My Manifesto

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