Monday 21 July 2014

VOTE LABOUR: two acrostics, but which do you prefer?

 One "VOTE LABOUR" acrostic is designed to get 30-35% vote, max, whilst the second, being more radical , would attract 40-50% votes and give Labour mandate to transform, rather than tinker. You have to decide which is which!

V- Voting registration encouraged, but no radical change proposed to voting          methods. Voting at 16 for the future.
O- Osborne`s austerity policies to be continued, as Labour continues to cosy up to     the City and business.
T- Taxation to be made mildly more progressive, with 50% for earners of £150K+, and   a mansion tax, plus 10% band at the bottom.
E -Ending privatisation frenzy, but with caution eg public sector allowed to bid for    railway franchises.

L-  Living wage to be encouraged by offering tax breaks to firms willing to pay it.
A-  Avoidance of tax to be discouraged , with minor additions to government`s current policy.
B-  Bedroom tax to be abolished,with rent arrears £343m since tax introduced. Private rents to be capped.
O- Out-Goveing Gove (Morgan) in education, by supporting free schools, PRP, and re-licensing teachers, but wanting no unqualified teachers in schools.
U- Unions to be tolerated but no industrial action supported, no matter how just the cause. Denial in parliament of union connection to be continued, for fear of "Red Ed" allegations.
R- Repeal all NHS legislation, end top-down reorganisation and support Andy Burnham`s reforms.

VOTE LABOUR

V- Voting changes to include registration at polling stations, polling stations in town centres, university campuses and supermarkets.
O- Osborne`s austerity policies not working or necessary, and to be dropped. According to tax expert Richard Murphy, a more sensible approach is to "run a deficit equivalent to GDP multiplied by the rate of inflation and effectively stand still in budget terms". How many people, who have seen their real incomes reduced significantly by this government, believe austerity is essential, when billions can be spent on an unwinnable war in Afghanistan, the unnecessary Trident renewal, HS2 railway, and third runway, billions wasted in cheap sell-offs of our taxpayer-owned assets and tax reductions for the very wealthy, billions more in subsidies to private companies to run public services, and yet billions more not going to the Treasury because of the government`s feeble efforts to rein in tax avoidance? Government investment in private and social housing instead! Advertising jobs abroad rather than in locality to be outlawed.
T- Taxation to be progressive; with the Laffer curve discredited, and the IMF admitting the rich should pay more, income tax bands for those earning between £65K and £150K to be 45%. From £150K to £200K, it will rise to 50%, increasing incrementally, and stopping at 80%. Financial Transactions Tax will raise billions, with only the City objecting; its payback time!
E- End the nonsense that is privatisation, starting with railways and each franchise being brought back into public ownership as it expires. Energy companies next, and RBS to become fully under state control and converted into a People`s Bank.

L- Living wage to become the new minimum wage, to be paid by all employers, with possible exceptions to apply for special dispensation. Zero hours contracts to be illegal, unless requested by employee. With wage growth at 0.3 and inflation rising to 1.9, it is essential to improve living standards of the poorest workers. Present "predatory capitalism" is simply unacceptable!
A- Avoidance of tax to be eliminated. Loopholes to be closed, and all guilty of avoiding taxes to be refused honours, state employment and representation rights. This includes CEOs and board members of guilty companies. Business rates of tax avoiding firms to be massively hiked! Anyone not choosing UK as domicile for tax purposes not to be allowed to represent UK teams etc.
B- Bedroom tax abolished, and private rents capped at 2010 levels. Ofsted-type inspectorate to be set up to band properties for rent and set local rent levels. Tax avoiding landlords to be banned from charging rent for property.
O- Out-Goveing as an education policy to be dropped. Gove`s organisational and assessment reforms to be repealed, and previous powers returned to local authorities. All private and free schools to be inspected by Ofsted, and Ofsted inspectors to have to re-apply for positions every five years to ensure validity of their views.
U- Unions to be granted similar status as in Germany with policy of Co-determination; union representatives to sit on boards of large and medium-sized companies.
R- Repeal of all NHS reforms carried out without electorate`s mandate since 2010, and all aspects of NHS already privatised to be reversed. Andy Burnham`s ideas to be given full support.

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