My Modern Studies class is doing a mock election, so I have written a manifesto of my main policies. Here it is!
Introduction
Britain needs changed. The Tories have ruined
this country for the poor, and we need to do something about that. We can’t
have another Tory government. Or the gap between the rich and poor will
continue to extend.
I believe every person, regardless of
background, should have an equal opportunity in life. I believe that Britain
needs to work as a team, to create a strong and successful economy.
I believe I am the best candidate for Prime
Minister because I have the public’s interest at heart, not mine. I am the best
candidate because I can deliver this change that we need.
Gone
are the days where we are all competing against each other. Here come the days
where we are competing with each other.
Economy
This country cannot hold up under a
Conservative Government. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing at
a dangerous momentum. Britain needs a fair and balanced system, and a
successful economy
Create a fairer and more balanced tax system
Currently the tax percentage for the highest
tax bracket is 45% and the percentage for the lowest tax bracket is 20%. This
is unfair and unbalanced. I, as Prime Minister, would change the tax
percentages to this.
£0 to £31,785 = 15%
People with the standard Personal Allowance
start paying this rate on income over £10,600
£31,785 to £90,585 = 20%
£90,585 to £150,000 = 40%
£150,000+ = 50%
Implement a Land Value Tax
This means that those with a large amount of
uncultivated land to their home would be taxed. The tax 5% extra tax would be
added to their income tax. This will help lower the deficit, and prevent
austerity.
Implement a charity Tax
This would be a 3% extra tax on those earning
over £35,000. The money collected from this tax would go towards aid in the country
and abroad. We would be sure to let taxpayers know exactly where their money
would be going. The tax is optional for those earning under said amount.
Scrap the Bedroom Tax
The bedroom tax is shocking and unfair, and
puts people in poverty into even more debt. It needs to be removed.
Increase the Minimum wage
The Minimum wages currently sit at this
Year
|
21 and over
|
18 to 20
|
Under 18
|
Apprentice*
|
2015 (from 1 October)
|
£6.70
|
£5.30
|
£3.87
|
£3.30
|
2014 (current rate)
|
£6.50
|
£5.13
|
£3.79
|
£2.73
|
This in unfair, and allows companies to exploit
young workers. The Minimum wage needs to be balanced out to create fair living
standards. Here are our Minimum wages.
Year
|
21 and over
|
18 to 20
|
Under 18
|
Apprentice*
|
2015 (from 1 October)
|
£9.00
|
£9.00
|
£8.50
|
£6.70
|
2014 (current rate)
|
£6.50
|
£5.13
|
£3.79
|
£2.73
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase Public Spending.
I will make this clear, I am very
anti-austerity. Austerity allows the government to make unnecessary cuts to
things that everyone relies on, such as the NHS and Transport services. As
prime minister, our cuts will be small and will only be implemented in the case
where we have no other choice. Money will come from raised tax and the
successful economy we will create.
Give out free business start-up packages
With Grants of up to £10,000. We want small
businesses to flourish in the country.
Make sure every unemployed person gets into
work
In order for our country to succeed, we need
everyone paying their equal part. We will build more centres to help unemployed
young people get help and get a job. We will work with schools to make sure
every child is getting a fair education, and knows where they can go to get a
job. We will create thousands more jobs across the country, to help get
everyone into work.
Offer an apprenticeship to anyone who wants one
Many people do not have the skills and
capability to cope with higher education. But these people are just as valid as
everyone else. We will make businesses open up apprenticeships, to create more
opportunities across the country.
Make it compulsory to pay interns
We will make in law to pay interns. The minimum
wage for an intern under our government will be £4.50 per hour.
Education
The standard of education is something that
also could be improved. The Conservative government has made it increasingly
difficult for those from a low-income background. The curriculum across schools
needs to be modernised and changed to help every child have an equal
opportunity in life.
Scrap the Exam System
Schools are turning pupils into exam machines,
spoon feeding them information and bringing down stressful deadlines. Learning
shouldn’t be stressful for anyone. Schools need to have a good balance of
learning and skill development. Under our education methods, schools would do smaller
tests throughout the year, and teachers would record a pupil’s progress
throughout the year. Their final grade would be a reflection of their progress
and ability to continue up into university.
Increase teacher’s salaries
Because the above methods would cause a teacher
to have to do more work and possibly work longer hours, we will be fair and
increase their salary. The average teaching salary can fall anywhere between £19,468
and £42,291. This can also fluctuate depending on the subject the teacher
teaches. We will change this so that every teacher is earning at least
£30,000.
Make school travel free
It’s not fair that those who have to rely on
bus travel to get to school have to pay every day. The cost may be small, but
it all adds up for families who have smaller incomes. We will make all school
travel free (unless you choose to send your child to a school that is not in
your catchment area)
Compulsory lessons on voting
Something I would definitely do would be lower
the voting age to 16. This means we will have to make sure
every 16 and 17 year old is capable of making an informed decision. We will
create compulsory workshops in school where pupils will learn about how to
understand polices, how to vote, and how to make an informed decision.
Scrap, or definitely lower tuition fees
I have a strong goal for this. By 2020, I want
the average tuition fee to be sitting at £4000, not £6000. By 2025 I want the
figure to be down at £2000 and in 2030, I want the figure to be £0. We want
Britain working as a team, and it’s not fair that we charge students ridiculous
amounts of money to educate them. Tuition fees put capable students off going
to university, and this will change if I am prime minister
Re-introduce grants
Whilst we are lowering the tuition fees, we
will re-introduce grants. These will help students from a poorer background
afford to get the education they need to get on in life. It’s not fair that
someone can be more successful simply because of the money behind their
family’s name. This will change, and we will bring back the grants that the
Tories unfairly removed.
Domestic Policy
I would make changes to the basic workings of
our country, in order for us to be a successful and united nation. Here are
some of the things I’d do
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Being Scottish myself, Scotland is very
important to me. But I believe in unity, so I would keep Scotland part of the
UK. Under my government, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have more
devolved powers so they could control their own taxes. I would assure that they
are all getting a voice in Westminster, so they can help decide what’s best for
them.
Non-Dom Status
It is completely unfair that individuals who
have this can avoid tax. If we want to be a successful country, I will abolish
Non-Dom Status.
Renationalise the Railways
Private railways hasn’t helped one bit. As
prime minister I will renationalise the railways, and make travel fair for
everyone.
Equalities
I am a strong strong believer in equality of
the sexes, equality of race, equality of religion, equality of class and
equality of sexuality. We are all different,
and instead of ignoring that difference, we should embrace.
Amplify minority voices
Gone
are the days where straight white cis men do all the talking. I will have a
government where every demographic will have a fair and amplified voice.
Teacher Children about Gender Identity and
Sexuality
We will implement education about gender
identity and sexuality so that children can discover who they are, and won’t
feel uncomfortable. We will destroy heteronormativity and cisnormativity so
that children who are LGBT won’t feel invalid or unhappy. We will work with
parents and other pupils to assure that LGBT children are happy and healthy,
along with their non-LGBT peers. This education will also promote tolerance and
help bring down LGBT-phobic bullying.
Focus on Tolerance
Make sure children are taught about being
tolerant and respectful to other races and religions. There is too much racist
bullying found amongst young people today, and this needs to change. I will
make sure that children are learning about this in school.
Abolish the Wage Gap
Currently, women and people from BAME (Black
and Minority ethnic) background are paid less that men and white people. This
is shocking, sexist and racist. I will clamp down on wage gaps and make sure
companies are paying their employees equally.
Work with Mosques to help prevent religious
extremism
If we want to stop ISIS and other terrorist
groups who claim to be Muslim from radicalising young Muslims, then we will
work with Mosques across the country to stop this. We will also make sure
everyone knows that Islam is a peaceful religion, and this will help to prevent
islamophobia – a huge issue today
Make sure schools accept their transgender
pupils
Allow pupils themselves to change their names
on the register without parental consent. Many transgender children don’t want
to come out to their parents, and we shouldn’t pressurise them to do so. I
would make it illegal for a teacher or member of staff in a school to
deliberately use a transgender child’s birth name.
Make sure every LGBT child can come out safely
Coming out is a huge thing for an LGBT child.
We want to make sure that every child has an adult who they can get advice for.
We will also make it illegal for parents and family members to deliberately use
their transgender child’s birth name. We will assure that LGBT children are
protected from harm, regardless of their family’s views.
Defence
As UK citizens, we want to be same from harm.
But we want a moral approach to this. I am anti-war, and will only allow it
when it is justified.
Scrap Trident
I want a nuclear free world. And getting rid of
our nuclear arms will help achieve this. It sickens me that we put the burden
of Trident onto Scotland when we will never use it. Nuclear weaponry is completely
unnecessary. Not to mention the fact that it costs the country £2.4billion to
service it every year. This money could be used for public spending instead.
Commit to spend more money on anti-terrorist
defence and improve our strategies
Everybody is aware of the danger that Britain
faces – attacks similar to the 7/7 bombings could happen to us any day. That’s
why we need to update our anti-terrorist strategies. Our defence budget should
be focused on our country, rather than focusing on sending air strikes to the
Middle East.
A smarter, more organised and humane way to
stop ISIS
ISIS are an absolutely beyond disgusting group,
and we are going to continue our attempts to put a stop to them. Drone Strikes
are unreliable – they can cause the death of civilians and fail to hit targets.
We need a more precise strategy, so we can take out the particular members of
ISIS, who have the plans. If we take out these people, the group will have no
motive, making it easier for the groups fighting against them to stop the
group.
Health
The NHS helps over 1 million patients every 36
hours. It is a service that the majority of the country rely on. Look at
America, they don’t have free healthcare and those who can’t afford to pay
health insurance end up in huge debt. We can’t let the NHS be privatised. We
absolutely can’t and we absolutely won’t.
Employ more Nurses and Doctors
Nurses and Doctors are some of the most
important working people in our country, and we need to assure that there are
enough. We will encourage more young people to get into medicine and nursing,
through schools. We will put a stop to NHS cuts, which can lead to unfair
redundancies. We will increase our arsenal of hospital staff, so we can make
sure every person has easy access to healthcare
Bring Social Care into the NHS
It is wrong that we make those who need social care pay for
it. We need to support these people, and that’s why I want Social Care brought
into the NHS. By 2020, I want the cost of Social Care for everyone cut in half.
By 2025, I want Social Care to be included in the NHS. This will happen under
my government.
Commit to spending more money on Cancer
Treatment research
In 2012, 161823 people died of cancer. This is
a shocking and unacceptable statistic. Charities such as Cancer Research are
working so hard to bring this number down. If I am prime minister, I will spend
an extra 1 billion per year on Cancer Research. Together, we can stop cancer
from taking the lives of thousands of our people.
24/7 GP access
This is something that needs to be done. We
will make sure that everyone has 24/7 GP access under my government. To achieve
this by 2020, we will train Doctors and GP staff to work nightshifts.
Commit to spend more on Mental Health Support
Those suffering from a mental illness are just
as valid and important as someone suffering from a physical illness. We will
invest millions into suicide prevention services. We will increase the number
of high standard psychiatrists in the NHS. We will work with schools to make
sure children who are susceptible to mental health issues are able to get the
support they deserve.
Foreign Policy
Britain needs to have a good relationship with
all of the other countries across the globe. To do this, we need a strong
foreign policy.
Commit to spending more money on foreign aid
There are too many humanitarian issues across the
globe and this needs to be stopped. Along with our Charity Tax, we will increase
our foreign aid spending, to help support charities such as UNICEF and Save the
Children, who are crucial in this world today.
Keep Britain in the EU, but encourage change in
the EU Laws
Being part of the EU is a very good thing for
Britain. It allows us to easily work with our neighbours to help solve issues
in the world. It allows to easily financially support each other. But the EU
need to make sure every EU country is getting a fair voice, and I would
campaign for this.
Allow refugees to live in Britain
As Prime Minister, I will give full support to
people coming here fleeing conflict and extreme poverty. We will allow a large
but feasible number of refugees to live in the UK. We will help provide
education for them to build their skills, in order for them to get a job and
start life here in Britain. We also need to work with the EU to make sure every
refugee has a safe place to live. We will construct safe places for refugees to
stay in North Africa, whilst we make sure they are able to get a good life in
Britain and other EU countries.
Environment
The shocking truth is that we are slowly
destroying our environment. We need to stop this, and these policies will help
this.
Commit to spending more money on finding a
renewables source of energy
We will spend £2billion per year to help
projects who are searching for renewable energy through wind and wave. This is
a crucial part in preventing global warming, and we will play crucial part.
Spend millions on the construction of wind
turbines
Many people dislike wind turbines, and argue
that they are an ‘eyesore’. I disagree with this, and I will strongly encourage
these opinions to change. It costs £2.7 million to build an effective wind
turbine, and by 2020, I want to have constructed 10,000 extra wind turbines.
Ensure the protection of our natural habitats
We want to make sure that Britain’s wildlife
are safe and protected. To this, we will put more money into organisations such
as the RSPB. We will work with local councils and encourage the public to get
involved in the conservation of British Wildlife.
Prohibit Fracking
Fracking is an extremely dangerous and
unreliable source of energy. There are many risks to fracking. Up to 600
chemicals are used in fracking fluid, including known carcinogens and toxins
such as Lead, Uranium, Mercury, Hydrochloric Acid and Methanol. 72 trillion
gallons of water and 360 billion gallons of chemicals are needed to run our
current gas wells. During the process, methane gas and
toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby groundwater. Methane
concentrations are 17x higher in drinking-water wells near fracturing sites
than in normal wells. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water
contamination next to areas of gas drilling as well as cases of sensory,
respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water. So we
would immediately put a ban on fracking. (Information above from http://www.dangersoffracking.com)
Increase the number of green spaces across the
country
We will increase the number of safe parks and
nature reserves in Britain, so families can have more places to have days out
in. We will also spend more on building allotments, which will lower the
allotment waiting lists. This will allow families without gardens to grow their
own produce.
Safe Communities
It’s our job as a government to assure the
safety of every individual in the UK. We will implement these changes to help
assure this.
A fairer justice system
We will revamp the justice system, so that
criminals will receive the punishments they deserve. We will make sure that
courts are working effectively with frequent inspections.
Make jail more of a punishment, but continue to
help jailed criminals rehabilitate and change
Jail is a punishment, so it should feel like
one. We will make sure that prison inmates are aware of how wrong their crimes
were, and we will make sure prison staff are working with the inmates and
encouraging them to change their ways.
Change Drugs Laws
To me, people who rely on drugs need help,
rather than a punishment. I will change law so that those found with drugs for
personal use will not be prosecuted, but will be immediately checked into a
rehabilitation centre. This will be very different from jail, and drug user
will have much more freedom. Those found with drugs for selling will be
prosecuted. We will work with schools to make sure that children know the risks
of drugs from a young age, and help bring an end to drug related deaths and
illnesses.
Housing
Housing is a right, and that is a fact. Every
single person in the world should have a roof over their head at night, and we
will help achieve this in Britain.
Commit to have every homeless person in a house
or flat by 2025
This is a huge goal, but I am optimistic, and I
will achieve this as Prime Minister. We will achieve this through the
construction of affordable houses across the country.
Build more affordable and eco-friendly homes
We will construct 2 million more affordable
homes by 2020. This is another big goal, but we will make sure we are funding
this and this will help stop the housing crisis that many young people in Britain
face.
Allow councils more autonomy to build houses
We will allow councils to borrow money to
construct houses, but we will make sure the borrowing isn’t going to negatively
affect our economy. We will use this tactic to achieve our housing goal.
So why again should you vote for me?
Because I can deliver the change this country
needs
Because my policies will help improve the lives
of every individual in our country
Because united, we can make a difference
