CHANGE and LISTEN

Politicians arrive with promises they fully intend to ignore but what can they do. One of the best promise they can ever make is to listen. Listening is actually FREE. Politicians talking about schools, waiting lists and knife crime as they strive to get elected can relax now. They can stop saying this needs to be sorted and can sit down, listen, discuss then resolve. It is the Police who stand in front of the machete marauding mad man. It is the doctors, nurses and porters who stand in front of their victims, or explain why a hip operation may be a few years away. It is the fire fighters who enter buildings to save people, douse fires and risk their own lives in a way that is extremely generous to the resut of us in society. It is the teachers and classroom assistants who try to raise cash for school outings, books and all the shortfalls in the budget that ensure our children receive as comprehensive an education as they can possibly deliver. So before saying another word, venture forth into your constituencies and listen, before you get you goodie bag and baggie your seat in the chamber. One of the meatiest parts of any election campaign is the focus groups and the statistics they produce. This creates the banner under which the party will perform. In Labour's case it was CHANGE. It seems rather obvious that most things did indeed need to change. Instead of telling doctors to work faster, take short cuts and treat more patients, here's a plan, let's CHANGE. Let's ask how we can deliver. Instead of telling schools that they are failing, incentivising inspectors to identify flaws, here's a plan, let's CHANGE and ask schools how we can deliver. Instead of telling the police to crack down on knife and every other crime, here's a plan, let's CHANGE and ask what needs to be done so we can deliver. Instead of setting up watchdogs for utility companies how about giving them a real reason to CHANGE. A significant equity fining structure that dilutes shareholders but means they still have the funds to invest. Instead of grants for green energy projects make them equity sharing arrangements. Democracy might be at it lowest ebb as this whopping majority came from only 35% of a very small turnout, but it offers us the chance to CHANGE. A democratic forum that looks around Europe and identifies a better voting system than the see-saw of 2-5 Tory prime ministers then a Labour one. The see saw that sees so many people join politics, get 5 years in Westminster then disappear again. Now is the time for CHANGE to let people get the chance to evolve the process so it stops being a late night lonely drinking man's club. We can only expect more from our politicians if we CHANGE the way they work. The ones who have been there a while say "its aye been this way", well here's a plan, take a leaf out of the advice every Minister has ever advised and CHANGE. On behalf of the electorate, Thank you. I will do the long list of suggestions below over the next month or so. Instead of telling Nurses to work faster, Porters to take short cuts and Doctors treat more patients, here's a plan, let's CHANGE. Let's ask how we can deliver. Let's ask the question how can we use the buildings 24 hours a day to utilise the £1m scanners 7 days a week. Let's ask where we can get the resources to rapidly raise the radiographers required. Let's look in the mirror and say immigration. Let's not say yet another national emergency where we need the staff to work 84 hours a week. Let's not tell the staff they must contribute to a pension that is capped so that all the extra cash you pay in means you are effectively taxed at 70% because you pension pot has maxed out. At a stroke removing this ceiling would ensure that more doctors could work in the NHS. Forcing them to do less hours and work privately as locums because the pension cap forces them is madness when you have a labour shortage but what would you do. Instead of setting up watchdogs for utility companies how about giving them a real reason to CHANGE. A significant equity fining structure that dilutes shareholders but means they still have the funds to invest. Instead of grants for green energy projects make them equity sharing arrangements. The most obvious thing in the world was when we bailed out the banks we gave them the cash but not take a stake. We stood behind them but let the price of the shares fall to a level that the market felt acceptable and then let them find a way to pay the government back with a caveat of converting the debt to equity shares at any stage in the 2 years. The government would be obliged to hold for a period but at least they wouldn't buy in at a ridiculous price and yet again provide the city with some free cash. The opposite of privatisation, where we sold our country's assets at a severe discount, when we bailed out the banks we paid a huge premium. This was because the government forgot they could dictate the terms. Somehow the banks conviced them that the bank should dictate the terms. THat's back to POCA in my book and the police should investigate one day. Its almost identical to the theft of the many Tory covid cases that still need investigation. This again would help the government find some cash. Instead of telling the police to crack down on knife and every other crime, here's a plan, let's CHANGE and ask what needs to be done so we can deliver. For example - If you make POCA targets bigger and say all POCA receipts can be used to fund the Police and serve Justice, I think you'd find more money laundering legislation was not required. The Police would be able to find 100 times what they currently do. For every £100m they identify £25m fund new recruits, £25m goes in overtime, 25m goes into the Police Pension and £25m towards legal aid. Drugs policy. Legalise more drugs than tobacco, alcohol and legal highs. Tax them instead. Again hand in hand with POCA, the drugs ceased should be released through licensed vendors or drop in centres. The money raised can be used to fund the drop in centres and residential rehab units we need. Many small gains make a huge difference to our children growing up from an increase in needle return schemes to discarded vapes and other litter. Making it easier for society to contribute to Society is what the RNLI does through its volunteers. Emulating what the Food bank industry, (as sadly it is now an industry) has achieved is a beacon of light for how we can as a society come together, locally and nationally. Finally - stop measuring police performance through arbitary crime statistics. These do not help, they only muddy the waters. Now is the time for all community leaders to join together to say what should be measured, locally and nationally.