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The Labour Party How do we ensure that the principles of justice and fairness are put into practice? How do we create true democracy in the party organisation? How can we believe in equality with all women shortlisting rules? |
| Politics What can be done to ensure complete honesty, transparency and truth in political debates and Government statements. Why are people voting for the BNP? How do we persuade them not to? |
| Government How can we make progress on electoral reform? What’s to be done about MP’s expenses, Honours and Patronage, Identity Cards etc? |
| Education Are academies the best way to improve standards in education? Can the system of parent choice for schools be improved? Have we got student loans and university places right? |
| Health Are we getting the policies on Private Finance Initiatives, Hospital Parking Charges, Foundation Trusts, Polyclinics and GP’s right? |
| Economics How do we manage the culture of capitalism and growth and is it correct to measure success or recession by these parameters? How do we regulate financial markets to ensure the greedy do not return to the trough? How do we manage the banking sector to provide a fair balance between investors and borrowers? What is being done to minimise exploitation of workers? What is being done to minimise the gap between rich and poor? Does it make sense to raise the national minimum wage and/or should there be a high pay commission? What can be done to minimise exploitation of consumers on things like premium rate telephone lines, confusing energy tariffs, irrational rail ticket pricing and misleading adverts for budget air fares? |
| Taxation Are the current levels of stamp duty, inheritance tax, fuel duties and income tax fair? |
| Defence Should we keep the Trident missile system? |
| Foreign Affairs Should we have diplomatic relations or even dialogue with powers that violate human rights like Iran, Lybia, the Taliban or al-Qaeda? |
| Afghanistan Is the “mission” clear? Are we being told the whole story? What is the angle on drugs and oil? Have we committed the right number of troops? Have they adequate armour and equipment? Are other members of the UN bearing an appropriate share of the burden? |
| Environment Are the right things being done to respond to the threat of climate change? Where should our energy come from, imported gas, nuclear power or renewables? |
| Immigration It would seem to be sensible to control new immigration but how and at what level? Is the premise that the country is not big enough for much more population right when there are vast tracts of the north un-developed? |
| Housing Should we be building new council houses? Are housing information packs (HIPS) a good thing, do they really work? |
| Europe Is the Lisbon Treaty good for Britain? Is being a member of Europe good for Britain? |
| Transport Should we be building more new roads? Is congestion charging the right solution? Are the practices on road works, cones, lane closures, speeding and traffic calming sensible? |
| Citizenship How do we improve general standards in behaviour, foster mutual respect between members of society and minimise crime and violence? |
| Media How do we encourage newspapers and television to allow fair presentation, bring more integrity into advertising and elevate the standard of content in publications, TV, films and computer games? |
| Quangos What can be done to improve the efficiency and proper service to the public of self justifying organisations such as the Highways Agency, Met Office, United Utilities and the BBC? |
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Previously headed as the Huncoat Manifesto or Policy Statements. This is a 13 point vision of the Huncoat Branch Labour Party to indicate where its members stand on a wide range of issues of concern to ordinary people. It is not a definitive statement, but a flexible working document that can be amended or added to as opinion and circumstances change. It is hoped that it might influence decision makers at all levels and contribute to the revitalisation of the Labour Party. First drafted in July 2008 it therefore pre-empted the so called recession, credit crunch, collapse of banking, fall in the exchange rate of sterling, depression in the housing market and the contentious issues of banker’s bonuses and MP’s expenses. All these things and more were identified early on by ordinary people at grass roots level as being wrong and always likely to lead to eventual disaster. |
| 1. POLITICS – The nation needs transparent and fair Government free of hypocrisy and favouritism. The ordinary people expect to be told the truth. They dislike being patronised with false and deceitful statements that evade the issue and are disgusted with the constant party political posturing which gives all politicians a bad reputation. The first Government or individual politician that is consistently straight forward and honest stands to gain a landslide of support. The party political system needs changing to eliminate spin and misinformation and prevent any vested interests like powerful National and International Companies or Newspaper Barons from getting mixed up in Government affairs. Legitimate business advisors to the Government are ok but the deliberate creation of Cabinet posts for non-elected cronies seems wrong. There needs to be serious progress towards more open democracy by examining the need for reform in the following areas which give rise to voter disaffection. The discredited covert MP’s expenses arrangements, the Party “Whip” system, constitution and powers of the second chamber (House of Lords), the apparent anomaly of Scottish and Welsh MP’s voting on English only matters, the apparent disproportionate and unfair funding system for devolved Government and the provision for “Elected Mayors” (London possibly being the exception). The electoral system itself needs some reform to discourage apathy and provide proper representation in Government of all majorities and minorities in society. This could well mean bringing in some type of “proportional representation” at all levels of government elections. Consideration should also be given to proportionately limiting what each political party is legally allowed to spend on electioneering to create a level playing field, enable smaller parties to compete fairly and ensure that no faction simply ‘buys’ power. And, though normal day to day running costs of political parties should continue to be met entirely by their own members or fund raising activities there should be a firm upper limit on large donations from individuals or companies. The best way to raise financial support has got to be by winning the hearts and minds of ordinary folk. |
| 2. TAXATION – The State needs to move away from indirect or stealth taxes which are unfair and regressive because they are not related to ability to pay. The emphasis should be on income tax and profit tax providing they are reasonably re-distributive. Some of the areas that need to be looked at are Council Tax, fuel duty, the proposed higher motor license charges on existing vehicles, thresholds on stamp duty and death duty and trivial charges often made for refuse disposal and recycling. Tax allowances should always be raised in line with inflation and a sharp focus kept on minimising the overall burden of taxation on the poorer end of society. For example it was a grave political mistake to remove the 10p starting rate band without simultaneously fully compensating all those who lost out. At the other end of the spectrum the low level taxation of the super-rich introduced by the Tories under Mrs Thatcher should be reviewed and international pressure stepped up to minimise the advantages of off shore tax havens. It cannot be right that wealth accumulated from this country avoids fair taxation. The burden of taxation on small businesses might be eased whilst ensuring that large corporations are still liable to an appropriate level on any excessive profits. |
| 3. FAIRNESS - in the distribution of wealth. More needs to be done to prevent the gap between rich and poor getting ever wider. Moral responsibility and self regulation are unlikely to ever produce a fair distribution of wealth, the powerful and unscrupulous will always be tempted to acquire more than a justified share (for example Banker’s bonuses). The value of each person to society ought to be better determined aiming for a reasonable differential between the highest and the lowest. [The highly paid Professional who employs a lowly paid Artisan might ask himself who is the more highly skilled? Who contributes most to society?] Although genuine hard work, enterprise and skill still need to be fairly rewarded the worst excesses of high earnings, fat bonuses and vast company profits ought to be reigned in. This might be assisted by raising the Minimum Wage to a respectable level whilst at the same time advocating some kind of Maximum Wage. Also, pay increases as a percentage should be discouraged and any pay policy applied universally across the board rather than just to vulnerable Government controlled groups. |
| 4. FOREIGN POLICY – Our Government, national organisations and companies must behave entirely ethically in international relations. British international policy, business and interests must be carried out entirely ethically having due respect and regard to the welfare, culture, faith and beliefs of all nations, ethnic and demographic groups. This means practising “Fair Trade” with the utmost integrity, genuinely helping third world countries to tackle famine and health problems like HIV/Aids and honestly attempting to dismantle all world arms trade including setting the right example by not renewing Trident. It also means limiting military intervention to purely defensive or humanitarian grounds or where fully approved by Parliament and the UN. |
| 5. NHS AND EDUCATION – Many things wrong within the NHS and education system need to be addressed by sorting out standards and questioning the drive for privatisation. Universal and reoccurring problems like hospital hygiene, management of finances and the high cost of drugs need to be properly dealt with. The deceptive culture of “Choice” with contrasting standards of service and treatment between different regions must be rationalised with free personal care being made available to every sick, disabled and infirm person anywhere that needs it. The reliance on privatisation in health and education must be carefully questioned as these services are too vital and sensitive to be entrusted to the whim of profit making organisations where the operation of a free market means there must be winners and losers. PFI schemes like Foundation Hospitals, Polyclinics and Academies should be searchingly re-examined, every school and hospital should be up to the mark, not just selected institutions. The aim should be to encourage all education to be secular with any special subsidies, tax breaks or charitable privileges for private and faith schools being entirely fair and ethical. |
| 6. HOUSING AND ENERGY - The country needs secure, affordable and sustainable homes and energy sources. More needs to be done to improve the housing stock for both owner occupation and rental section with special assistance for first time buyers. The integrity of HIPS could be improved by including such things as land searches to reduce repetitive cost. The energy crisis has been going on since 1972 and 4 decades should have been long enough to find alternative secure, affordable and sustainable resources to end the reliance on volatile priced oil and gas supplies. A vast expansion in wind turbines can only ever be a small part of the answer and more needs to be done to research and promote technologies like biofuels, solar energy, ground heat source, wave energy, tidal energy, clean coal and nuclear energy. The British Government has an inherent duty to look after its citizens, ensuring that they have secure, affordable and sustainable supplies of homes, food and energy. The possible nationalisation of utilities such as electricity, gas, water, telecommunications, banking and mail should be examined to see if they are affordable and beneficial. |
| 7. THE RESPECT AGENDA – We need to get values in Society right with honesty and integrity in adults and respect in children. To do this we should examine the role of parents, schools, community and all role models that influence social behaviour. This means starting right at the top with all iconic people like politicians, royals and stars addressing their personal code of conduct and setting the right example of total honesty, principle and integrity. There ought to be an open and careful review of the criteria for awards under the National Honours Scheme aiming to improve transparency and public confidence in the system. Then work down in Society to try and modify the apparent endemic British attitude of bad manners and poor scruples which may be contributing to problems like gun crime, knife crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. At the same time it is vital to recognise that deprivation and unfairness drive crime, vandalism and hooliganism, that in a society low in ethical or religious restraints the lack of discipline may lead to lawlessness and a breakdown in mutual respect and that boredom, lack of goals, stimulation and opportunity fuel alcohol and drug misuse. Such things will never be effectively curtailed by the full weight of the law and punitive restrictions on human rights, the causes need to be addressed right back at the roots where low standards and bad behaviour first begin. We must somehow improve discipline and regard at home and in schools, engendering due respect in children for adults. Basic standards, morals and social skills need to be instilled early in life. Modern alternatives must be found to replace past community and character building schemes that have faded from credibility. A helpful start in this direction might be made by making much more provision for youth clubs and offering sport, fitness and exercise activities free (or at least at the lowest cost practicable) for participation, spectating and supporting. |
| 8. A MORE RESPONSIBLE MEDIA – We need to raise standards in broadcasting, computer games, advertising and journalism. Society and Government must prevail upon the entertainment media (TV, films, theatre, books, computers and games) to set the right example of good taste and opinion and shift the balance of content away from the dark side of human nature towards material that celebrates the wholesome things in life. Without resorting to prudish censorship, we need to curb the inclination towards excessive inclusion of deviant sexuality and graphic glorification of violence and killing and instead promote ideas that nourish integrity, artistic flair, individual endeavour and sportsmanship. For example; too many TV shows rely on the degenerative themes of crime, murder, detective or spy thrillers, talent and reality shows. There should also be a moderation in much of the unnecessarily loud and frenzied visual and sound effects employed and less emphasis on subversive advertising and repetitive trailers for future programmes. The dominant role of news and current affairs media, particularly journalism, incurs a great responsibility to give impartial and balanced coverage to all points of view including allowing equal right of reply to anybody attacked or criticised. Also more care and answerability is needed where there is likelihood of spreading unnecessary alarm and misinformation. “The News Bulletin must not lead or make the news!” Commercial advertisements should avoid deception and spin in their methodology and not aggressively promote products that might encourage poor health, bad behaviour or excessive consumption. Junk mail should be discouraged and all disclaimers, small print, contracts and charges for services, energy, utilities and goods must be truthful, transparent and comparable like for like. The food and drink industries should be restrained from marketing and promoting cheap booze and fast food to young people or targeting vulnerable sections of the community. They should also be expected to help deal with the litter and chewing gum problems they generate and profit from. |
| 9. NATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL SECURITY – The State must seek to strike the right balance between assuring national security, managing immigration, controlling discrimination and administering imprisonment whilst still upholding civil liberties and respecting human rights. We are not convinced that a comprehensive and expensive ID card scheme is the best and only way forward particularly if it involves another hefty charge upon individuals in addition to passports and driving licences etc. We must make sure we have a fair immigration system allowing anybody admission providing they satisfy reasonable criteria on health screening, can speak or are willing to learn English, be self supporting, contribute to our economy and be law abiding integrated members of society. There should be energetic measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination, to prevent further development of a negative public attitude towards ethnic members of society and the authors/perpetrators of such adequately deterred and sanctioned. The proposal to extend the period of pre-trial detention of terrorist suspects to 42 days was unprecedented in the free world and was unnecessary when there are sufficient laws already on statute. Suspects should be promptly charged with a criminal offence, their lawyers given access to the evidence against them and the case brought to court within a reasonable period of time. Violent criminals and dangerous mental patients must not end up back in society because of inadequate space in prisons, hospitals or institutions before full and effective community care is provided for them. Most petty crimes should not warrant a prison sentence but just supervised community service instead. |
| 10. TRANSPORT – Much more needs to be done to rationalise public transport, roads and traffic calming. A robust national transport infrastructure should seek a healthy compromise between efficient public transport and adequate roads to serve both business traffic and the private motorist but with more bulk and heavy freight transferred to rail. Rail and bus operations should be seen as a public service not as a profit opportunity for all sorts of audacious entrepreneurs so measures to take them into full regulation or even nationalisation if economical should be kept under review. In a modern civilised society it is a reasonable human aspiration to possess a private personal transport mode and it would be unrealistic to expect everyone to use public transport except perhaps in the most high density population centres. We need to counter the growing hostility towards personal motoring which seems to foster the idea that it is some kind of anti-social behaviour causing pollution and congestion. The Authorities should recognise that traffic flow problems have multiple causes and apply genuine research into finding the remedies. New roads, generous parking spaces and efficient junction layouts are a vital component of the local infrastructure and it will not mean covering all the countryside with tarmac and concrete. If any new building development is to be considered justified then adequate road and parking provision must be part of the plan. All major motorway and trunk road intersections/junctions should be served by low charge or free “Park and Share” schemes. Parking charges at hospitals, railway stations and airports ought to be minimal just to cover the costs of providing that amenity and not be exploited as a revenue earner. All speed camera, congestion charging, bus lanes, cycle lanes and traffic calming schemes need to be carefully audited to check that they are the right balance between safety and efficiency, enabling traffic to still move at a sensible speed. It is illogical that local authorities sometimes have money to create restrictions but not enough to repair or improve the road! There also needs to be a comprehensive audit of the bourgeoning incidence of total road closures for repairs, safety checks or accidents with consequent long and aggravating diversions. Are we being served by the Highways Agency or has it become culturally arrogant with self belief? |
| 11. EUROPE – The country must face up to the realities of global competition and the EU. Most people understand the strength and advantages provided by being in the European Economic Union as a necessary compromise for competing in the world market against large and powerful countries like the US, Russia, India and China. However, the electorate should still be given the referendum they felt they were always promised on the Reform Treaty as not to do so will further undermine their distrust of politicians. Most independent observers have concluded that it is hardly any different than the failed Constitution so it should be reinterpreted and the facts presented as simply as possible. The British people are basically pro-European but are also wary of an erosion of national identity and distrustful of bureaucratic power in Brussels. |
| 12. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT – It is always important to ensure the right balance between Governmental intervention and self determination. E.g. Socialism versus a Free Market Economy. “Real Labour” should be the party of the ‘Community’ not the ‘State’ leading and working with the people rather than autocratically prescribing what they should do. We should “Legislate to simplify Legislation!” and reduce Government interference. Cut red tape, minimise documentation and small print ensuring that there is no false growth in the economy fuelled by laws, rules and regulations that just provide work and profit for lawyers, accountants and administrators. National and Local Government tend to get too big, too intrusive, too bureaucratic, too costly and lack joined up thinking. On the other hand the contemporary alternative solution of PFI tends to be deceitful, wasteful and unresponsive and is likely in the long run to cost as much as three times direct public sector investing. We should strive to find the right balance between collective ownership of vital services to ensure equality and fairness and the free independent functioning of private industry to secure the benefits of a market economy. The old fashioned values of traditional socialism do not appeal to modern folk, they distrust state intervention and nationalisation because of its past reputation for operating inefficiently and not providing all the answers. Nevertheless, there is still widespread belief in the principle that the most vital services are best entrusted to non profit making collective ownership providing that public funds are effectively used and accounted for with no wastage and embezzlement. Moreover, an unbridled laissez-faire free market economy finds little favour because it puts profit before value, efficiency and service creating an anarchic rat race where the strongest or most unscrupulous organisations tend to monopolise. We believe that self regulation in commerce seldom works and there should be a general policy of reasonable and accountable watchdog supervision to protect the consumer. |
| 13. THE FUTURE OF THE LABOUR PARTY – Grass root opinion is that recent well intentioned reforms have been a mistake and there is a desperate need to restore some power to members. The Constitution needs to be changed to properly reflect the views of all its members and strengthen their democratic rights. There needs to be improvement in the systems for nomination and selection of candidates, protocols at Conference and relationships between all tiers from Branches through to CLPs, Regions and HQ. Safeguards are needed to ensure that in future no powerful individual or unrepresentative faction can hijack the Party. For instance, the policy of all women short-listing may have been based on good grounds but it can appear discriminatory and undemocratic therefore a better procedure should be sought. There has clearly been a loss of voter confidence due to Government mistakes in managing affairs and the “Real Labour Party” should now distance itself from the logos, images and personalities of the past. A new direction with inspired leadership will be vital to reconnect with the people. The true lessons of the global economic crisis must be realised and not blamed for everything that has gone wrong. Britain has basked in an economic boom for the last 10 years foolishly fuelled by credit, toxic debts, over inflated property prices, speculation and dubious financial practises such as “short selling” which many ordinary citizens always knew must inevitably lead to disaster. |
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