A Brave New World

pickledonionspaceraider

Controversial one, but Hanging. For the most serious offences .

It really gauls me the amount we spend on the worst of the worst prisoners - and what is the point.

Some people just do not deserve it

unrecordings

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Controversial one, but Hanging. For the most serious offences .

It really gauls me the amount we spend on the worst of the worst prisoners - and what is the point.

Some people just do not deserve it

Not really infrastructure though is it ?
Would you agree though that with our pie in the sky infrastructure shopping list, the UK would be a happier place, and therefore would less likely have need for a capital punishment debate ?

Let's take the recent event at the Arndale Centre - could a properly funded joined up policy of social care prevented that ?

unrecordings

Hobsons_Choice wrote: »

Funding for the vital Air Ambulance so that it doesn't have to rely on charity!

Good one - folded into the NHS maybe, or merged with the Coastguard service ? Again, the assumption on this thread is that we have adequate funding for our little shopping list

unrecordings

I've another. Nationally coordinated recycling. If the only place to recycle those coffee thingys is a factory in Barnsley, then send them all to Barnsley. Get a single strategy on what can, & what cannot be recycled. In terms of WEEE, force retailers to accept products back for recycling including batteries. Again this centralises the process, leaving Councils room to focus on other things

unrecordings

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

A properly run reliable public transport system at affordable prices that are
within the reach of the least affluent in society.

We famously had incredibly cheap buses back up to the 1980's but then deregulation came in and completely wrecked everything.

Before Beeching, the UK rail network was (apparently) the most robust in the world due to the redundancy in track - caused by the haphazard way our railways grew prior to WWII. I'm wondering how much of Beeching could be rolled back to aid commuting & tourism

Dithering_Dormouse

Very rarely post, but this is the sort of thing I'm always on my soap box about IRL so thought I'd join in if that's OK.

Agree with most of the things that have been said so far. I was going to put forward about a national recycling system (but was beaten to it!) I think we should be anywhere in the country - at home, work, in the high street and the recycling bins etc should be exactly the same so we all know what can go in which bin.

Also everything that can be recycled should be recycled - with processing plants built in this country so we deal with our own waste. Did you know that in Oxfordshire you can recycle cling film - I didn't even know it was possible to recycle it.

PipneyJane

Good thread, Unrecordings.

My big changes would be:-

a) A change to the way the NHS is funded. Firstly, I'd only pay doctors/clinics/hospitals for the services they deliver. It's amazing how much administration disappears when the focus is entirely on care delivery. Included in the fee calculation would be a portion for "capital improvement" and something for "maintenance". Secondly, I'd do away with the entire, expensive "competitive tendering" process and swap it so that any suitable private provider could deliver an NHS service, so long as they were prepared to accept the NHS standard rate - no inflated fee - and delivered the required standard of care. They might compete with your local hospital but they wouldn't replace the hospital department that was already delivering this service.

b) Infrastructure funding. Want to know why London Underground's service provision has improved dramatically over the last decade? It's because a few years ago, they got a guaranteed 5-year settlement from the Government. That gave them 5 years in which they could plan their maintenance and capital improvements without worrying where the money would come from. I'd extend this so that all highways departments and the railways had a 5 year capital settlement, with negotiations for the following 5 years to be started - and concluded - in year 4.

c) A set syllabus for all state funded schools together with a minimum funding settlement, so that all children have the chance of a good education. I'd also set the maximum primary school class size to 12. (The French joke that you can walk into any classroom in France and the teachers for the same year level will be on the same page in the text book. What it means is that a child can change schools and their education won't suffer. )

d) Finally, I'd remove the "colony" status from all the remaining colonies and overseas territories and make them full members of the United Kingdom, with seats in the House of Commons. This would extend full democratic rights to their populations and, if done sooner, might have prevented the current situation in Hong Kong. It would also enhance Britain's claims on the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. I would also give seats to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, while enabling them to still have their devolved parliaments.

- Pip

Dithering_Dormouse

On the transport front:

If we are to go over to electric cars as fast as now required, an infrastructure of electric vehicle charging points should be rolled out by the govt - starting with agreeing with car manufacturers to have one recharging style of 'socket' for all vehicles. I think at the moment each manufacturer has their own style of socket so not all charging points can be used for all electric vehicles. Although somebody else might have more up to date information than this.

At the moment if you do not live in a city you pretty much have to have a car because bus and rail services are non-existant/ infrequent/ too expensive. Cheap, regular buses to all villages and small towns are a must. Also cheap, regular train services.

Oh and could all buses become electric as well?

(Said I had a soap box!:))

Prinzessilein

I would like to suggest...

A system whereby ALL medical students studying in the UK to become a doctor are required to work for a set time (I will moot 3 years????) as an NHS GP in a practice determined by local need....we currently have too few GPs and this might help alleviate the situation. I remember as a child how you never made a GP appointment - you could walk into the waiting room and everyone was seen in turn, on the day....)

As a former teacher I would like to see a change to the system...a return to a 3-tier Secondary system...but with flexibility to move between tiers...so one tier for academic pupils, preparing many of them for Uni ...one for a revised form of Apprenticeship (pupils being able to start work experience for about age 14 or 15 one day a week, increasing this as they progress, and getting academic and professional/technical qualifications)...and one tier for those pupils who will need specialized support, they would get a more basic but solid education and would also receive training in job-skills.....whilst pupils would be assessed at age 11 for which stream was most appropriate, I would want flexibility in transferring as pupils develop at different ages.

unrecordings

Dithering_Dormouse wrote: »

Very rarely post, but this is the sort of thing I'm always on my soap box about IRL so thought I'd join in if that's OK.

Did you know that in Oxfordshire you can recycle cling film - I didn't even know it was possible to recycle it.

Welcome
No I didn't know about the clingfilm - though do you not need to wash it. I think the great shame with current recycling is the lack of awareness of the problems of contaminants in batches of recycling. We used to joke that we washed our recycling, because nobody told us we ought to. As an aside to that I think you can suggest that once clean, that nice sturdy little plastic tub your mushrooms came in is no longer a bit of single use plastic