If you were asked to become prime minister

[8ball]

You probably could if it ever joins the eu.

It's pretty much cornered, though, so I doubt resistance would be any more than if they chose the prime minister of a member.

Though tbf I did think they were a member.

 

[butchersapron]

Might as well crack on and putin switzerland at the same time really.

 

[8ball]

Might as well crack on and putin switzerland at the same time really.

Fuck Switzerland.

 

[discokermit]

the black country.
1. declare independance
2. nationalise everything under workers control.
3. march on birmingham.
4. march on london.

 

[quiquaquo]

You must mean its last colonial opressor surely?
"Did you know the name "Texas" comes from a Caddoan Indian word? It is a Spanish corruption of the Caddo word Taysha, which means "friend." The Caddo were not the only native people of this region, however. "

http://www.native-languages.org/texas.htm

Very true. Unfortunately a South Africa cannot happen in the US or Australia for that matter as the Whites exterminated the indigenous people to such a degree that is no longer feasible. Hence Mexico being the lesser of two evils.

 

[malatesta32]

Might as well crack on and putin switzerland at the same time really.

Fuck Switzerland.

yeah and fuck putin too!

 

[malatesta32]

the black country.
1. declare independance
2. nationalise everything under workers control.
3. march on birmingham.
4. march on london.

why are you marching to london? is it cos you cant afford bus fares?

 

[twentythreedom]

Being ruler of Turkmenistan sounds like it could be a bit of a laugh

 

[SpookyFrank]

My manifesto/dictatorial wishlist for the United Kingdom:

14) More support for the Army Cadet Force, youth centres, and other extracurricular activities for young people.

This is the only one I have a problem with. As a former air cadet I naturally have nothing but contempt for army cadets.

And it should be a source of considerable national shame that only chidlren who join a military organisation get proper training in first aid and map reading as a matter of course. Considering some of the shit they do find time to cover in school I'm sure they could fit in a ridiculously useful life skill like map reading somewhere.

When I meet someone who can't read a map I always feel like I should ask them who tied their shoes for them this morning.

 

[SpookyFrank]

the black country.
1. declare independance

Of the nine people in the rest of the UK who will care, none will try and stop you.

 

[NoXion]

This is the only one I have a problem with. As a former air cadet I naturally have nothing but contempt for army cadets.

I would expect nothing less from you pampered flyboys. You lot were always too good to get your boots dirty in anything resembling real field exercises.

On a more serious note, I'd be perfectly happy for a policy of increased support of the ACF to be extended in a similar manner to the other Cadet branches. I think each could have a different kind of experience to offer to older kids, and I think that joint events and inter-branch competitions would further enhance participation if they aren't already happening.

And it should be a source of considerable national shame that only chidlren who join a military organisation get proper training in first aid and map reading as a matter of course. Considering some of the shit they do find time to cover in school I'm sure they could fit in a ridiculously useful life skill like map reading somewhere.

When I meet someone who can't read a map I always feel like I should ask them who tied their shoes for them this morning.

I wouldn't be opposed to introducing map reading and first aid into the general curriculum, but I certainly think that the ACF and similar organisations are the one of the best contexts for those kids interested in firearms and shooting (like I was) to get into the activity. I distinctly remember it being consistently and insistently drummed into my head that firearms are dangerous and should always be treated as loaded, among other mantras. I made it onto the shooting team and I had a load of fun in the process, but since turning 18 I've not been able to find the means (or the money) to indulge in it since. More generally, I think it would do kids (and the public in general) a lot of good to inject a bit of reality into their view of firearms as opposed to the fantasy that Hollywood and video games often present.

 

[tim]

I would pick a small country, like an island. And then I would probably change as little as possible because sometimes things are OK as they are.

Funnily, that's how most poltician sseem to behave and think once they've clawed their way to the top!

 

[Epico]

Enter with half decent ideals, but effectively looking to massage my ego.
Become massively corrupt.
Reluctantly resign.
Live a charmed existence from my corrupt dealings.

 

[hipipol]

I assume that since you are talking about 'artificially low' interest rates that you are coming from an Austrian School position?

oh Christ
Not sure who "owns" that view
I have not read read any academic papers simply deduced it from looking at the rates before and after
Also after the internal walls came down it was possible for their local banks to tap Euro Money Markets with no FX exposure, something which had previously been limited

 

[butchersapron]

Them - you mean the greek people who had no say in these decisions yet were made to carry the can for them? Fuck your fucking economics. Talk politics. Talk actions. Talk decisions. Talk motivations. Don't talk fucking economics.

 

[Artaxerxes]

The UK

Freeze new development of transport infrastructure in the South East for 2 years, maintenance only.
Invest heavily in infrastructure in the North, decent Metro system in Birmingham and other major cities.
Attempt to nationalise at least part of the railways - introduce an equivalent to the JR Pass to encourage tourists to be able to actually fucking *afford* transport outside London
Build 2 Nuclear Plants somewhere
Write an updated constitution that defines the actual rights of British citizens, including the right to unfettered internet access (fuck off Porn filters, your useless) and the right for companies to host whatever they damn well like, lets bring Pirate Bay and Megaupload servers here.
Small subsidy for non-alcohol serving service industries open until 9pm - I really hate the locked in 9-5 mentality of things in this country. Posting a parcel or visiting a bank is fucking agony

Shit on the Queens front Garden and call it art.

 

[likesfish]

Thing is we do have a constitution its several million pages at this point
Good luck making it coherant

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

I would be PM of the UK

Build 200,000 new homes
Introduce a tax on second, third homes
Order local authorities to register landlords and regulate private rents
Introduce compulsory ratios between highest and lowest paid in the private and public sectors
Compulsory union recognition in any employer with more than 5 staff (freedom for the staff to choose their own union of course).
Compulsory collective bargaining over pay and t&cs by sector
Minimum wage set at the median wage
Abolish tax credits
Introduce wealth tax
Half VAT with a view to phasing out.
Financial Transactions Tax
Break up the retail arms of the state owned banks and use the assets to create credit unions in every community, using the vast number of retail bank staff to provide expertise.
Introduce a top rate of income tax for households with an annual income of 200k+ of 65%
Free universal education
Free universal healthcare
Move towards a 30 hour working week
Final salary pensions for all up to a value of the median wage
Create a soveriegn wealth fund to invest in ethical business, land ownership, and community controlled resources around the world, abolish overseas aid to pay for this.
HS2 network
Grants for bus rapid transit schemes in every town and city
Ban ZHCs
Nationalise all employment agencies

 

[twentythreedom]

You forgot the bit about legalising drugs

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

Them - you mean the greek people who had no say in these decisions yet were made to carry the can for them? Fuck your fucking economics. Talk politics. Talk actions. Talk decisions. Talk motivations. Don't talk fucking economics.

The economic theories that people hold, however, are often the means by which the powerful are able to convince others of the legitimacy of the politics, actions and decisions you mention. You can't just not talk about it and hope it will go away. The economics guides the politics just as much as the politics pushes the economics.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

I would be PM of the UK

Build 200,000 new homes
Introduce a tax on second, third homes
Order local authorities to register landlords and regulate private rents
Introduce compulsory ratios between highest and lowest paid in the private and public sectors
Compulsory union recognition in any employer with more than 5 staff (freedom for the staff to choose their own union of course).
Compulsory collective bargaining over pay and t&cs by sector
Minimum wage set at the median wage
Abolish tax credits
Introduce wealth tax
Half VAT with a view to phasing out.
Financial Transactions Tax
Break up the retail arms of the state owned banks and use the assets to create credit unions in every community, using the vast number of retail bank staff to provide expertise.
Introduce a top rate of income tax for households with an annual income of 200k+ of 65%
Free universal education
Free universal healthcare
Move towards a 30 hour working week
Final salary pensions for all up to a value of the median wage
Create a soveriegn wealth fund to invest in ethical business, land ownership, and community controlled resources around the world, abolish overseas aid to pay for this.
HS2 network
Grants for bus rapid transit schemes in every town and city
Ban ZHCs
Nationalise all employment agencies

Gave your post a like, although I'm not sure "Minimum wage set at the median wage" is mathematically possible (unless everyone has exactly the same income). Kind of like aiming for everyone to be above average.

 

[Purdie]

Belgium

I would introduce capital gains tax
Reform the child benefit system
Take 'virginity repair' off the subsidized health care list
Put a visit to the psychologist on the subsidized health care list
Reform the VAT system
Make it compulsory to pass a medical at 70 to keep one's driving licence
Introduce a driving licence point system
Sort out the state of the roads
Build more cycle lanes
Introduce a watershed on television
Re-introduce English as a second language for those in vocational education across the board
Legalize weed for medicinal use
Make nepotism illegal.


That should keep me busy for a while...

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

I have not read read any academic papers simply deduced it from looking at the rates before and after

Not 100% sure I believe you here, sorry. The use of the word 'artificial' in describing interest rates implies some sort of alternate 'natural' rate from which rates have been deliberately forced away from. This comes straight out of Neoclassical and Austrian textbooks. The concept is inescapably bound up with those theoretical frameworks. It could not have just jumped out at you from looking at raw data unless you are unknowingly being influenced by those ideas.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

You forgot the bit about legalising drugs

My utopia would not be despoiled by such harmful substances

 

[twentythreedom]

My utopia would not be despoiled by such harmful substances

But weed is awesome. And MDMA. You gotta have them in Utopia

 

[Frances Lengel]

My manifesto for the UK

1 Legalise all drugs except cannabis - Possession of which would be punishable by having to take 100ml of methadone daily for a year then having to turkey. Just for a laugh.

2 Re Introduce the death penalty but make it death by "the thousand wasp enema" by which a bellows is filled with a thousand angry wasps then pumped up the recipients arse. This will create employment via wasp farms.

3 Send the buggers back.

 

[timoxensis]

er..

- Legalise all drugs
- Leave the EU
- Build high-speed rail between all major cities
- Pass a Bill of Rights similar to the US model
- Create a Commonwealth Free Trade zone
- Have a decade referendum for each constituent country, with a simple question "Do you want England/Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland to be independent countries?"
- Simplify all tax rates. People who earn under 20,000 pay 5%, 20-40000 pay 15%, 40000-100000 30%, 100000 and above 35%. Only large firms pay Corporation Tax, and abolish VAT on all goods

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

Sounds fucking horrible.

 

[timoxensis]

Just my view, don't need anybody here to agree..

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

Just my view, don't need anybody here to agree..

You must have some sort of reasoning behind your view though. How will you pay for public services like the NHS if you cut taxes to such low levels?