to be legally pursued
* full grants to be available to modify homes for viable occupation by those living with disabilities
* NHBC 10 year newbuild guarantee deemed unfit for purpose- all future newbuilds to be guaranteed by the developer, covered via private insurance- implemented within one year
* Council taxes upon second/ multiple homes to be dramatically increased- not to be recouped via tenants rents as all rents forthwith registerable
* with regards to the ongoing national inquiry into the events which led up to and caused the Grenfell catastrophe to occur- all 'concerned' parties to be required by law to attend and bound by law to give truthful evidence, all culpable individuals and companies to be duly tried in a court of law


The carbon footprint of the fashion industry must be regarded as immense and unsustainable. In addition it harbours many unsound/inhuman practices, globally and nationally. The UK needs an urgent reboot of the manner in which clothing is produced, retailed and dealt with at the end of it perceived use:
* the UK must seek to drive an urgent international debate upon the whole international clothing infrastructure, with the aim of quickly reducing its human and its climatic/environmental impacts
* a national restructuring of clothing retail in the UK, with a shift in focus to increased uses and durability- fashion as a concept to be minimised, with the ultimate aim of ending current system
* recycling of 'unwanted' clothing to be greatly upscaled, with the aim of replacing many current clothing markets/systems


It must be recognised that not all of the farming community has served time well as the self-anointed 'guardians of the countryside.' Henceforth all environments must be fully protected and provision of safe, home-grown food optimised:
* optimisation of provision of home-grown/produced food
* heavy fines for pollution of all rivers, lands and air- backed up by a fully funded Environment Agency
* a fully funded operational Environmental Agency with a new pallet of significantly increased sanctions
* any changes to land use to be registered and bound by commitments to maintaining or improving provision for diversity of natural species
* public enquiry into the depletion of native species/habitats with view to investigating reversals wherever feasible
. termination of all forms of blood sports and activities designed to disguise such activities
* landowners to be held accountable for the environmental and wildlife actions of their workforces
. pet trade to be fully regulated, exotic pet trade terminated with 'immediate' effect
. inquiry into the serious reduction/eventual elimination of feral cat population
* badger cull to stop immediately
* farm (over)use of antibiotics to be universally appraised and severely curtailed with ultimate goal of total elimination- other means to better (regulated) 'care' of livestock investigated
* the UK will investigate all means to reducing the nation's meat consumption in order to (quickly) minimise the nation's climate impact, and wide-ranging international environmental impact(s)
* animal welfare to be always of the highest standards throughout, enforced via publicly funded welfare units


Without adequate food we are lost. The nation must henceforth work collectively to ensure that feeding everyone takes precedence over overfeeding an elite. Access to food is recognised as a human right:
* where community kitchens continue (to need) to exist they should, in the mean time, be embraced as a positive aspect of community responsibility and fully resourced as required until they (community kitchens) can be deemed to be no longer necessary
* food waste is a national disgrace. An urgent national debate/strategy to minimise food waste (notably via supermarkets), ensuring that where surpluses occur these can be instantly diverted to those most in need. No viable supermarket surpluses to be destroyed in order to falsely maintain profits


There is an urgent need for the nation's transport to fully reflect the environmental crisis and for it to be modified accordingly:
* a roll out of a universal publicly funded and integrated public transport system
* subsidised public transport such that affordability for 'everyone' becomes the priority
* all 'public' transport (railways, buses, tram services, ferries) to be brought back into public ownership
* termination of all further stages of HS2- where possible affected habitats to be returned to former status
* all yellow lines that restrict parking but do not enhance flow or better enable access to be removed from roadsides
* creation of a national strategy for car-parking and car-parks, designed to serve communities and not to just generate profits for private companies- 'public' parking spaces to be taken back under public control, thus bring back vital funds to local councils- all NHS hospitals and other NHS units to be freely accessible to patrons and hospital visitors (all further exploitation of ill-health to be discontinued with immediate effect)
* a nation-wide program of road repairs to ensure that 'all' surfaces do not unduly impinge upon journeys- removal of all speed bumps, replaced by proper police enforcement measures and effective sanctions
* widescale pedestrianisation/partial pedestrianisation of routes/areas regularly populated by children- whole raft of speed enforcements
* a national program of safe cycling lanes to be rolled out, duly taking up any slack that should follow the roll out of a universal public transport system
* national conversation on means to ensuring that the UK's pavements are to be ensured safe for, and usable by, pedestrians- wide-ranging issues such as pavement-parking, scooter use, cycling on pavements, various obstructions, adjacent building works, repairs to, etc
* all petrol driven vehicles to be off the UK's roads within the current decade
. vehicle noise to be finally recognised as the awful intrusion that it is- all modified/noisy exhausts by design to be off the UK's roads within two years, appropriate sanctions to apply


With careful heed to the deteriorating crisis/state of the climate, the UK must look to re-establish the type of industrial base required of a nation in a (self-inflicted) climate crisis. All the while, and with a shared sense of international urgency, we must seek to redefine the UK's international trading 'partnerships':
* building of a new national public steel industry that operates strictly to all nationally agreed 'reductions' in carbon emissions
* urgent national discussion upon the sourcing required of a national steel industry
* urgent national discussion upon the appropriate sourcing of any timbers sought throughout the nation- all the while adhering to new protections for all natural (and reclaimed) habitats
* in strict accordance with the above, identification and agreement upon which materials should in future best serve the nation and the globe


It needs to be recognised that, in light of the climate crisis, the aircraft industry will need to be seriously curtailed with immediate effect:
* all recreational flights to be limited for all individuals
* recreational 'space flight' program terminated with immediate effect wherever possible- international accord to be sought
* 'carbon offsetting' to be recognised for the deceit it is and terminated with immediate effect
* private flights and ownership of aircraft to undergo independent review and to be severely curtailed accordingly, in line with all of the above


Far greater emphasis upon a holistic approach to the running of the nation's utilities. Recognition that many of the nation's wider issues are best served via an holistic approach. A far greater emphasis/recognition must placed upon the values afforded to a nation via a rich and inclusive properly funded accessible cultural sector:
* all utilities to be brought back into public ownership
* rollback of (all) covert privatisations undertaken since 1979
* rebuilding of the national Fire Service, repairing the damage done by former governments (inc. by London Mayor Johnson)- improvements and consolidations, publicly funded
* Post Office and telecommunications companies to be brought back into public ownership
* immediate universal rollout of library service- all formerly closed libraries reopened, additional new units established where required
* all drinking water to be certified continually safe for human consumption and regularly checked to ensure that this standard is maintained
* concerted drive to fix the nation's leaks
* all CEO salaries tied to the salaries of those of the company's lowest paid employee, suggest 20:1
* increased and fully backdated outstanding corporation taxes aimed to be collected within one/two years- all current loopholes closed with immediate effect
* new (proper) living wage universally rolled out, all sectors of society


Acknowledgement that remote nation building is a failed enterprise. There must be a renewed emphasis upon international diplomacy (where more urgent measures can be avoided) and upon respect for the independence of nations:
* termination of all overseas arms sales
* all nuclear arms to be decommissioned
* decommissioning of all overseas military bases
* withdrawal of all overseas military units except in accordance with United Nations Units
* sovereign status to be supported/ sought for the Palestinian peoples, occupied territories handed back by the Israeli Government
* prohibitive restrictions upon licensing of all firearms
* in its international dealings the UK should henceforth always behave in a respectful manner towards all other peoples, even where seemingly intractable issues persist- disrespectful/disdainful terms like the 'civilized world' are to be dispensed with
* the nation should do all that it can to ensure that all (Saudi) attacks upon the Yemeni people cease with immediate effect- just one example of UK's arms sales being used to horrific effect
. UK MSM must flip to questioning, rather than endorsing, the nation's overseas arms interventions
* full and open publication of all evidence showing, amongst other inconvenient facts, that 15 of the 19 9/11 perpetrators were Saudis
* personal use/ownership of drones to be made a criminal offence within one year- high street and online sales terminated with immediate effect- all remaining private drone use to be nationally licensed and registered
* UK's role in extraordinary rendition program to be properly independently investigated, legal charges (ECHR, ICC) to be pursued and nationally supported, where possible compensation sought on behalf of all (living) victims/families
* a return scheme for all personal drones to be devised within one year
. prohibitive sanctions to be levied upon all unlicensed drone owners within two years
* full publication of any/all 'evidence' linking Western/US/UK forces to the use of chemical weapons (ie. white phosphorus) in the Middle East
* urgent repair of damage done to the UK's connections to Northern Ireland (Good Friday Agreement), contritional full agreement with Ireland and the EU to be sought
* the nation must work with everyone and anyone who is able to assist with extracting/assisting desperate refugees wishing to flee the nation of Afghanistan


There should be open recognition that gambling and its pernicious tendrils have grown to become a curse upon our nation:
* online gambling sites fully regulated, all online advertising terminated
* all identified online 'gateway' games to gambling, accessible to children, and those disguised as children friendly to be terminated immediately
. gambling sponsorship and its 'visible' association with sports terminated
* a new increased tax upon gambling revenues
* all high street gambling facilities to be removed within one year
. all gambling upon sports to be restricted to the site of the activity- heavily licensed and restricted
. national lottery and spin-offs terminated


Advertising standards have slipped and advertising has consequently adopted a far too prominent and insidious role in many people's lives:
. curtailment of all advertising in its current form- advertising standards to be significantly strengthened and all future advertising suitably modified to comply
. a reduction in the duration of advert breaks on all commercial TV channels


The nation should henceforth come to recognise the immense role that the trade unions have played in the betterment of UK society:
* full union representation at all shareholder meetings
* full tax relief on all trade union membership
* full recognition of trade unions in all workplaces
* regulated working week- maximum applied to 'all' workplaces- universal rollout (where exceptional circumstances apply generous overtime or time in lieu by agreement with trade unions and individuals)
* removal of all spyware, employed to keep tabs upon staff working from home and in the workplace- it is anyway recognised that millions of hours of unpaid overtime are routinely taken for granted every year in the UK
* Flip the current Job Centre ethos, to one which instead assists and supports job-seekers and does not look to sanction individuals- 'help' not 'judgement'
* women's rights in all areas of society to be defined and supported- enforcements and full sanctions only where deemed necessary via appropriately staffed public body
* disability rights in (all practical/possible) areas of society to be defined and supported- enforcements and full sanctions (only) where deemed necessary via publicly funded body, appropriately staffed
* all disabilities henceforth to be supported (where necessary), not judged and sanctioned
* LGBT rights in all areas of society to be defined and supported- enforcements and full sanctions where deemed necessary via appropriately-staffed, publicly-funded body


The nation urgently needs to reclaim its democracy from disingenuous outside influencers. Where such activities can be recognised it is vitally important that they are brought fully into the light. Given that the Labour Party is (still) one of the UK's two major political parties it must be seen that this party is able to operate free from disingenuous outside forces. Heavy sanctions must, in future, be deployed in order to curtail this absolute corruption of our democracy:
* a boycott of all Israeli goods, in accordance with the BDS movement
* urgent international cooperation sought in demanding that the Israeli Government withdraw from all occupied territories and that all colonial settlements be withdrawn from, handed back to Palestinian families
* IHRA definition of anti-Seminism to be replaced with the Jerusalem Declaration on anti-Semitism
* a boycott of trade with any nation that deploys laws pertaining to apartheid
* immediate publication of the Forde Inquiry, currently being suppressed by the leadership of the Labour Party
* a full and proper open discussion into all of the findings of the EHRC report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party
* it must be recognised the damage that has been done to the Labour Party and, especially, 'related' individuals, by disingenuous parties- full public exoneration and reinstatement of all those (still living) who have been victimised care of Labour's witch-hunt. Investigation into due compensation for these individuals redeemable via the perpetrators
* full national reportage such that all victims of the above may be fully and publicly exonerated- a corresponding 'reversal' for the perpetrators
* re-recognition of the decades of anti-racist public service that many victims of Labour Party/public will have brought to bear prior to being shamelessly hounded from office'
* in recognition of the above, a full similar report into anti-Semitist and Islamaphobic behaviours in the Labour Party and inside other UK political parties
* Independent investigation into the undercover activities of the British Board of Deputies (ref: 'The Lobby, parts 1, 2, 3, 4' YouTube, 'Witch Huntyoutube ,' Jackie Walker)
. an independent report into the uses of dishonest and disingenuous information during the Brexit debate, with full public disclosure- report to also investigate the airtime given to non-expert individuals/organisations (also on the BBC)- to openly disclose whether the public acted upon honest and truthful information
. a commitment to ensuring that any future recourse to a national referendum will involve presenting the nation with the full known facts and will not afford undue airtime to disigenuous/dishonest players, and will not necessarily be presented as an either-or option
* nation to be safeguarded from any attempt to reintroduce capital punishment
* independent inquiry into the alleged tampering into the 2017 General Election- report to include allegations of tampering inside Labour HQ, also the use of 'allegations' of unproven acts of anti-Semitism by several high profile current and former members of the Labour Party, by LOTO, major TV stations and 'news' outlets
* independent inquiry into the behaviours of the Jewish Chronicle, that has 28 times been found to have breached the editor's code and has had four libel defeats in the past three years- inquiry could reasonably incorporate MSM's reporting of these findings
* Julian Assange to be released with immediate effect and fully compensated for this act of illegal imprisonment- independent inquiry into whole sordid affair
* nation to 'respectfully' retire many of the 'elder statesman' figures from public life (May, Blair, Mandleson, Clarke, Straw, Mann, Hodge, Hoey, Adonis, Cameron etc, etc, etc), where they are more obstructing than enabling progress- except where they may be required give evidence or, on rare occasions, to be tried (ECJ, ICC) for past actions deemed suitably unjust/criminal. Space to be opened up for newer, progressive minds and those who will work in their better interests, who have a far greater investment in our nation's future


It should be recognised that the UK's arms trade and overseas military interventions has fuelled the surge in numbers of international refugees. The UK must, henceforth, shoulder a significant degree of resultant responsibility for this movement of people:
* an integrated national acceptance program for international refugees
* UK waters remodelled as a non-hostile environment for all political refugees
* the 'hostile' Border Force to be disbanded and reincorporated into the British Coastguard Service
* properly funded Coastguard Service to (also) ensure that all lives at sea are equally valued
. cancelation of all international debt where interest payments have exceeded the initial loan by ?%
* foreign aid raised to 1% GDP, with a view to increasing this in the near future


Respect for the nation's protocols of law and order should be embraced yet this ideal cannot, credibly, be foisted upon a population that increasingly recognises that the national police forces are becoming more often a governmental mercenary unit. Future priorities to focus upon enforcement of laws that benefit the nation's population:
* decriminalisation of many of the nation's recreational drugs
* national independent enquiry into the funding of the police force
* with regards to the above, ensure that the resultant force are full adequately funded
* national recognition of the right to gather and to 'peacefully' protest
* police force not to be employed to undermine the right to peaceful/lawful protest, with immediate effect
* proper recognition of the 'authority' of the International Criminal Courts


The country recognises that free access to all online services is now an essential cog to the optimisation of a better functioning world economy:
* free universal broadband provision


There must be an acceptance that the UK is now a multicultural/multiracial society and that the betterment of this society is necessarily dependent upon how fully this reality is embraced. The embracement of a multiracial/multicultural society must not be permitted to in (almost) any way impinge upon the individual right to freedom of speech:
* all forms of racism and religious persecution to be legally and equally defined and racism in its entirety removed from UK society, enforced in law
* with regard to the above, freedom of expression also to be legally enshrouded in law
* full and proper inquiry into the Windrush scandal, to be traced back to those individuals and ministers who may be implicated- with consequent legal implications
* nation's current system for migration scrapped- replaced with a properly humane one. Build a welcoming country that understands and recognises some of the trauma that often generates refugees


Obviously there must be all manner of things that have been overlooked that will also need to be patched in. Heavens, I've amended this surely embryonic list many times already!
We should have started much of this in the 1970s. Once the list is started it very soon becomes even clearer what a God-awful state the nation has been reduced to!

As Greta has said, "You have stolen my dreams with your empty words!" There should be a great deal more anger! If we can only harvest it... there might yet be a smidgen of hope.