A Manifesto for 2024

[Witton Park]

Which suggests to me it should continue to run our wonderful country. Particularly in the absence of any sensible alternative.

That's assuming the current incumbents are sensible - their policy on Rwanda would suggest otherwise and isn't the only red flag.

[MattPo]

That's assuming the current incumbents are sensible - their policy on Rwanda would suggest otherwise and isn't the only red flag.

Blimey, one of the few times I agree with WP!
Merry Christmas one and all.

[Witton Park]

Looks like the last topic put a few folk off, so on to the next.

Work and Pensions

Employment Taxes and allowances, minimum wage and welfare support.

The following to be phased in over 3 years.

The Tax Free Allowance on income will be abolished, currently £12,570 and replaced with a 10% Low Tax Allowance on all income up to Minimum Wage x 40 hours + 20% due to be approximately £28,500.
25% Standard Rate £28,500 to £100,000
40% Higher rate over £100,000.

Introduce an option for full or part transfer of the Low Tax Allowance for married couples where dependent children live at home.

National Insurance to be phased out.

Employees over state retirement age will only pay income tax at the lower 10% rate.

The State Pension Triple lock will be scrapped and the increase will be set at 80% of the inflation rate.

A new Personal Social Insurance (PSI) will be paid on all income up to £100k, with 10% paid by employee and 10% paid by employer, including the public sector with the current system for public sector pensions phased out over the 3 year period.

All new public sector staff will be employed on the workplace pension scheme with immediate effect.

PSI will have elements to cover Workplace Pension Fund, Personal Health and Dental Care Cover, Social Care Cover and a contribution to a National Fund to support a National Safety Net.

A further employer PSI surcharge will be paid at £10 per employee flat rate and at 2% on all income over £100k into a National Fund to support a National Safety Net.

The Minimum Wage will be reformed to include minimum rates of pay for unsociable hours, bank holiday working and flexible working.
For example the working week will be defined as Monday - Friday 7:00am to 7:00pm.
7-00pm to 7:00am will be MW + 20%
Weekends will be +20%
Variable shift patterns will be MW +20%
These are cumulative, so could be up to 60%.
Due to these uplifts, increases in MW standard rate will be capped at 80% of the inflation rate.

A Guaranteed Job (GJ). No one should have to rely entirely on benefits except the most severely disabled/incapacitated and the taxpayer shouldn’t be expected to maintain people at a level of income that is higher than they attain themselves.
There will be a guaranteed job of 37.5 hours per week paid at the Minimum Wage rates.

State retirement age will be fixed and reviewed annually two years in advance based on 80% of average life expectancy.

Unemployment Benefit will be phased out.

Disability Related Benefits will be phased out.

All local authorities will have a statutory obligation to operate a Guaranteed Jobs scheme.

The National Safety Net – there will be people who cannot work at all, or for whom the Guaranteed Job system is not suitable. There will also be some who can fit into the Guaranteed Jobs scheme but may still need additional support on a regular or one-off basis. The National Safety Net will provide a tailored package appropriate to each individuals needs.

[molehill]

I may well have my maths wrong here or be misunderstanding but:

The Tax Free Allowance on income will be abolished, currently £12,570 and replaced with a 10% Low Tax Allowance on all income up to Minimum Wage x 40 hours + 20% due to be approximately £28,500.
25% Standard Rate £28,500 to £100,000
40% Higher rate over £100,000.p

If you earn £99,999pa you have a net of £75000, but when you jump over the £100k into the higher tax bracket (40%) you have a lower net income until you reach £125k gross - which brings you back to the £75k net. Possibly self employed could use it against expenses and benefit?

So nobody will want to have a gross income between 100 - 125k pa as it gives them a lower net income. Leading to people either sticking in the lower tax bracket or seeking a wage increase of minimum £25k.

Have I got that right?

[Witton Park]

I may well have my maths wrong here or be misunderstanding but:

The Tax Free Allowance on income will be abolished, currently £12,570 and replaced with a 10% Low Tax Allowance on all income up to Minimum Wage x 40 hours + 20% due to be approximately £28,500.
25% Standard Rate £28,500 to £100,000
40% Higher rate over £100,000.p

If you earn £99,999pa you have a net of £75000, but when you jump over the £100k into the higher tax bracket (40%) you have a lower net income until you reach £125k gross - which brings you back to the £75k net. Possibly self employed could use it against expenses and benefit?

So nobody will want to have a gross income between 100 - 125k pa as it gives them a lower net income. Leading to people either sticking in the lower tax bracket or seeking a wage increase of minimum £25k.

Have I got that right?

If you earn £99,999 you have income tax of
up to £28500 @ 10%
28501-99999 @ 25%
= 20724.50
so an income of £79274.50 after income tax

If you receive an increase to 105k you then have an additional
£1 @ 25%
£5000 @ 40%
= £1250.25
so an income of £83025.25

[molehill]

That makes more sense - I can accept the pay rise then🙄.

[Witton Park]

That makes more sense - I can accept the pay rise then������.

I wouldn't call it a pay rise. Just the State reducing the amount of money they steal from your hard earned

[Witton Park]

Elsewhere I said I would set out my thoughts on Electoral Reform.

I will keep it to General Election level, but you will see from below my proposals do require some changes at local government level.

Our current system of Government is a mess. It lacks clear structure.

At one level MPs, common to all, but then across the UK we have National Assemblies, Unitary Authorities, Local Authorities, County Councils, Combined Authorities….
A different structure dependent on which area of the UK and NI you live in.

I would have a reset and put things back in order.

Local Authorities which would also double as the Parliamentary Constituency.

County Councils would then be the next tier and finally National Government.

Get rid of all the hybrid systems.

So MPs would be elected based on their local authority to end this system of redrawing constituency borders and putting towns like Rossendale and Darwen artificially together which have no linking road and no connecting public transport.

That would reduce the number of Constituency MPs from around 650 to 400-450.

However then I would introduce a new form of MP, the County MP.

I'd take the total number of MPs back up to 600, overall a slight reduction and allocate the difference of around 150 to the County MP status.

Each county will be allocated a number of County MPs to bring their share of the total MPs up to the level justified by their percentage of the electorate and this then smooths out the anomaly of the constituency size.

A county with a higher average constituency size will have more County MPs.

The County MPs will be allocated using a list system akin to the European Election system and drawn from those contesting at constituency level.

Example. Lancashire has 14 constituencies and is allocated 3 county MPs.

All candidates across the county will also be on a party list from 1 to 14 max if a party is contesting all 14 seats.

Constituency Seats and vote % are Labour 40/9, Conservative 25/4, LibDem 15/1, Reform 12/0, Green 5/0, Others 3/0

So County Seat 1 to LD as they are the first party under-represented based on vote share, the second county seat would go to Reform, the 3rd to Green. If there was a 4th, that would go to Reform as they would be the only one of the 5 still under-represented according to cote share.

This system would still retain most of FPtP but would give smaller parties a chance to get some MPs in to the Commons and show what they can do.

What it would also do at a local level is give you the option to lobby your Constituency MP on a local level, but if their was a political clash there, you would have a County level MP that you could go to as an alternative.

I have quite a few other ideas, but I'll park it there for now.

[Wheeze]

Energy: Immediate introduction of nuclear SMR. Continue with wind generation policy. Mandatory solar panels on all public buildings and new build housing stock. Continue with UK sourced oil and gas to bridge gap until above provide sufficient power for energy budget. Continue to fund Fusion research.

Economy: Dismantle Welfare State and introduce Universal Living Wage. Join European Single Market (with no political ties). Maintain taxation at current levels.

Health: Reconfigure NHS to provide universal FAPOC for the 5 C's: Cancer, Cardiac, Casualty, Childbirth, Child care. All other care to be subject to means-tested co-payment from 0% to 30% dependent on tax status.
Dismantle General Practice and introduce polyclinics under NHS control. Introduce National Institute of Nutrition to advise Government on strategy to reduce obesity including subsidy on 'essentials' and high taxation on unhealthy and Ultra Processed foods along with doubled taxation on producers. Re-introduce farming subsidies.

Immigration: Aim for maximum net positive immigration of 250,000 per annum. Introduce enforced no-go zone for all unregistered small vessels on English Channel.

Defence: Link military strategists with UK based IT and semiconductor businesses to identify where automation can fill gaps in human-power and ensure digital security of country. Increase co-operation with other NATO states for mutual self-protection against common enemies.

[Witton Park]

Energy: Immediate introduction of nuclear SMR. Continue with wind generation policy. Mandatory solar panels on all public buildings and new build housing stock. Continue with UK sourced oil and gas to bridge gap until above provide sufficient power for energy budget. Continue to fund Fusion research.

Economy: Dismantle Welfare State and introduce Universal Living Wage. Join European Single Market (with no political ties). Maintain taxation at current levels.

Health: Reconfigure NHS to provide universal FAPOC for the 5 C's: Cancer, Cardiac, Casualty, Childbirth, Child care. All other care to be subject to means-tested co-payment from 0% to 30% dependent on tax status.
Dismantle General Practice and introduce polyclinics under NHS control. Introduce National Institute of Nutrition to advise Government on strategy to reduce obesity including subsidy on 'essentials' and high taxation on unhealthy and Ultra Processed foods along with doubled taxation on producers. Re-introduce farming subsidies.

Immigration: Aim for maximum net positive immigration of 250,000 per annum. Introduce enforced no-go zone for all unregistered small vessels on English Channel.

Defence: Link military strategists with UK based IT and semiconductor businesses to identify where automation can fill gaps in human-power and ensure digital security of country. Increase co-operation with other NATO states for mutual self-protection against common enemies.

WE aren't that far apart.

I'd just like to ask about two.

Universal Living Wage.
Let's assume it has to be set at the minimum wage rate, then what would happen to the minimum wage workers? Why work?

Rejoining Single Market.
WE have a Free Trade Agreement, so what advantage do you see?