Summary of political beliefs

[k-onmmunist]

It's only right that we undo our interventionist damage by kicking the Jews out of the land they have no rightful claim to.

...Apart from the fact they were there for years before the Canaanites arrived. Yeah...

Don't lie, prude

Did you just call someone with a -9 social score a prude in a thread which has nothing to do with morality?

.....lol.

[k-onmmunist]

It's only right that we undo our interventionist damage by kicking the Jews out of the land they have no rightful claim to.

...Apart from the fact they were there for years before the Canaanites arrived. Yeah...

Don't lie, prude

Did you just call someone with a -9 social score a prude in a thread which has nothing to do with morality?

.....lol.

The score means nothing if you support the Israeli war agenda

I don't support either side, believe me. I used to be a Zionist nut, but these days, I can't be bothered with either of them.

[k-onmmunist]

Pro-choice in all three trimesters?! Jesus.

[k-onmmunist]

Pro-choice in all three trimesters?! Jesus.

Of course. He is crazy.

Anyway, that's surprising coming from you. Aren't you too pro-choice in all three trimesters?

No, only the first two.

[k-onmmunist]

Pro-choice in all three trimesters?! Jesus.

Of course. He is crazy.

Anyway, that's surprising coming from you. Aren't you too pro-choice in all three trimesters?

No, only the first two.

What?! Fake libertarian!

Seriously, your social score would suggest otherwise.

A foetus can feel pain after the first two trimesters.

[k-onmmunist]

If something has feelings, it is a living sentient being. A foetus cannot feel until 28 weeks.

[k-onmmunist]

Constitutional Issues

Summary - Radicalism

Monarchy - Abolish and replace with an elected head of state who would have powers somewhat similar to those of the US president. The head of state would be elected every 3 years in separate presidential elections.

Second chamber - Abolish the House of Lords by flooding it with friendly peers and leave the Commons as the only body able to create legislation. However, increase the size of the Commons so for every 100,000 people in Britain, there is a representative.

Fixed elections - Hold Commons elections biannually. The party with the most seats in the Commons would form the new legislative government and have Prime Minister. The Prime Minister would have somewhat less power than now.

Constitution - Create a Bill of Rights to protect British liberties, and empower the Supreme Court to defend them. Also, codify the constitution. Amendments would be approved first by a vote of over 60% in the Commons and then by a national referendum.

Devolution - Every region shall be granted an assembly with Swiss canton style powers. The regions shall be roughly drawn up along traditional county lines. Elections to the Assembly would be held annually. Each Assembly would also have a constitution.

Local government - Abolish the confusing current system and instead create one type of Local Authority. Municipal elections are to be held annually, as they are now.

Voting system - Saint-Lague proportional representation for the Commons and Assemblies. Local government to be elected via FPTP. Voting age to be lowered to 16 for general and Assembly elections and 14 for municipal elections. Those serving under 20 years in prison or those who are mentally ill shall be granted suffrage.

Church of England - Disestablish and create a secular Britain.

Criminal code - Create one.

Moral issues

Summary - Broadly communitarian

Gay marriage - Get the state out of marriage, preferably. If not, then simply legalise gay marriage along the same sort of lines as normal marriage. While we're at it, legalise polygamy. Finally, end the ban on MSM's giving blood.

Abortion - Leave week limit as it is. Partial-birth abortion should be banned however. Allow abortion on request.

Smoking ban - Everyone has the right to clean air. Keep it.

Fox hunting - Keep illegal and possibly extend the ban to all hunting. It is simply cruelty in the name of 'sport'

Euthanasia - Legalise, I don't see any reasons for forcing people to live if they are of sound mind and have expressed their wish to end their life.

Prostitution - I have no problem with call girls etc., but pimping, brothels and street prostitution should all remain illegal and be punished harshly.

Death penalty - Restore for murder, treason and terrorism. Method of execution should be firing squad. Also, make sure those serving life sentences cannot be released before 40 years have elapsed.

Drugs - Legalise soft drugs (i.e., cannabis, amphetamines, LSD) and tax them at a rate similar to tobacco. The War on Drugs has been an utter failure.

Age of consent - Lower to 14. The current laws are pretty ridiculous to be quite honest.

Gun control - Keep all guns banned. They're a menace.

Civil liberties - Scrap the ID card scheme, lower the detention without trial limit to 7 days, stop keeping innocent people's fingerprints etc.

Censorship - The new constitution would prevent the government banning anything it does not like.

Sunday trading - Oppose.

Economic issues

Summary - Socialist

Ministry - Abolish the Treasury etc. and create a huge Department for Economic Planning and Reconstruction with one superminister and many subministers.

Public ownership - My most important issue. All of the following should be taken completely under national control: Coal, railways, iron and steel, electricity, oil, aerospace, sugar, cement, insurance, land, textiles, road haulage (involved in haulage of publicly owned goods), telecoms, civil aviation, ports and shipbuilding. The following should be municipally controlled: water, gas and buses. Some banking should also be nationalised. Finally, all formerly British car manufacturers should be nationalised and reorganised. Re-privatisation of the auto industry could possibly take place later. Bus, truck, motorbike and van manufacture should also be nationalised. A National Economic Planning Council should be established to organise co-operation between nationalised industry. Commence MASSIVE reconstruction of British manufacturing - paper and cotton industries should also be revived under national control.

Trade - Tariffs on coal, iron, steel, cotton and automobiles to protect British industry. Possibly extend elsewhere later on. In particular, focus on raising quality standards thus keeping out mass produced Asian goods and allowing British businesses with higher wage rates to compete.

Taxation - Introduce land value taxation. Abolish income tax for those earning under £20,000 per annum and levy a top rate of 90% on those who earn over £1,000,000 per annum. Income redistribution should be a primary aim. Abolish inheritance tax except on the very rich. Introduce some carbon taxes to encourage cleaner and more efficient industry. Make National Insurance a progressive rather than flat tax.

Healthcare - Abolish prescription charges and renationalise health services such as cleaning which are privately owned. Launch a new campaign to stamp out venereal disease and offer free contraception in high schools and colleges. Take up Labour's pledge to allow people to see a cancer specialist within a week. Nationalise all private healthcare. I'm largely indifferent to polytechnics.. let the community decide.

Education - Add Finance to the high school curriculum and remove R.E. Require ALL schools to teach sex education. Nationalise religious and private schools. Bring back free school milk and ensure free, healthy school meals for primary school children. Raise EMA limit and drastically lower tuition fees. End single-gender schools.

Minimum Wage - Raise to £8.50 in 2010 pounds and fix it to inflation. Equalise the 18-21 rate with this. The 16-17 rate should be raised and tied to inflation at £5.50

Welfare - Introduce month long paternity leave. Create a 'national care service' for the elderly. Legislate to enforce an 8 hour working day for blue-collar workers and introduce a workfare system for unemployment benefits.

Energy - Focus on solar and hydro-electric power. Use wind or nuclear power only if absolutely neccesary.

Environment - Invest heavily in home insulation and clean electricity. Introduce a system of polluter permits for industry.

Immigration - Keep as it is pretty much, maybe an Australian style system.

Pensions - Restore average earnings link.

Equal pay - Sign into law an act requiring all companies with over 100 employees to issue reports annually related to men and women's pay. Prosecute businesses that clearly discriminate on basis of gender. Also, create a new act ensuring that equal pay extends also to racial, disability, sexuality grounds.

Affirmative action - Support on class and gender basis. Oppose on racial basis.

Unions - Repeal ALL Thatcher and Major legislation that restricted trade union action. Work for collective bargaining.

Anti-trust law - Enforce vigorously. Large supermarket chains and agribusiness to be broken up into smaller, more competitive parts.

Global warming - Doesn't exist.

Foreign Policy

Summary - Socialism in one country

Europe - Second most important issue. QUIT! NOW!!!!!!!!

International organisations - Quit NATO, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO

Afghanistan - Withdraw troops immediately.

War - Only get involved in wars if we are directly attacked.

Nuclear policy - Third most important issue. Disarm all our nuclear weapons. We have no right to preach to other countries about nuclear weapons until we have  gotten rid of our own.

[k-onmmunist]

However, increase the size of the Commons so for every 100,000 people in Britain, there is a representative.

!!!

The Commons is already huge.

This would mean the Commons would have about 610 members at present. Which is less.

[k-onmmunist]

Yay godwin's law.

[k-onmmunist]

European Union: Eurosceptic. The EU's power needs to be decreased, and given back to the national legislators.
The Euro: Has proven to be a bad idea. Keep the own Swedish currency.

[k-onmmunist]

Constitutional Issues

Summary – Public empowerment+meritocracy

•   Campaign finance reform: Donations of more then a $1000 from any single individual forbidden. Church/business/union role in campaign financing or organization forbidden. Attempts to circumvent this sneakily forbidden.

•   Political representation: The Tasmanian system. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Tasmania)

•   Constitution: A fairly standard set of negative and positive rights(ie. Freedom of speech, entitlement to healthcare/water/food and so on). Distinctively I advocate a greater emphasis on freedom of association then most people embrace, and “freedom of community”(as opposed to the current system of mandatory individualism). Also I see very little value in the right of privacy from the government, so long a checks and balances exist to prevent abuses.

•   Local government – If the citizens took local government seriously, I would support significant Swiss-style devolution. They do not, however. The obvious remedy would be mandatory turnout at elections +making local government more important, but that could backfire.

•   Meritocracy: In many countries, the judiciary has very significant de facto legislative power. Given that precedent, I think the most learned individuals should play a greater role(albeit perhaps not a direct legislative role) in the political system. It is a travesty for example that scientists have not been able to exert more pressure on the political system to act against global warming.



Societal issues

Summary – Progressive communitarianism(as opposed to progressive individualism which goes by the name of “liberalism”)

•   Civil unions: Marriage is a symbolic/religious term and the state need not define it, consensus is unnecessary. Civil unions should not discriminate based upon sexuality. Civil unions should be separated into two distinct forms, childless CU’s and CU’s responsible for children. The standard pre-nuptial agreement of each partner receiving approximately what they have earned rather then arbitrary 50-50 split should be the default settlement in cases of divorce.

•   Demographics: Structure social engineering policies upon two main goals: firstly bringing the birthrate up to something approximating 2(replacement level), and secondly balancing the class imbalance(birthrates correlating with poverty) which hinders government’s push to reduce poverty rates. This to be achieved through using tax and welfare policies as leverage, as well as maternal entitlements.


•   Abortion/contraception – Free and encouraged amongst those judged unlikely to be fit parents(ie. Teenagers/drug abusers etc). Should also be encouraged in the case of fetuses determined to suffer serious genetic disorders. If sociopathy turns out to have a genetic component, would support mandatory abortion of fetuses found to have it(probably the only case I would support mandatory abortion).  


•   Addictive substances/prostitution: Legalize(on account of undeniable failure) but push out of the public sphere through public smoking bans and the like. If at some point surveillance technologies advance to the point that prohibition of such activities can be successfully enforced, I would support renewal of bans.

•   Environmentalism: Passionately consider combating of global warming to be the great test of my generation’s worth, if not its raison d’être. IF it was politically viable I would support the transition of global society to Vegetarianism(with the possible exception of meats which cause the least in the way of environmental burden), on account of animal farming being so much more environmentally burdensome then agriculture and the immense strain fishing as imposed upon our oceans. Emphasis on conservation. Emphasis on urban/suburban environments being “greened” to a greater extent.  

•   Crime: Petty criminals(such as those leading to sentences of less then 1 year/6 months) should not be immersed in criminal culture, as they often leave more criminal then they entered- I’m not sure what the best alternative is. Paedophiles and rapists should be chemically castrated. I’m ambivalent about the death penalty- though I would support it being applied in severe cases of political or corporate corruption, as well as perhaps serial killers.

•   Gun control: Support ban, though would be supportive of investigation into the viability of public access to defensive tasers.

•   Civil Liberties vs Civil Securities: I come down in favour of the latter almost every single time. The idiotic objections(sorry to be blunt but its true) to keeping the DNA of innocent people on a government database strikes me as particularly ludicrous- what possible harm could come of that? Modern surveillance and ID card strategies I am currently ambivalent about not from a civil liberties standpoint but rather because the technology has not progressed enough to be particularly useful. Once ID cards can be replaced with high-tech ID chips(mandatory, ideally), security dividends will truly manifest themselves.

•   Multiculturalism/Immigration: I am ambivalent about multiculturalism for multiculturalism’s sake(the odd idea that diversity correlates with success seems disproven when one looks at homogenous societies like South Korea and Japan), sympathetic to calls for higher degree of assimilation and Western cultural assertiveness. Also, most immigration policies seem tailored to deprive developing countries of their most productive citizens. However the threat posed by demographic and skills gaps will take a generation at least to fix, therefore necessitating high rates of immigration to counterbalance them until they stabilize. Government should reject anti-refugee silliness currently pervading my country, rather than pander to it as it currently is.  

•   Government should do what it can to encourage secularism and intellectualism.



Economic issues

Summary – Democratic Socialist

•   Taxation: Land Value tax should be a core basis of tax revenue. Also carbon taxes should be implemented. Income tax should become more progressive. Sin taxes should be expanded to the least healthy foods.

•   Public ownership: Public control(or in certain cases semi-control) of national resources, infrastructure and healthcare system is vital. A public bank should be established with preferential loans to particular causes(ie. Student loans, first time home buyers and renewable energy/energy efficiency loans)

•   Renewable energy/energy efficiency: Stimulate economy primarily through investment in renewable energy technologies and public transport. There are countless ways to expand renewable energy capacity and energy efficiency, to numerous to mention. Through use of the public bank’s preferential loans, the government could increase the pace- in exchange for those loans, the government would keep half the financial gain resultant from increased energy efficiency, which could be dedicated towards financing further renewable/efficiency investment.

•   Trade: Ambivalent on free trade. A fair trade strategy to help bolster the economies of developing countries, coupled with common sense trade restrictions to counter mercantilist strategy from countries such as China, would be most desirable- coupled with an attempt to shift our economy towards less reliance on natural resource exports.

•   Education: Free university in exchange for… say 5/7 hours of public service in the community per week. Beyond that I’m not well informed enough to propose anything.

•   Institute a workfare system modeled on Denmark’s.

•   Protect pensions and extend government care for the elderly.

•   Strengthen anti-trust laws

•   Cease agricultural subsidies towards large agribuisiness.

•   Exploit the water supplies of Australia’s North and consider exploiting its agricultural capacity.

•   Oppose affirmative action based on race, favour it on a socioeconomic basis.



Foreign Policy

Summary – Standard egalatarian internationalism.

•   Military budget: As “a future fair for all” said, “CUTCUTCUT!”
•   Implement fair trade policies and expand aid to third world countries conditional on those countries taking serious action regarding their greenhouse gas emissions.
•   Iraq and Afghanistan: Withdraw from former, stay in latter until the deadline Obama proclaimed(if it drags on past that, leave).
•   Iran: Would support bombing if all else fails.
•   Play as cooperative and active a role as a nation of our minor importance can in matters requiring international cooperation for global benefit.

You certainly have a more interesting set of views than most around here. It's a rare occurence to see someone who actually has something of a communitarian ideology on this forum.

[k-onmmunist]

Privatisation: Against. We should re-nationalize everything that Labour and the Tories have privatised since 1979.

+road haulage

[k-onmmunist]

Constitutional Issues

Summary - Radicalism

Monarchy - Abolish and replace with an elected head of state who would have powers somewhat similar to those of the US president. The head of state would be elected every 3 years in separate presidential elections.

Second chamber - Abolish the House of Lords by flooding it with friendly peers and leave the Commons as the only body able to create legislation. However, increase the size of the Commons so for every 100,000 people in Britain, there is a representative.

Fixed elections - Hold Commons elections biannually. The party with the most seats in the Commons would form the new legislative government and have Prime Minister. The Prime Minister would have somewhat less power than now.

Constitution - Create a Bill of Rights to protect British liberties, and empower the Supreme Court to defend them. Also, codify the constitution. Amendments would be approved first by a vote of over 60% in the Commons and then by a national referendum.

Devolution - Every region shall be granted an assembly with Swiss canton style powers. The regions shall be roughly drawn up along traditional county lines. Elections to the Assembly would be held annually. Each Assembly would also have a constitution.

Local government - Abolish the confusing current system and instead create one type of Local Authority. Municipal elections are to be held annually, as they are now.

Voting system - Saint-Lague proportional representation for the Commons and Assemblies. Local government to be elected via FPTP. Voting age to be lowered to 16 for general and Assembly elections and 14 for municipal elections. Those serving under 20 years in prison or those who are mentally ill shall be granted suffrage.

Church of England - Disestablish and create a secular Britain. Disestablish the Church of Scotland too

Criminal code - Create one.

Moral issues

Summary - Broadly communitarian

Gay marriage - Get the state out of marriage, preferably. If not, then simply legalise gay marriage along the same sort of lines as normal marriage. While we're at it, legalise polygamy. Finally, end the ban on MSM's giving blood.

Abortion - Leave week limit as it is. Partial-birth abortion should be banned however. Allow abortion on request.

Smoking ban - Everyone has the right to clean air. Keep it.

Fox hunting - Keep illegal and possibly extend the ban to all hunting. It is simply cruelty in the name of 'sport'

Euthanasia - Legalise, I don't see any reasons for forcing people to live if they are of sound mind and have expressed their wish to end their life.

Prostitution - I have no problem with call girls etc., but pimping, brothels and street prostitution should all remain illegal and be punished harshly.

Death penalty - Restore for murder, treason and terrorism and gun ownership. Method of execution should be firing squad. Also, make sure those serving life sentences cannot be released before 40 years have elapsed.

Drugs - Legalise soft drugs (i.e., cannabis, amphetamines, LSD) and tax them at a rate similar to tobacco. The War on Drugs has been an utter failure.

Age of consent - Lower to 14 13. The current laws are pretty ridiculous to be quite honest.

Gun control - Keep all guns banned. They're a menace.

Civil liberties - Scrap the ID card scheme, lower the detention without trial limit to 7 days, stop keeping innocent people's fingerprints etc.

Censorship - The new constitution would prevent the government banning anything it does not like.

Sunday trading - Oppose.

Economic issues

Summary - Socialist

Ministry - Abolish the Treasury etc. and create a huge Department for Economic Planning and Reconstruction with one superminister and many subministers.

Public ownership - My most important issue. All of the following should be taken completely under national control: Coal, railways, iron and steel, electricity, oil, aerospace, sugar, cement, insurance, land, textiles, road haulage (involved in haulage of publicly owned goods), telecoms, civil aviation, ports and shipbuilding. The following should be municipally controlled: water, gas and buses. Some banking should also be nationalised. Finally, all formerly British car manufacturers should be nationalised and reorganised. Re-privatisation of the auto industry could possibly take place later. Bus, truck, motorbike and van manufacture should also be nationalised. A National Economic Planning Council should be established to organise co-operation between nationalised industry. Commence MASSIVE reconstruction of British manufacturing - paper and cotton industries should also be revived under national control.

Trade - Tariffs on coal, iron, steel, cotton and automobiles to protect British industry. Possibly extend elsewhere later on. In particular, focus on raising quality standards thus keeping out mass produced Asian goods and allowing British businesses with higher wage rates to compete.

Taxation - Introduce land value taxation. Abolish income tax for those earning under £20,000 per annum and levy a top rate of 90% on those who earn over £1,000,000 per annum. Income redistribution should be a primary aim. Abolish inheritance tax except on the very rich. Introduce some carbon taxes to encourage cleaner and more efficient industry. Make National Insurance a progressive rather than flat tax.

Healthcare - Abolish prescription charges and renationalise health services such as cleaning which are privately owned. Launch a new campaign to stamp out venereal disease and offer free contraception in high schools and colleges. Take up Labour's pledge to allow people to see a cancer specialist within a week. Nationalise all private healthcare. I'm largely indifferent to polytechnics.. let the community decide.

Education - Add Finance to the high school curriculum and remove R.E. Require ALL schools to teach sex education. Nationalise religious and private schools. Bring back free school milk and ensure free, healthy school meals for primary school children. Raise EMA limit and drastically lower tuition fees. End single-gender schools.

Minimum Wage - Raise to £8.50 in 2010 pounds and fix it to inflation. Equalise the 18-21 rate with this. The 16-17 rate should be raised and tied to inflation at £5.50

Welfare - Introduce month long paternity leave. Create a 'national care service' for the elderly. Legislate to enforce an 8 hour working day for blue-collar workers and introduce a workfare system for unemployment benefits.

Energy - Focus on solar and hydro-electric power. Use wind or nuclear power only if absolutely neccesary.

Environment - Invest heavily in home insulation and clean electricity. Introduce a system of polluter permits for industry.

Immigration - Keep as it is pretty much, maybe an Australian style system.

Pensions - Restore average earnings link.

Equal pay - Sign into law an act requiring all companies with over 100 employees to issue reports annually related to men and women's pay. Prosecute businesses that clearly discriminate on basis of gender. Also, create a new act ensuring that equal pay extends also to racial, disability, sexuality grounds.

Affirmative action - Support on class and gender basis. Oppose on racial basis.

Unions - Repeal ALL Thatcher and Major legislation that restricted trade union action. Work for collective bargaining.

Anti-trust law - Enforce vigorously. Large supermarket chains and agribusiness to be broken up into smaller, more competitive parts.

Global warming - Doesn't exist.

Foreign Policy

Summary - Socialism in one country

Europe - Second most important issue. QUIT! NOW!!!!!!!!

International organisations - Quit NATO, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO

Afghanistan - Withdraw troops immediately.

War - Only get involved in wars if we are directly attacked.

Nuclear policy - Third most important issue. Disarm all our nuclear weapons. We have no right to preach to other countries about nuclear weapons until we have  gotten rid of our own.

[k-onmmunist]

Death penalty - gun ownership.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings

[k-onmmunist]

Briefly.

I never really could stomach being anti-death penalty too much though.

[k-onmmunist]

Death penalty - gun ownership.

I possess a gun. Should I get the death penalty?

Well, obviously. Winston made it clear that he wants gun owners lined up and shot, what makes you think you're any different?

I would ban guns and compensate owners. Anyone found to be breaking the law after that would face the penalty.

[k-onmmunist]

O_O

[k-onmmunist]

Oh dear. The reactionaries have gathered in this thread Nah, I doubt it's Einzige.

[k-onmmunist]

Economic

Nationalization/Privatization: Nationalize every company with over 20 employees.
Government Intervention: Begin a massive drive to open new coal mines, factories, steelmills, ironworks, shipyards etc. to restore British manufacturing. Begin roadbuilding and renovation projects to restore the British road system, as well as a new railway building program to replace rail closed down under the Beeching Axe. Aim to reduce unemployment to under 500,000.
Pensions: Maintain pension age at 65
Taxation: Massive redistribution of wealth and heavily progressive taxation.
Trade: High protective tariffs against foreign manufactured goods.
Healthcare: Nationalize all private hospitals & services, abolish prescription charges and begin a hospital building program.
Education: Nationalize all private schools, abolish tuition fees and maintain the school leaving age at 16. Abolish school uniforms and standardize the testing system.
Finance: Private banks are inefficient, illogical and greedy - nationalize all of them and create a small group of state banks for different requirements. Re-introduce foreign exchange controls. Abolish the Stock Exchange.

Social

Abortion: Allow on request
Gay marriage: Legalize and make equal with existing heterosexual marriage laws.
Death penalty: Restore for treason and murder
Euthanasia: Support I guess
Drugs: Legalize soft drugs
Immigration: We're a crowded country - make sure there are clear controls on borders.

Foreign

War on Terror: Get out of it, it is nothing to do with us.
Alliances: Support communist movements in other countries
Military involvement: Unneccesary except in self defence.
NATO: Leave
EU: Leave
Nuclear disarmament: Multilateral if possible. If not, unilateral.

[k-onmmunist]

Economic

Nationalization/Privatization: Nationalize every company with over 20 employees.
Government Intervention: Begin a massive drive to open new coal mines, factories, steelmills, ironworks, shipyards etc. to restore British manufacturing. Begin roadbuilding and renovation projects to restore the British road system, as well as a new railway building program to replace rail closed down under the Beeching Axe. Aim to reduce unemployment to under 500,000.
Pensions: Maintain pension age at 65
Taxation: Massive redistribution of wealth and heavily progressive taxation.
Trade: High protective tariffs against foreign manufactured goods.
Healthcare: Nationalize all private hospitals & services, abolish prescription charges and begin a hospital building program.
Education: Nationalize all private schools, abolish tuition fees and maintain the school leaving age at 16. Abolish school uniforms and standardize the testing system.
Finance: Private banks are inefficient, illogical and greedy - nationalize all of them and create a small group of state banks for different requirements. Re-introduce foreign exchange controls. Abolish the Stock Exchange.

Social

Abortion: Allow on request
Gay marriage: Legalize and make equal with existing heterosexual marriage laws.
Death penalty: Restore for treason and murder
Euthanasia: Support I guess
Drugs: Legalize soft drugs
Immigration: We're a crowded country - make sure there are clear controls on borders.

Foreign

War on Terror: Get out of it, it is nothing to do with us.
Alliances: Support communist movements in other countries
Military involvement: Unneccesary except in self defence.
NATO: Leave
EU: Leave
Nuclear disarmament: Multilateral if possible. If not, unilateral.

You're insane! Although I guess you have one bright spot in the EU....

Yeah, the EU is an important issue to me as well.

[k-onmmunist]

Glad to see you're moving towards a saner EU policy

[k-onmmunist]

Overall philosophy: I consider myself, at heart, to be a socialist. When I say 'socialist', I refer to the belief in a narrowing of the class boundaries, and a strong state in the economy to aid the disadvantaged and help lessen the destructive impact of the boom/bust cycle. This also means the state management and nationalization of the commanding heights of the economy. The closest any party has ever come to my views is probably the 1983 Labour manifesto (yes, THAT one)

I'm also heavily influenced by liberal and democratic theories - I generally believe in the harm principle on social issues, and that it's no business of the state to regulate the personal choices of its citzens.

Social Issues.

Abortion: Very very strongly pro-choice up until 24 weeks. There should be no further decreases in the limit and all abortions should be performed on the NHS, by request. A collection of cells in your womb is not a human being. Sorry.

Drugs/Legalization: The Misuse of Drugs Act is one of the most idiotic, misguided and stupid pieces of legislation ever passed in this country, and that's saying something. ALL drugs should immediately be completely legalized and taxed. Production of these drugs should be put under the same regulation as current food/drug laws to ensure the product is pure and as safe as is possible.

Euthanasia: Legalize. No-one should be put through pain simply because they can't take their own life.

Gay Rights: Privatize marriage altogether and let people make their own contracts (so this would also legalize polygamy etc.) and remove the ban on blood donations - more heterosexuals carry the HIV virus than homosexuals now, so it's based on a myth anyway. Complete equality is the only way to go.

Hunting: It was quite right to ban fox hunting as it's a senseless, cruel and obsolete institution that should have been done away with long ago. I'd seriously consider extending the ban to all hunting.

Immigration: Keep immigration controls much as they are, I suppose. If I were an American, I'd be fully in support of open borders but the fact is that Britain is becoming heavily overcrowded and it's neccesary, as much as I wish it wasn't.

Prostitution: Once again, legalize, tax and regulate. No-one benefits from the current system except the pimps, and police time should be spent fighting real crime instead of victimless ones. Nationalize the brothels, much as Turkey does.

Separation of Church and State: Disestablish the Church of England, completely sever every link between the church and the state. Should have been done years ago.

Stem Cell Research: Goes back to my abortion argument. Legalize please.

Smoking Bans: I support the ban on indoor smoking though I'm very strongly against it being extended to cover outdoor areas, as I've heard is now being proposed. Keep as is basically. Marijuana smoking should be legal in public.

Affirmative Action: I oppose affirmative action on the basis of race, and instead prefer a system of affirmative action on the basis of class.

Miscellaneous:

• I'd strongly support the establishment of an Equal Pay Agency to make sure equal pay is more correlated with equal work.
• All anti-terror legislation should be repealed.
• I support copyleft and the decriminalization of peer-to-peer filesharing.
• I support abolishing the age of consent and replacing it with a tier system.
• I'd support the death penalty for extremely serious crimes such as terrorism. Aside from that, no.
• Sex education for all.

Economic Issues.

Taxes: Increase the top rate to 95% but only use that rate for those earning absolutely ludicrous amounts of money. Otherwise, the top rate should be 90% - a much more progressive system aimed at wealth re-distribution in other words. I'd reduce VAT gradually to maybe 5% because I dislike regressive taxes. I'd also support the introduction of a Tobin tax and LVT. I'm neutral on the idea of carbon taxes. Hike corporation tax.

Education: Abolish tuition fees, bring back the EMA and nationalize all private schools. Abolish faith and single-sex schools. Everyone should be equal in terms of education. I'd also add finance to the National Curriculum.

Environment: Nationalize airways, rail, trams and buses and begin developing a unified transport policy to increase capacity and reduce our reliance on cars. Re-open railways closed by the Beeching Axe. I'd also nationalize what's left of the automotive industry and begin massive expansion - Britain needs a strong motor industry, and the opportunity is there for us to develop a high tech, green car industry from scratch.

Industry: Nationalize steel, automotives and other major manufacturing industries and begin an expansion of these industries, the aim being to provide as much of our own industrial resources as we can. Create vast public works programs to fix Britain's infrastructure and create full employment. Nationalize coal and re-open the mines closed by the Tories.

Trade: Absolute free trade has failed Britain, and should be abandoned. A program of industrial tariffs should be levied to protect infant industries and to bring about fair trade against countries without sufficient environmental/worker standards.

Welfare: Undo all Tory welfare cuts. Raise the minimum wage to a 'living wage'

Unions: The unions are a vital component of British society and all anti-union legislation passed since 1979 should be repealed. Unions should play a key role and provide a check to both State and Business where needed, as well as seeking to defend workers rights.

Health Care: Nationalize all private healthcare and all private services within the NHS and end 'competition' within it. Abolish prescription charges. Our health system should based on that of Cuba/Canada's.

Energy: Nationalize electricity, oil, gas and water and immediately drop prices that have been enforced by the monopoly companies. Immediately begin the construction of large wind and wave farms in the North Sea and heavily subsidize the installation of solar panels on every home in Britain. Nuclear power should eventually be phased out, but only when there is a viable alternative.

Miscellaneous:

• I support the creation of a state owned banking sector and the nationalization of insurance. Derivatives should be heavily regulated, and all legislation repealed in the Big Bang should be restored.
• A maximum interest rate of 48% should be re-introduced.
• School meals should be free once again, and provided by local government.
• I support banning payday loans, and other predatory loan practices.
• A 30 hour day week should be introduced, as should equality between maternity and paternity leave. The eventual aim should be a 20 hour workweek.
• I support banning drug advertising.
• I strongly support a huge trust busting campaign to break up all the big monopolies and create a dynamic and competitive market.
• I support strong French-style regulations on supermarket construction to protect small business and encourage a diverse economy

[k-onmmunist]

Foreign Issues.

Military Spending: Reduce the British Army to 100,000 and focus on making it a high tech efficient defence force. Keep the RN and RAF at a large size as they're the most vital component of Britain's military.

Iran: Stay the hell out of their affairs? It really is none our business.

Afghanistan: Complete withdrawal, limited foreign aid.

European Union: The EU is a neoliberal institution which encourages social dumping, wasteful spending and bureaucracy. We should leave and sign up to a free trade agreement along much the same lines as Norway/Switzerland have. Aim to sign treaties that will create a unified Europe, outside of EU auspices.

Other Organizations: Quit NATO and close all foreign military bases in Britain. Quit the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. Encourage UN reform and play a larger role there.

Diplomacy/Sanctions: No entangling alliances or wars. We should only fight in self-defence. We should seek close relations with Europe, Russia and other emerging markets.

Miscellaneous:

• Keep foreign aid at 0.7% of the British budget
• I support a three state solution for Israel/Palestine. The best solution would be for Jordan to annex West Bank and Egypt to annex Gaza, as this would be the best way to ensure a good standard of living and safety for the Palestinian people.
• Northern Ireland and the dependencies are British and should remain so as long as they support British control.
• I very very very strongly oppose any sort of doctrine of "pre-emptive war."
• Strongly oppose Scottish and Welsh independence.
• Unilateral nuclear disarmament. Yes please.

Electoral Issues/Government.

Voting Regulations: Lower the voting age to 16.

Elections: Reduce the House of Commons to 300 members, to be elected proportionally using party lists. Fix parliamentary elections so they take place every 3 years.

The House of Lords: Abolish!

Constitution: Create a written constitution and bill of rights along American lines. It should also include many of the provisions that were included in the 'Second Bill of Rights'.

Referenda: Referenda should be held for any major change to the constitution or signing of a treaty that gives powers to international bodies.

Monarchy: Abolish the monarchy and replace it with a 'Warden' to be elected every 7 years in a 2 round presidential election system. The Warden's powers would resemble those of the American President.

Federalism: Turn Britain into a federal system with provinces of about 1 million people each. Provincial elections would replace much of local government and would take place annually.

Miscellaneous:

• Strengthen the Supreme Court.

[k-onmmunist]

I like a lot of what I read from this Winston guy but one thing I've always struggled with is unitary (states) vs federal states. Specifically, the idea of having increased local/regional government power through increased federalism and having a unicameral national legislature by abolishing the upper legislative chamber. I have no problem with unicameral unitary states (I'd love to see all the U.S. state legislatures become unicameral).

I really hate the U.S. Senate's absurd rules and while the idea of balancing out the legislative process between small and big federal states by having one chamber based on population and one based on equal representation of the states sounds good in theory (the populous states cannot override the least populous states and the least populous states cannot override the populous states thus leading to compromise), it does seem to benefit the smaller states much more substantially.

I've heard of other proposals to diminish the power of the upper chamber by weighting the vote of each member according to the population of their region/state/etc or giving the lower chamber the ability to override the upper chamber (think this is what they do in Japan) but that just makes the upper chamber seem redundant.

Does it make sense to have a unicameral legislature in a regionally diverse country like the U.S. with its federal system?

Does it make sense and is it fair to have a legislative chamber representing land or sub-national governments instead of people?

Bleah

Admittedly, I wrote my platform mainly for the UK In the US, I'd probably have different views on the constitution etc. I also sacked some issues such as gun rights that aren't issues in Britain and replaced them with hunting, which is

[k-onmmunist]

Admittedly, I wrote my platform mainly for the UK In the US, I'd probably have different views on the constitution etc. I also sacked some issues such as gun rights that aren't issues in Britain and replaced them with hunting, which is

I understand, I wasn't asking anyone specifically, just writing down a thought I had.

Ahhh fair enough